So we picked up our new campervan in Christchurch last week and have been all over God's country ever since. We named our new wheels Lily of the Valley....she's a gem compared to Bertha. Looks just like Bertha on the outside but is a bit more spacious on the inside...but not by much. Here are some pictures so you can get a good visual.
The first place we headed to was called Moeraki Boulders. The boulders are about 60 million years old, weigh a couple of tonnes, and measure up to 3 meters!
But the best part about these boulders is they are located in this tiny fishing town that houses a hole in the wall restaurant that is BY FAR the best in the region: Fleur's Place. The restaurant has a fisherman that brings in fresh fish every day and filets it right out front. A key dish on the menu is Bluff oysters. Bluff oysters are only found in the very southern tip of NZ and are considered to be the best oysters in the world. Jared LOVED them...I personally thought they were disgusting; however, the rest of our food was absolutely freaking delicious.
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Our next stop in Lily of the Valley was Lake Tekapo. This town looks post-card picture perfect. The lake is the predominant feature of the town and couldn't be prettier. When the sun shines on the lake, the water shines a turquoise bright blue.
<---- stud muffin
Lake Tekapo is also known for having the clearest night skies in the southern hemisphere. On top of Mt. John (a mountain right by the lake) is a really cool observatory. We took a day hike to the top - here is a picture from the top of the mountain. The mountains were so pretty, I could have sworn they were fake.
That night we headed to the top of the snow-capped mountains for some star gazing. This picture doesn't do the sky any justice whatsoever but here is a shot of the Milky Way.
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We started our journey to the north island and stopped on the way at this cool spot called Castle Hill. Jared referred to this place as a "big kid's playground." The hill is made up of these huge limestone rocks...in the pictures, they really don't look that big but they are actually HUGE. If you look closely enough in the last picture you can spot Jared in a gray-striped sweatshirt. 
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Castle Hill was pretty much our last stop in the south island and then we made our way to the north. To get up there Jared, Lily of the Valley, and me hopped on a gigantic ferry. Here are some pictures from our ferry ride.
<---- this is where we landed in the north *********************************************************************************
Today we headed out to Egmont National Park to hike to the top of an active volcano.... We couldn't actually reach the peak because of the snow and ice, but we made it to the top of the tree-line (pretty sweet). Here are some pictures from our hike.
<----the white peaks along the horizon are other snow-capped, dormant volcanoes
What was actually so cool about this mountain was that is completely solitary. There are no other mountain ranges or anything else around it...just a small coastal town.
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And some other cool things that have happened since our last blog....
1. We helped herd some sheep. What was most entertaining about this is that we learned sheep pass out when they get overly frightened. They just freeze, black out, and fall over wherever they are standing. When this happens, the farmers pick them up and slam them in the back of their four-wheeler. Seeing this in person is hilarious.
2. A bird decided to commit suicide on our windshield and splatted himself right on Lily of the Valley.
3. We discovered we had a friend (unwanted friend) living with us in our new campervan....a MOUSE!
4. We made new friends with this black cat (who we named Sherman 2)....our friendship was most likely due to the fact that we had a mouse living in the van but we like to think it's just because we're awesome.
In the next couple of days, we are headed out to Mt. Doom (from Lord of the Rings) and local Maori villages. I'm sure we will have more to blog about soon from our adventures. Sending some Kiwi love your way. :)
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