We're Back from New Zealand

Whew...now that the Phillies game is on a rain delay (maybe stoppage? stupid Australian tv is now showing motocross so I don't know what's happening) I can post about our weekend in New Zealand. First, let me say that it is one of the most beautiful places that I've ever been to. For all you Lord of the Rings fans, I didn't see any spots where they filmed, but hopefully you'll still like the pictures below.

We flew into Christchurch last Friday afternoon. Close to the airport is the International Antarctic Centre so we started there. Did you know that 70% of the people/scientists that fly to Antarctica go out of Christchurch? Nope, I didn't either. It's called international because New Zealand, the US, and Italy all have offices and programs here. The US Air Force also flys planes to Antarctica from here.

We started out (after I begged for a quick stop at the cafe because it was past lunch time) at the penguin exhibit where they were feeding these tiny little penguins. The Little Blue Penguins to be exact. Apparently they swim near the shores of South Australia and New Zealand. After that we went to the Antarctic Storm where they simulate a storm every half hour. Yep...it was pretty darn cold. (Notice my hands tucked into my borrowed coat.) And this was even before the storm started and the wind started blowing.

After going through the museum, you could get in line to ride the Hagglund, a vehicle used down in Antarctica. The obstacle course that it took us through was a bit jarring to say the least! But very fun.

We got on the road and headed north to Hanmer Springs where we stayed for most of the weekend. The trip up was just beautiful. On either side of the road were just hundreds of rolling green hills that kept getting steeper as we got closer to the mountains. And the sheep...we must've seen thousands of sheep grazing the hills over the entire weekend. Mmm, and tasty, too. How could I not have lamb for dinner when in New Zealand? Although I would pay for that because after Friday night for the rest of the weekend whenever we drove by any sheep Phil would say."Here she comes, boys...run for your lives!" Such the comedian. Here's our hotel that we stayed at...the Settler's Inn. And it even came with a golden retriever named Rosie.

Some pics of Hanmer Springs...

Tomorrow...our Saturday in Hanmer Springs.