New Zealand~*

Somehow the simple life is not as intrusive as i had originally feared it would be. Intrusive meaning a foreigner to my domestic preferences. It has been good for me to see just how "cushy" my life really is.

New Zealand is even more beautiful than we had anticipated. It's beauty is enhanced, naturally, by the fabulous weather we've been having. The locals have informed us that bright blue skies for days on end is not customary for New Zealand so we are doubly blessed.



We have travelled basically all of the North Island in our short week here. Beginning in Auckland we moved southward spending the first night in Raglan (near Hamilton). Our next stop was in Taupo, the center of the North Island. It is a little town on the waterfront with a majestic view of "Mount Doom" (For all those Lord of the Rings lovers, this is the place to visit!) Taupo was definitely my favorite spot in the NZ tour. From there we made a stop over in Marton to surprise Hilko's "fans" at the Arahina Training Centre. Needless to say, it was a huge success! We spent the evening hosted by Pete Elder in Porirua. We liked it so much we decided to spend Friday there as well and spent the day checking out Wellington. Saturday we drove from Porirua up the east coast to Gisborne. Our plan is to drive up the Eastern coastline up to Mt. Maunganui and up to Auckland tomorrow.