More NZ Pix

Hi All, we're writing from NZ again! It's so beautiful here we're trying not to blink or we'll miss something. It seems like every time we turn a corner there's something more amazing than the last! Anyways...here are a few pictures from some hikes we went on in the "Pacific Ring of Fire" or Tarangi National Park. This is the park where "The Lord of the Rings" was filmed! The other 2 pictures are of Trevor trying to win us $5,000 by getting a hole in one 0n a floating green and of me zip lining on Kai Iwi beach.

Kiwiland Pix

Hi Again from NZ. We're having an amazing time here!! It's just beautiful! We left the Coromandel Peninsula (which was awesome!) and now have made our way to Lake Taupo. Tomorrow off to the Mts. It was difficult at first getting used to driving on the opposite side of the car and on the other side of the road, but Trevor picked it up quickly!! Here are a few pix of our last couple days here.

New Zealand Pix

Hello from New Zealand!

It's absolutely beautiful here and has not disappointed at all! We picked up our campervan on Sunday and have been driving around the Coromandel Peninsula for a couple days. The pictures we uploaded do not do justice to the beauty that surrounds this area. We have been camping, hiking, and enjoying as many kiwi's as possible!!

Cheers from our last day in Australia

G'day...here are a few pictures from our time in Katoomba the Blue Mts of Australia. We did 3 amazing hikes in the 3 days we were here. The YHA hostel in Katoomba was sooo nice!! It was more like a nice hotel than hostel. Anyways, the first 2 pictures are from a hike that we did. One of the hikes we took was entitled "The Great Staircase" and that is was. 900 steep narrow stairs down into the valley of the Mts, it was a true test of mental and physical endurance, but amazing! On Wednesday night Trevor played an open mic night at a local pub. He played 3 songs and was the hit of the night!! The local musicians loved him so much they couldn't help but play their instruments along with him (it's a long story!). I got carded at the bar, yes my friends, I got carded at an Australian pub where the legal drinking age is 18!!! Yesterday we returned to Sydney and will be here until tomorrow when we pack up and leave for NZ. We wanted to hit up the beaches today, but it's cold and rainy, so we'll see. Australia has been a great starting point for us and we both unexpectedly just love it out here!! The Aussies are so nice and helpful! Another bit of exciting news...I got the job at UVA in Charlottesville, VA. YEAH!! It's quite a story, as most of you know. Cheers!! Our next post will be from NZ!

Blue Mountain, NSW Australia

G'day Mates, we are still in Australia. We have now made our way to the Blue Mountains of Australia. It is beautiful here. We took a hike today descending from the dry forest to the rain forest, it was unbelievable!! The vistas are amazing, as are the waterfalls! Here are a few pictures from our hike today. XOXO!

G'Day Mates!

G'day fellow yanks...we are here in Australia after a long bumpy 15 hour flight. We arrived at 6am and struggled through 1 long day to try and adapt to the time change, which I think we have successfully done! On Thursday we walked from our hostel to the opera house and then into the downtown area. It was all we could do to stay awake. It's very beautiful here...blue skies and very similar to San Diego in some ways. We met a San Diegan within minutes of leaving our hostel. Funny hugh? 7,000 mls or 12,000 km (if my math does me right) from home and we meet someone from the same city. Yesterday we took a ferry to "Manly Beach." It was gorgeous lined with pine trees and soft sand beaches. From there we took a 7mile or 12Km hike around the bay through the forest. Anyways...here are some pictures of our first 2 days down under.

Almost There!

It's Monday the 7th and now we're counting down the hours until our departure. We are excited!! We'll arrive in Sydney, Australia on April 10th, yes 2 days after we leave, thanks to the international date line and a 15 hour flight. We will be in Australia for 10 days, which doesn't leave us a lot of time to venture outside of Sydney. We're planning on heading up to the Blue Mountains, outside of Sydney, and of course making our way to some Aussie beaches! Of course we are sad to leave San Diego. We had a great last couple of weeks here and lots of fun with all our friends. (I'll post the pictures of our going away parties when we get them.) Our next post will be in the outback...not really, but somewhere near the outback.

Love you all!!!