Picture is from the absolutely beautiful Waiheke (think "why hickey" :)) off the coast of Auckland. Apparently even though it could be considered graffiti - they love it - and whenever it fades it is repainted. Definitely have been feeling the love on this trip in so many ways. More to come on our visit in a few.
First though, the person we love most in this world is our son Matt - and we are so proud of the man he has become. Any of you with adult children know how incredibly special it is to see your child grow up into their own person. And there is nothing more wonderful than seeing them happy, living a good life and being their best version of themselves. Matt still has a lot of life to live - and we can't wait to see all he does - but we are already so proud of him. For those of you who haven't seen him for a while or maybe haven't met him - here's a picture - with the bonus addition of my brother Dave.
OK, back to NZ. We have had a great couple of days exploring the city and Waiheke island. In the city we did a lot of walking - and had a chance to learn about the history. A lot of the city of Auckland is actually built on "reclaimed" land. That basically means they filled in the sea / shoreline to create flat areas to build and live. You have to wonder if eventually the sea will decide to do it's own reclamation :). Not surprisingly there is a beautiful harbor - they are already gearing up to host the next America's Cup. There are so many islands that have been formed by all of the volcanic activity with a lot of ferries to transport residents and tourists all around. It really is lovely. We also found a speaker's corner at Auckland University where folks can share their views - here's a few pictures of Craig in action.
The next visit was to a restaurant named Giraffe - started by a local chef who is very well respected and known for his unique take of foods. That proved out with the appetizer we were treated to - hog's tail. Yep - you read that right. I really wish I had taken a picture of Craig's face when they presented it to us - it was priceless. The tail is much longer than expected - and it actually has a vertebrae running through it. They debone it for you at the table - and shred the pork. It was so tender - very surprising - and kind of fun with our Iowa background :)
Yesterday we took a ferry to Waiheke for a day trip including visits to a few wineries and an olive oil store. The scenery was beautiful, the wines quite yummy, and the food delicious. We were joined by a couple from Oklahoma, a couple from Hong Kong and a woman from Darwin, Australia. It was a truly wonderful day. After being the only ones on the last few tours it was nice to have a chance to meet some fellow travelers sharing stories and laughs and making new memories together. Here's a bunch of pictures from the visit.
Today we are heading over on another ferry to a small village Devonport for the day. Tomorrow we leave NZ and will be spending the weekend in Sydney before heading to Tokyo next Monday. It's amazing how fast this trip is going - definitely having a wonderful time and trying to make sure we soak it all in. One good reminder on our NZ visit has been to not let the rain dampen the spirits or experience - and that once the rain ends (which it always does) look for that beautiful rainbow.
Hope you are all having a wonderful day. Wishing you all loads of love (for my Dad that would be LOL :))
Enjoy the Ride!
No comments:
Post a Comment