Christchurch

For our last day in New Zealand, we rented a car and drove to Christchurch, a beautiful drive.

We stopped off for a view of Mount Cook, New Zealand's tallest mountain at 3,754 m (12,316 ft).




It was a wonderful trip, and we were thankful to have such wonderful company...

Shotover Jet

Next adventure- Jetboating..

"Rock faces blur in your peripheral vision, the opaque water sprays into myriads of white crystals with every turn, and you grip the hand rail for comfort and reassurance and then let out a whoop of excitement as the driver spins the boat around in its own boat length — wow, you've just experienced the World famous Shotover Jet full 360 degree spin. Hold on tight and enjoy the thrill as you spin and without losing momentum keep speeding along the river.

The best thing of all… this is all actually good for you." - From the Shotover website

I would agree that it is good for you!

http://www.shotoverjet.co.nz/

Canyon Swing

The Canyon Swing (Known as the world's tallest swing), my favorite adventure...

http://www.canyonswing.co.nz/

Nanci in the chair...


Beth in the chair. SCARED?





"Gimp Boy Goes to Hollywood" (I don't know what this means, but this is the name of the jump)

http://www.shotoverjet.com/

Queenstown

We flew from Aukland to Queenstown, a city that combines the beauty of Banff and the small town feel of Aspen. However, make no mistake, this is an adult's Disneyland...






We started out small for our first Queenstown activity, a scenic luge.
http://www.skyline.co.nz/queenstown/luge/index.cfm/

New Zealand's highest bungy jump, 400 meters above Queenstown.

Lion Brewery

From the Bay of Islands, we returned to Aukland for one very important tour, LIONZONE. LIONZONE is not a traditional brewery tour; visitors have the opportunity to learn, about the brewing process, the history of the Lion Brewery and Lion Nathan, through multi-media and interactive experiences. LIONZONE encompasses the working Lion Brewery, the home of Lion Red, New Zealand's biggest beer brand, and Steinlager, Lion's flagship international beer.
Needless to say, we (especially Nancy) were very excited about this tour.

Our very gracious host was Peter, a doctor of Beers.

Peter explains to Nanci that green bottled beers, although more marketable, result in a lesser quality beer.

Thanks Peter. I think I will have another Steinlager...

For more information, see:

http://www.lionzone.co.nz/default.asp

Urupukapuka Island

After our morning adventure with the Dolphins, we were dropped on Urupukapuka Island. In the background is Otehei Bay. Otehei Bay is one of the most beautiful bays on Urupukapuka Island. It has been famous since the days when Zane Grey, the famous American author, chased the big marlin from his camp here.

Next stop, Motukokako Island and the famous "Hole in the Rock."

Paihia, Russell and Waitangi

We arrived in the Bay of Islands and explored the nearby towns of Russell and Waitangi. The Bay of Islands is the region that encompasses Kerikeri, Waitangi, Paihia and Russell. There are 144 islands in the Bay of Islands together with some of New Zealands most beautiful Coastline. Waitangi is where New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed in 1840. Some of New Zealand's oldest buildings are found in the Bay of Islands, including New Zealnad's oldest Church, Christ Church (1936). This Church was supported in part by Charles Darwin.

The moon over Russell...

Our next great adventure was a Dolphin Expedition. We had planned on swimming with the Dolphins, but this was scratched as there were baby dolphins in the water.

Fullers Bay of Island Tours: http://www.fboi.co.nz/

For more information about Russell see: http://www.russellnz.com/

Trivia: In a 2006 study, the Bay of Islands was found to have the bluest sky in the world, after Rio de Janeiro.[1]

References
↑ Dumé, Belle (2006-08-02). World's bluest sky revealed. Optics.org. Retrieved on 2006-08-14.

Sheep World

We left Auckland and headed for the Bay of Islands. On our way, we stopped at "Sheep World."
Here, we learned about the amazing New Zealand sheep economy. Our show, hosted by a sheep- shearing comedian named Andy, consisted of a live sheep-shearing, bottle feeding lambs, and an amazing display of sheep herding by Andy's dog, Molly. It was heaps of fun...

Ther are 40 million sheep in New Zealand and only 4 million people.


Molly herding the sheep for Andy.

Waitomo Caves

In Waitomo, we experienced Black Water Rafting. More often referred to as ‘cave tubing’, Black Water Rafting enables you to explore subterranean rivers that flow through ancient cave systems, while seated in an inner tube. We weaved, jumped and floated through the glowworm flecked underworld of the Ruakuri Cave.
This popular tour took approximately 4 hours and involved a combination of walking and floating on an inner tube through a unique underground river system. I kept thinking we could never get away with this in the states.


Preparing for our adventure...

Floating down the underground river...


For more information see:
http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx

Auckland, New Zealand

One of the more impressive sites in Auckland is the Sky Tower. At 328 metres, Sky Tower is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere, offering breath-taking views for more than 80 kilometres in every direction. This was our first stop in New Zealand.


You soon realize that in New Zealand if a building or structure is taller than 100 meters, you can pay money to jump off of it.


No Beth, it does not look like you are jumping...


Great views of the city of Auckland...

If you would like to jump off the sky tower see:

http://www.skyjump.co.nz/