Holiday photo gallery of New Zelaand life

Ouch. Al with his head injury from a recent rollerblading accident. Looks like he will be wearing a helmet when he heads out on his rollerblades next time.


Gabe having fun during a scenic rest stop.  Then, it was time to get back in the car.




Em and Mo were enjoying the girl time together.



Watch out for the big drop off.

More photos of family day at dam dropping

Photo Gallery of Dam Dropping

Beach time at shipwreck and fishing

Family photos of canyon climbing

Here Mo goes down the canyon. She was climbing like a pro with the family cheering her on. It was a fun filled day of action packed activity for our family. Gabe was rearing to go first down the canyon stream with no fear. Looks like we are getting hooked on ecotouring, ala New Zealand extreme adventures.

Look out below! Mo was snaking her way down the canyon stream with Alec at the lower level. Al was up above watching her tackle the descent thru the mountain stream and rocky ledges.


Capturing the moment with Al and Alec. He was surprised that his parents and younger siblings could keep up. New Zealand is full of extreme adventures for those that are young or young at heart.


After the day long experience, we were tramping our way out thru the back country bush. What an exhilarating time together. Oh, those family adventures in New Zealand!

Eco-tour of the New Zealand Canyon

Here were more photos from our second time of rappelling. Our neighbor, Tran, was our adventure guide for our family. We had previously planned a two day summit of Mount Taranki with Tran. However, the mountain top was closed to climbers because of snow conditions at the top. After a family conference, we decided to head out with Tran for a back country rappelling adventure. Tran promised an incredible action packed day. It was a great day of our family bonding in New Zealand.

The boys were getting excited for the second day of rappelling. Earlier in the week, we had spent 4 hours descending spider like down into the black abyss at St. Benedict's cavern. On this day trip, Alec was leading the way into the back country. The guys were getting fired up. There was no turning back as we were in the middle nowhere. It was about an 1 1/2 hr drive, north of our home in Oakura.

Al was snaking his way down the mountain stream thru the canyon. This was the only way down as the country side was full of dense bush. There were no other climbers during our day long journey. Usually, Alec climbed down first and he held the ropes at the bottom. Tran was at the upper level where he helped the climbers get into position for the downward climb.


Here was Al living the good life! He worked his way down the canyon and thru the beautiful waterfall. The mountain stream was crystal clear and freezing cold. Our wet suits and all the physical activity kept us warm during the day long climb.

The girls chillin out before the next climb down. It had been a perfect day for our family with lots of adrenaline filled activity and time together. We were having the time of our life together. Just luvin' the adventure as a family in the incredible country of New Zealand.

Rappelling in Waitomo Caves

Alec and Emily flew into Auckland ahead of schedule on Dec. 23, 2009. They breezed thru NZ customs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing Departments to hit the ground running. We are a happy bunch of Americans who have spent our holiday having an action packed adventure. One memorable day was spent in Waitomo with cave exploring. I really cannot believed I signed us up for rappelling at the caves with the glowworms. After, some some extra encouragement. I dropped 60 feet into the cave. Then it was onward into another 60 foot drop. The zip line was a piece of cake after the rappelling. By the end of the day, I could keep up with the best of them. Of course Alec, Em, and Gabe were luvin' it all.

A Kiwi Christmas on the beach and in the bush

Alec and Mo sharing the moment at the Oakura beach. We had a traditional Kiwi Christmas dinner and then headed down to the Tasman sea.


Alec tackling the waves with the boogie boad on Christmas Day at the beach



Alec and Em getting ready for the day adventure of rappelling in the NZ canyons. What a rush.




The three kids having a blast while the five us spent the day rappelling in the gorgeous canyons. Everyone was shocked when I agreed to go along on the second day of reppelling in the canyons after surviving the previous day at Waitomo.

Rappelling down the canyons in the NZ mountains

Emily rappelling down the NZ canyon like a pro.


Gabe has no fear and eagerly reppelled down the cliffs and canyons.
We spent the day with our neighbor, Tran, as our guide. We followed the river down the mountain side on a four hour journey.


Gabe is enjoying the moment in the fresh mountain stream before his turn as we worked our way down the mountain side.

Alec with the surf board asfter a day of lessons with our friendly Kiwi neighbor. Gabe was right there in the mix of things as he was not going to let ALec show him up on the surf board.

Ho Ho Ho from Taranaki

What does Christmas mean in Oakura for us:


M--Mount Taranaki climb to the top (weather permitting) when Alec and Em get here on Dec. 23, 2009


E--Eggs from free range chickens and lots of gluten free food for Alan


R--Rudolf the red nosed reindeer song and other favorite songs from the States on the New Plymouth radio station


R--Running outside on the beach with Al in the spring season of New Zealand and not digging out from the Dec. 2009 blizzard back home in Cedar Rapids, IA


Y--YIPPEE cuz Gabe has graduated from year 8 at Oakura primary school on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009 and he will be in high school next Feb. at New Plymouth Boy's High School




C--Counting down the days till Al is on vacation from the hospital next Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009 and the Christmas celebration of baby Jesus


H--Happy times with the Base Hospital Staff at the unit Christmas Party and new friends of Oakura at Butler's Reef


R--Reading books with the ladies from the Oakura Bookclub for Mo


I--Into surfing lessons, swimming in the Tasman Sea, kayaking, tennis, barbeques, and family adventures for the holiday


S--Sweet dreams of Fiji for 10 days at Shagri-La Resort and a private ocean side villa in Jan. 2010 at the world's best soft coral coast (although we heard that 2 people were killed there today by Typhoon Mick).


T--Telephone calls in the early am (one day ahead in NZ time zone)via Skype to all those dearly loved family and friends we miss


M--Merry times in New Zealand with Gabe and 8 years students at dam dropping from boogie boards and kayaks over the 30 ft. high dam (Yes, I survived to tell the story)


A--Arrival of our much missed Alec and Emily whom we abandoned back in USA but did not forget


S--Success at completing our written diving test and waiting for calm sea for open water dives with Kevin, our New Zealand dive instructor

Here I am having a blast at dam dropping

Windy Wellington, Waitomo Caves, and Gloworms

Please excuse my lapse in blogging. I have not forgotten how to blog. There have been some technical difficulties. The Internet connection at our Kiwi house had slowed to crawl for the past 2 weeks. Plus, we have been travelling over the past weekend. However, the true culprit may have been the Hawkeyes. Our Internet minutes(10G limit/month)were gobbled up in downloading the Hawk football games. Life is good, now. We have our high speed Internet connection back.

Thanksgiving in NZ means football and turkey w/ the ex-patriots. The last two weekends have been full of turkey and the fixins for us. In Oakura, there was a holiday celebration with sixty Americans. The following weekend, we packed our bags and we headed south for a ten hour round trip. An American child psychiatrist (formerly from the University of Iowa) was hosting 20 friends for Thanksgiving in "windy Wellington". It felt like we were driving to grandma and grandpa's house, only half way around the world. Gabe played real football with the Americans and he jumped on an outdoor trampoline--Just like we were back home.

It was a small world. At the celebration in Wellington, we met another adult psychiatrist from the Midwest. He and his family of four (including 3 teenage boys) from MN are living in NZ for a 12 month medical assignment. Al had used the same placement firm and he had interviewed for a similar medical position in Wellington. It was just like looking at our own faces, only they had been in NZ since June.


We have been doing the typical Kiwi tourist things, including visiting caves, art galleries, museums. We spent one day at Waitomo Caves (wait = water, tomo = hole). In this elaborate underground network of caves and sink holes, we saw the famous glowworms of NZ. The sparks of light from these NZ "fireflies" and the feeding of the long finned eels that live in the nearby stream with our Maori guide were the highlights. In typical Kiwi fashion, we stopped for tea and biscuits(cookies).

In Wellington, New Zealand's capital city, we stayed in the downtown Holiday Inn (a recognizable American name). We were one block away from the bustling port and within walking distance of various museums. During our brief stay, we managed to find time for several side trips, including two museums, a 60 acre bird reserve, and an art gallery. My favorite site was Te Papa Tongarewa-The National Museum of New Zealand. Al was happy as we spent several hours at Karori Sanctuary to view the exotic and endangered birds of NZ. Gabe discovered he enjoyed the modern art exhibit of Yayoi Kusama. As expected, there was grumbling and tired feet as we tried to see it all.

In Dec, there will be more adventures for us. We will have a Kiwi Christmas holiday with Alec and Emily during their college breaks. We are thinking of you all during the Christmas season.

Picasa is not being friendly and refuses to share my photos with Blogger. If ya have time, view our pictures on the web album.

Crayfish and Chillin with Captain Chaddy

Tonight is Taranaki seafood feast night. Our neighbors dive for crayfish frequently. Now, we understand why. We thought they were talking about the little New Orleans style crayfish. Oh no, they are lobsters that would cost a small fortune in IA. We are lucky as they generously gave us a big one, at least 5 kg (11 lb). We have to borrow a pot because it is too big to fit in our biggest pot. Also, Al bought Gunnard, a long skinny fish at the fish market to cook for dinner. And now, our house smells like a fish market. Oh well it was worth it in spades.


Last weekend, we went on a small tramp at the southern route of Mount Taranaki. It was fun and we got an up close look at Dawson Falls. No one was seen on our hour long trek except a photographer. Our reward at the end of the trail was a gluten free lodge and a German chef. We hear that higher on the trail is a series of hot springs bath tubs... Next time.

We spent the next day on a boat cruise with Captain Chaddy. He was a typical salty skipper, full of many wild tales. No one argued about wearing a life jacket for fear of being thrown overboard. We were glad to be dressed like sturdy sailors in yellow rain slickers as the old lifeboat was tossed in the rough sea. Thick clouds were overhead but the rain held off. As the captain had predicted, no one got seasick and Gabe was delighted with the drenching waves.

Soon after we left the main harbour area, several seals were spotted near Moturoa Island. As the first mate, Gabe was happy as he piloted the boat around Seal Island, a protected marine island. No whales or dolphins were spotted on this adventure though we did locate several penguin nest houses. However, we will return with Alec and Emily for more Maori stories and another ocean voyage with Chaddy's Charters. He promised us fishing lines and more wild life next time.

If you are interested, there are recent pictures on Al's Picasa web album. I am having trouble downloading my pictures into my Blogger web page. Keep in touch as we miss ya all!

Mountains, Mussels, Mutton, and More

Every time the mountain peeks out from behind the misty clouds, I have to stop and gawk. Of course, Gabe gets nervous if I am driving and rubbernecking at the surf or Mount Taranaki. Good thing I don't try to use my cell (plus it is illegal) while driving. The weather forecast was perfect so we headed to the mountain (less than 10 miles from our house). We spent the morning on a 90 min. tramp up to the snow fields. The boys were scouting for their upcoming tramp to the summit. More mountain pics to come later.



In keeping up with Alec (our oldest son and his blogging about food from around the world), our experiences with Kiwi cuisine have been positive. We celebrated our arrival in NZ by consuming several amazing meals. We dined on ostrich, venison, rabbit, and the omnipresent mutton. Gabe tends to avoid mutton unless it is grilled. The boys are learning to cook on the "barbie". I am tackling the convection oven and cooking in metric. It is sticker shock at the grocery store--3 litres of milk (less than a gallon) is NZ$4.59. One trip to the grocery store for stocking the pantry cost NZ$341.

We try not to hit the Kiwis or cattle crossing the road. Fish are plentiful so we have sampled Lemon, Terayki, Snapper, and Treacle. Our weekly diet includes the world famous green lipped Coromandel mussels including those collected from our beach on Sunday. Yum, we will be back. Grandpa has to stop over for some fresh banana prawns (and yes they were as big) with garlic butter over the grill and all gluten free.

Al is calling from a local pay phone for "takeaway". Hard to believe there are still phone booths in the world that are not antique collector items. He is a happy camper as the local liquor store decided to stock gluten free beer. It was expensive at NZ$20 for a six pack (but well worth it). Good thing the wine is local, wonderful and inexpensive. I was surprised to see Starbucks in New Plymouth. Even the Kiwis love coffee (almost as much as tea). However, Al finds a way to be absent from the mandatory tea time (twice daily) at the hospital. No wonder things take so long in Kiwi hospitals as all the staff are away. Their motto is "No worries" and "it's all sweet".

We are looking forward to sharing this fun, food, and adventure. Alec and Emily will be visiting us in Dec. for their holiday visit. We still have until May. Bon Appetite!

Thermal Wonderland of Rotorua

Al and Mo at the geothermal wonderland in Rotorua, New Zealand. It was a fun place to spend the Labour Day weekend. This area is associated with volcanic activity dating back to 160,000 years ago.


Al and Gabe at Lady Gyeser of Wai-O-Tapu, a 20 min. drive south of Rotorua. A park officer deposited a small bar of soap in the opening at the top of the geyser. Several minutes later, the gyeser blew and the we were in awe.

Gabe and I are enjoying the green bubbling pool and the associated "rotten egg smell" of sulphuric acid. We spent the morning exploring the geothermal field. As you drive into Rotorua, one sees boiling steam escaping from numerous craters, bubbling pools of mud and steaming pots that dot the countryside. The city is famous for the "rotten egg smell" of sulphuric acid.

Here we are crossing thru over the steaming river with no fish life. Later in the day, Gabe rode the SkySwing (an exciting ride at the top of the mountain) and the luge sled (with Al) down the mountain. Then, we soaked in the hot mineral springs of the Polynesian Spa. It was a relaxing way to end a fun day in New Zealand's Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters).