Aotearoa.. Land of the long, boat trailor

The New Zealanders love their outdoor adventures – especially on the water. I partly think they love the outdoors so much because it practically “foolproof”. There are no creepy crawlies – only one mildly dangerous, but extremely shy spider, otherwise no leeches, ticks, mosquito borne disease, no dangerous mammals, no poisonous snakes. The only wildlife we have seen are birds, dolphins, seals, run over possums (why did the chicken cross the road? To show the possum it could be done..), a stout, deer and bunnies. What I can’t understand is – if this piece of land was a long time back attached to Australia, why are their no baddies here? Maybe we are still to be let in on this secret…?

We have been joining in the adventure as much as our budget would allow. Here are some highlights

Jet-boating on the Haka Falls (photo of the falls – pretty gorgeous blue hey)
Kayaking rivers and sea
Rollerblading on the Wellington waterfront (Tim’s “stunt”)
Boat trips in Auckland, Rotorua, Lake Manapouri and the Doubtful Sound Fjord
Flight over the volcanic crater (photos of flight near Rotorua)
Ferry to Waiheke Island, around Wellington harbour and across the Cook Strait
Gondola ride in Queenstown/Christchurch with Luge rides
Walks
Blackwater rafting (pics of us terrified – I was about to bolt, and after the adventure – me with the drowned rat hairdo and our frail, nimble guide)