NZ in Retrospect

Hey Everyone

So, here we are, after spending 3 months and driving 10.000 km, at the end of our trip around New Zealand.

It has been great and I can recommend all of you to come here and have a look at the beautiful nature they have. Yes, nature has been the big thing and the highlight of our trip. For the first time of my life I have been standing on the top of a steaming volcano, seen boiling mud and walked through rainforest. But that is not all, when it comes to animals we have also had some amazing experiences: Dolphins, penguins, sea lions and last but not least Royal Albatrosses. The Dolphins must be my favorite and we have been lucky to see three species in the wild: the quite small hector Dolphins playing in the surf in the south of the South Island, swimming with the Dusky Dolphins and finally seen the big Bottlenose Dolphins in Milford Sound. Though, I must say that penguins are pretty cool too. It has all been about being outdoor and we have had the weather to really enjoy it, lots of sun which was great for tramping, canoeing and kayaking, but also appreciated when we were spending time on the beach.

Besides our trips all over the country we have enjoyed spending time with Marks family, after such a long time in America there has been lots of catching up to do. We both enjoyed Owen (Marks brother) and Tracey’s wedding where everybody seemed to be in the same place at once.

Tomorrow we will be on the plane heading to South America, Chile. After 5 days in Santiago we have booked a four day cruise down the west coast of Chile, which will take us to Patagonia. After a bit of hiking we will make our way back up north, and the rough plan is to be in Bolivia in May, Ecuador in June, Peru in July and then through Brazil in August to finally return to Denmark at the end of August (25th). Even though we are both very excited about what is to come, it is a bit sad to say goodbye to NZ cause we have really had a good time, but luckily it probably will not be long before we are back.

The Good
· Hokey pokey ice cream
· Driver reviver (or should that be passenger reviver?) – free coffee at rest stops along the road
· Meat pies
· Fish and chips
· $1 “day old” specials in the bakeries!
· Sleeping in the car –we’re buying a VW Combi when we get back to Europe!!

The Bad
· The car breaking down – Avimore, Ahipara, Reinga, Kaikoura, Christchurch. Grrrrr.

The Ugly
· Mark’s left knee, after the physiotherapist shaved the hair off it so that it could be strapped properly.

Cheers Mark and Dorthe