the deeper south

greetings from gale force Invercargill!
we were booked to sail to Stewart Island this morning from Invercargill, however, when dad opened up the newspaper this morning, the headline read: winds gusting at 130 kph.  we knew this would not be our day to continue our search for the illusive Kiwi, farther south.
alas, fortune has smiled upon us yet again and our amazing lodging operators made quick work of hunting all over town to find us accommodations for this evening as the Burt Munro (the world's fastest indian) celebration is happening now and the whole city is booked up! we have landed in the perfect spot to wait out the storm and are so thankful to be inside instead of driving until we found somewhere to stay farther north...
Dunedin was wonderful, we stayed in a centrally located apartment and spent 1 day on the Taieri Gorge Railway and another venturing to the royal Albatross colony at the head of the Otago peninsula.  We then spent 2 days exploring the Catlins region and all of the natural wonders of the southlands.  there were 2 local museums that we were able to meander through as the weather has been challenging for much of the week, the heritage and pride within these pioneering communities is strong and it has been quite a pleasure to discover the most typical artifacts from their past, wonderfully preserved.
our trek to Ulva island which was scheduled for tomorrow has luckily been postponed until Sunday as our guide has other clients who are stuck on the mainland who are booked for the tour as well!  thus far we have been so very blessed on this journey, it's thanksgiving back in the states and we ate Thai food for our thanksgiving meal and right now i am giving thanks for this once in a lifetime opportunity i have to travel in these unique environments with my parents.
i hope this finds you all enjoying a wonderful day and that you're not too stuffed!
karengrace

Albatross roosting in the cliffs at the head of the Otago peninsula

the Albatross colony is behind us

great tree in the extensive Dunedin Botanical Gardens

ode to the working sheep dog

view from the Taieri Gorge railway

view of the Taieri river from the train

Nugget Point with lighthouse and dad

dad and me with the points of the nugget in the background

Matai falls adjacent to Horseshoe falls, in the Catlins

Curio Bay

fossilized petrified wood in Curio Bay at low tide

mom and dad in the petrified forest

slope point is the southernmost point on the south island.... decisions, decisions 

nz wandering

greetings from blustery Dunedin,
staying 4 nights here, picked up mom and dad 2 nights ago in Christchurch and the journey has begun!
we spent last night in Akaroa after i swam with Hector dolphins, (endangered and the smallest in the world) in the chilly Pacific, a truly euphoric experience.  tomorrow we will head to the end of the Otago peninsula to the albatross colony and watch some penguins along the way.
my trip round trip from Christchurch to Wellington was incredible.  i found a family in Wellington through a site called help-x (a great resource for anyone traveling here, Australia or Europe) and they picked me up and dropped me off at the ferry terminal and gave me room and board in exchange for doing some gardening and cooking.  It was wonderful to meet them, generous and warm, the perfect location and situation to acclimate to reality.  i hope this finds you well, enjoying the autumnal bliss wherever you may be.
take care, karengrace

Harry (one of help-x hosts) introducing his new honey be swarm to their new home

Harry's bee box - look on the right, you can see a cluster of them on the outside

5 terrace garden i worked on

amazing view from my room in Wellington

more Wellington view... sweet way to wake up.

i want one... mobile pizza oven!

view from ferry through Cook straight

Marlborough sav blanc grapes- perfection- view from train

love the observation car!

salmon world... really.

Moaraki Boulders

singing into snorkel, swimming with Hector dolphins in the pacific

photos from mcmurdo to christchurch

me in the observation tube in mcmurdo

view of sea ice from observation tube
the OB tube is a metal submarine like hatch that is inserted into a hole that is cut into the sea ice...
it goes into the water about 40 feet and then opens up to a 360 degree view!!
i didn't ee any seals or penguins but i heard many seals communicating also saw heaps of krill and jellyfish!

last picture from the ice... getting onto the C-17...
christchurch bound!!!

the sea ice

Kelly and me with the captain of the C-17 winter air drop in the cock pit

sunset from the C-17

view from my chrsitchurch hotel room!

hour 18 in christchurch

greetings from the spring blooms of new zealand!
i got to the hotel at 1:30am from mcmurdo and ran errands all day today... just had a wonderful dinner of freshies and a classic sav blanc.  getting ready for a long, hot bath and a full nights rest.  all i can do is smile, it's been such a perfect transition from pole.  our flight from pole to mcmurdo is typically 3 hours but the winds were favorable and it only took 2hrs and 20 mins!  the food in mcmurdo was awesome and i was able to room with my friends tim and kelly who i spent he winter with.   i was able to see so many great people while in mcmurdo and didn't feel rushed at all.
while we were on the C-17 from mcmurdo i got to meet he mission captain who flew the winter air drop for us and got to talk all about the experiences from the air and relay what is was like on the ground...i really have no words for how amazing this whole trip has been thusfar...
today there was a light sprinkling of rain and it just made everything smell that much fresher...
i will spend 1 more night in christchurch, i haven't been into the CBD yet, i know that will be difficult tomorrow...
i will take the train and ferry to wellington on thursday to hang with my host family that i found on a site called help-x and work in their garden and cook a few hours a day in a trade for lodging.  i will then return to christchurch on tuesday and await mom and dads arrival on wednesday.
i will upload pictures of the journey soon.
take care,
karengrace