Thanks for reading!

Thank you also to everyone for the birthday wishes. It was a very good 26 on the 27th. We've had an amazing time so far and we know there is more to come. We've met great people and stayed in some wonderful places. I'll try to post again soon. Hope you are all doing well and keeping warm!

Snorkeling in Fiji

More back-tracking...

Fox Glacier

JANUARY 24-25, 2009

For these few days we stayed in Fox Glacier...which is also the name of the glacier we hiked. Yeah, not something I thought I would do in my lifetime. Hike on a glacier. We took a helicopter above the glacier and then it dropped us down on the ice to hike around for 3 hours, going through ice caves and crevaces. It was chilly! The interesting thing about this glacier is that it backs up to a rainforest. There are only 2, or maybe 3, in the world that exist in those conditions. Very cool stuff!

Mas Cathedral Cove

Cathedral Cove

JANUARY 14, 2009

Doing a little back-tracking here. I forgot about one of the prettiest places we've been! Cathedral Cove is a beautiful little beach in the Coromandel area. We treked up the hills and after a 45 minute walk were able to feast our eyes on the pic you see above. I think Steven waited for about an hour and 1/2 to get this shot, because the beach was a bit crowded. Very diligent photographer! It was a lovely day and even more picturesque in person.

Mas Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman Park

JANUARY 22-24, 2009

For these few days we were in the Abel Tasman National Park in the south island. We did a self-guided kayaking trip that lasted for 3 days, 2 nights...which means Liberty camped outside! Aren't you all impressed!! Stretching the boundaries. We had beautiful weather and were able to kayak along the coast of the park each day. We stopped along the way on several of the secluded beaches and made camp on two of them. We saw lots of seals on the Pinnacle and Tonga islands (Tonga is in the picture above). Oh the babies were so cute! And the camping wasn't as bad as I imagined, although I did smell very fresh at the end of it...no showers! After our days in the sun we would walk along the beach or play in the water. It was a very nice experience. Even if my lip did swell up again!

Sand dunes

Waitomo Caves

JANUARY 16, 2009


We were in Waitomo for the day and did the Lost World Tour. It is probably the most daring and adventurous thing I've ever done. Scratch that. It totally is. A good time ago, builders were looking to put a track of some sort through that area and stumbled upon a small opening into the cave. They said it looked like a window into a lost world...hence the name. Even though their plans to build there were spoiled, it was quite a discovery.

We started off getting geared up in wetsuits and all sorts of equipment that makes you wonder what you're getting in to. Then we abseiled down 100 meters into a cave...basically rapelling down but you're not against anything. When you get to the bottom, you are surrounded by the most amazing scenery. There is beautiful green vegetation everywhere (ferns, moss, trees) and you feel like you're the first people to step foot there. Then we began our trek underground through the cave. Now as many of you know, I'm not really an outdoor girl. We were climbing through gushing water, over slippery rocks, under huge boulders, jumping into pools of water from at least 10 feet up. Not exactly what I'm used to. But it was truly an amazing experience. We were able to see glowworms all around. At one part you just sit there in complete darkness and it feels like you're looking up at the sky with all the glowworms doting the ceiling. It was an unforgetable adventure and pictures will come soon!


Upon leaving the cave, Steven said, "You know I saw a huge spider in the cave and the guide told me they are water spiders. They jump down into the water and float around to find food. And they're about as big as my palm." Ignorance was definitely bliss for me in this case.

PS: Mom and Dad were married for 38 years on this day (that's right isn't it, Mom??). Cheers to them!

The Bog of Eternal Stench

JANUARY 11, 2009


This day we drove along 90 Mile Beach to a city called Ahipara. We did some boarding on the sand dunes, and I say some because I believe we were out there for maybe an hour. The sun wasn't too bad, which was nice, but climbing the dunes was terrible! Very fun going down; not so fun going up. Made us realize how out of shape we are but still fun because Steven had never been sand boarding.

JANUARY 15, 2009

We were in Rotorura for the day, which is in the north island in New Zealand. We visited a thermal "wonderland" (Waiotapu). Oh the joy! The "wonder" part of it is how people live within a 5 mile radius. It was very interesting, geothermal pools with lots of minerals boiling up from inside the earth. But it truly was the Bog of Eternal Stench (for those Labyrinth fans). Sulfur floats throught the air on the hot steam that comes up through the craters. Just one of those magical places that you only need to visit once to really "soak it up".

We ARE still alive ;)

Hi everyone! It's been too long since our last post. We've been busy and haven't had a lot of access to internet so I'll have to catch you up! I'm going to do a few different posts so be sure to read everything since the shearing one!

Maybe I'll take up shearing

ADDITION TO THIS POST: Here is a pic of me eating kimchee, a very prized sea urchin that is expensive when purchased in Japan. It tastes like salty goo. Yum!

Hello all! OK despite the many requests, I will NOT be posting pictures of my fat lip and forehead. Vanity has gotten the best of me and I'm not ashamed one bit. We've been in sunny/rainy/cloudy/sunny/rainy New Zealand now for about a week and it's amazing. Very friendly people and wonderful scenic drives. We went on an overnight cruise where we were able to kayak in the moonlight and fish in the ocean. I was of course popping sea-sickness pills which are a gift from God. As we are making this journey, I've been contemplating what I would like to do when we get back to TX. I saw a news story today about sheep shearers and how they compete every year to see how many sheep they can shear in a day. I'm not 100% sure but I think I might have found my calling. I shall start shopping for my electric razor tomorrow.

Life's a beach in Fiji

Getting burned on the beach

Beachfront on Mana Island

Sunrise in Fiji

Oh Fiji

Bula Bula! Well we're on our last day in Fiji and it has been quite a trip so far. The plane ride here wasn't bad at all (17.5 hrs) but for the long leg of it we practically had the upper deck of the plane to ourselves. There were literally only 8-10 passengers with us on the 2nd level. Pretty unbelieveable. And they only lost one of our bags! We have since recovered it and seems like everything is intact. It's an amazingly beautiful place, but very, very humid at this time of year. I managed to get badly sunburned on our second day here, but only in certain areas of course. I look like a candy cane. There have also been a few allergic reactions, one causing my bottom lip and forehead to swell to twice their size. I look like a caveman with collagen injections. But other than that, we've been lucky travelers! Everyone has been very nice and helpful. Pictures will be posted soon...Steven has gotten some amazing shots. I hope everyone is doing well and that the first few days of 2009 have been good ones. We are having a wonderful time and feel very blessed to be able to take this trip. Love to all!

Leaving today!!

I can't believe it's finally here. Doesn't feel like it! We fly out today at 7pm and will arrive in Fiji two days later! Stay tuned for more postings. Happy 2009!!