Quintiscential Kiwis
In NZ these guys outnumber humans 10 to 1. This is a mob on the Hunter Farm in Balclutha, one of our favorite places.

Carey's Bay
In NZ one is never far from the sea. Crystal clear here, the mouth of Otago Harbour in the distance is choked with fog.

Skipper of the Sea Spray
Sailboats are called yachts. There is no better way to enjoy the Harbour. Alan is enjoying NZ's cheapest canned swill.

Erfang, Al's office mate
Erfang, who arrived in Jan, is getting his feet wet for the first time in the South Pacific.

Mom at Tunnel Beach
Mama Parker came out for a couple weeks in April, our fall semester break.

Two hot mamas
Tunnel Beach is behind, and a patch of yellow Gorse to Becky's left. A rich guy bored a 50-meter tunnel to the beach.

Posing for Mom
Usually, these guys are very shy. This one waited for us to go away before nesting for the night.

Maori Concert and Haka
We met these Maori at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. We also saw our first Kiwis (the birds), and pet some eels.

Sunset over Lake Te Anau
We brought Mom to Fiordland. A person can't get tired of this rugged West Coast.

Happy


The Keeneys from Somerset, MA
Devon is finishing a post-doc at Otago two days before Al! Katherine is about to pop with Henry. Jack is lovin' life!

Mornin sun, temperate rainforest
On the West Coast of NZ, Fiordland National Park, in an ancient beech forest.

Milford Sound
on a sunny day! Mitre Peak to the left. Last time we were here, we got 1 foot of rain in 2 days!

Momma Parker and Oli Hunter
Chris, Laura, Oli and Elliot are exceptional human beings, and we will miss being able to stop in and raid the fridge.

Strutting his stuff
A young male sea lion moving and shaking it en route to a provocative female, Sandfly Bay.

From our living room window ...
after the alarm in the morning. Our flat has been ideal for us, an 8 minute pedal to work, and a stumble to downtown.

Sunrise over Otago Harbour
Most places in this city of 120,000 catch a glimpse of the Harbour.

Dunedin Town Hall
This 19th century limestone building is iconic Dunedin.

Taunton's Irish Trucking
meets Dunedin's town hall

Rainbow behind town hall
Another shot from our living room

Greeks girls in NZ
The Janet and Katy Yiakmis are card playing, wine drinking fellow fiends.

Surviving the Stag Party
Here's Bushie, unknowingly posing on our living room floor, after celebrating his last outing as a bachelor.

Colin Fox
We owe our exceptional year abroad to this very serious guy. He has been a pleasure to work with.

Colin and Andrea


Al with Elouisa and Ella
Colin and Andrea's darling girls

Courting pair of sea lions


90 miles of Otago Rail Trail
Railway lines were pulled up in the early 90's and bikers have been loving it ever since. Here's the man with the gear.

A three day tramp
The Routeburn Track in Mount Aspiring National Park is one of the most spectacular walks we've ever done.

Glacial valley after rain
View from Routeburn Falls Hut along the Routeburn Track, Mount Aspiring National Park

Tramping with Antony and Trevor
Trevor Mason is a brother in spirit and I'm grateful I met him once for a walk. He perished fording Silverstream in Feb.

Adolescent seals
standing their ground.

The New Zealand Bush


Lovin' Moeraki Boulders


Dancing with Dr. Bell
Don't let that sly eyed look fool you - this woman can out-pedal, out-paddle and out-climb most mere mortals.

Last Saturday Nite Dance Party
Here's the Contra dance crew we have gathered with every Monday in the last year. Kiwi's love contra!

Another crew
This is the crew we pedaled, paddled and tramped with. They came out for the "going away" contra dance party. Awesome!

A mob on the move ...
In NZ, we have grown in new and interesting ways, as individuals, and as hubbie and wife. Next move: Bozeman! Yay!!

Freedom Air


Face painting with ochre
Becky is marked with the sign for fertility. Will it work?

Port Douglas
A dreamy tourist town servicing the Great Barrier Reef.

Snorkeling the Reef


Snorkeling the Reef


Horny-backed Lizard
Daintree Rainforest native

Sydney's aquarium
The big one is a gray nurse shark.

Sydney's aquarium
These guys would be at the Great Barrier Reef if they could.

Fruit bats
in Sydney's Botanic Gardens

What's it say?
Sydney's Botanic Garden

Sydney


Sydney's three icons
the Sydney Harbour, the Opera House mimicking sails, and the Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour
War ships, new and old

Along Sydney Harbour


Lady of Orange (literally)
in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens

Sydney's Harbour

View from the train
Fluorescent green growing out of the red Outback

Uluru in the sun ...


... under clouds ...


... at dusk


Home of the serpent
at Uluru

Ancient chalkboard
The "bullseyes" depict watering holes, used to teach the young children the location of watering holes.

Brains??


Kata Tjuta


From the inside looking out
of Kata Tjuta

Becky getting ready ...
to gather some bush-taka ("bush food")

A demon??
The Anangu say that this demon was summoned to punish the ancient Mala people for turning down an offer of friendship.

Kings Canyon
where geology is alive.

Camp kitchen


Lost City
The sandstone cracked in a regular grid pattern. Wind & rain are slowly eroding it into a maze of giant beehive domes.

King's Canyon native


Invasive species
blocking the road

More invasive species


White men can't jump


White women can


Blunt view of Aboriginal history
The mission at Hermannsburg was a sanctuary from persecution since 1877. The new church, nearby, was full of people.

Ghosts of Gondwana's past
Angiosperm palms (enclosed seeds), in Australia and NZ for 80 million years, preserved along the River Finke.

Locking the hubs
for the drive down the dry bed of the River Finke into "Palm Valley."

Palm Valley
in search of palms and cycads

Palm Valley native


Sunrise over Glen Helen Gorge
the view when we woke up on top of the Cruiser

Delicious swim
in a dark waterhole at Ormiston Gorge, two black-footed wallabies on a shelf overhead.

Wallabies of Ormiston Gorge


Ancient ochre mine


Ochre mine of many colors
The Aboriginals used as body paint.

Irish Trucking
meets Standley Chasm

Standley Chasm
Can you see Becky? (She is the dot in the slot canyon near the bottom of the picture.)

Doing the Pharoah
at Ellerly Creek

Australia Day in style
Pete, Becky, Flan, Sal and Holly enjoying Geelong with fried potatoes

Happy Australia Day!


Getting to know the locals ...


Geelong's shark cage
where swimming is recommended.

From the car
Sweet Victoria is flat, covered in grass or crops as far as you see, with a few twisted trees here and there.

Sunrise on the Great Ocean Road
Peanut butter on bananas and this sunrise for breakfast, yum yum!

The road to Cape Otway
Are there signs like this in other parts of the world?

The Twelve Apostles
These awesome limestone formations used to be called the Sow and Piglets.

The flash rental car


Snakes!
Burt met up with a tiger snake on this signed overgrown track. The more sensible wifey did not follow.

The Obelisk of Robe
Built in 1855, it stored rockets to be fired at wrecked ships with a line attached, and then survivors hauled ashore.

Adelaide rose nymph
Like New Zealand, Australia's large towns have beautiful public gardens

Cupid and the swan
in Adelaide's Botanic Gardens

Adelaide's limestone angel


The Ghan
took us 920 miles from Adelaide to Alice Springs in the Outback, 24 hours in seats that didn't recline.

The Ghan at Port Augusta


Life in the Outback


Afghan legacy
We saw hundreds of camels grazing on the side of the road in the Outback

Our first view of Aoraki
from the southern end of Lake Pukaki

Beautiful Wildflowers
Wildflowers were in bloom across the South Island through December and January. Lake Pukaki and Aoraki are behind.

Aoraki
Mount Cook's snowy noggin hovers over Lake Pukaki's turquoise blue.

Aoraki
Looking up the broad flat plain above Lake Pukaki towards Mount Cook

Aoraki
The view from Kea Point Track

The Mount Cook Memorial
is filled with bronze plaques in memory of those who have died trying to climb the peak.

The Memorial
The main danger to climbers is the avalanches.

Kiwis love swing bridges!
This one crosses the milky white runoff from Mueller Glacier.

The Hooker Valley
leading even closer to Mount Cook.

Dr. Parker
is in heaven!

Mount Cook up close
Aoraki and one of his brothers, frozen for eternity.

Icebergs?!
Chunks of Tasman Glacier float freely on Aoraki's east side in Tasman Lake as the sun leaves the valley.

A seat with a view
Al got clear skies on his sunrise walk a few thousand feet up Sealy Tairns Track.

Mueller Hut
Mueller Hut is dwarfed by the majesty of the surrounding peaks. Mueller Glacier is over the precipice from the hut.

Blazing Turquoise Color
Rock flour was created from stone-bottomed glaciers moving across the land. Sunlight refracts off the suspended sediment

Sheep Dog Memorial at Tekapo
Without dogs, sheep ranching would be impossible. And Merry Christmas (again)!

Wildflowers along Lake Tekapo
East of Aoraki, the more docile Hall Range are in the background.

I can't drive 55
... kilometers per hour

The brown town of Lake Tekapo
Except for the lake and the Tekapo River feeding it, this place is dry.

The Pyramid
An ancient volcanic cone on the walk to Victory Beach on the Otago Peninsula

Victory Beach


Yellow-eyed Penguin Huts
A new housing development at Allen's beach

A curious baby penguin
peeks out to say HI!

Hyberbolic rocks are cool!


Seals in the sun!


Two yellow-eyed penguins
coming in after a swim to feed their young

Red-billed oystercatcher
Looking for shell fish at Allen's Beach

Lake Wanaka
View from Roy's Bay not far from the climbing area Hospital Flats

Becky guards Skippers Canyon
There is a new "Big Arms" Parker these days!

A tribute to the women
of Skippers Canyon.

Skippers Creek Schoolhouse
In minings hey day, there were up to 20 students attending. The flag is at half mast in Sir Edmund Hillary's honour.

The Pioneer Woman
The red roof of Skippers Creek Schoolhouse is to the right of the statue in the trees.

Skippers Creek Bridge
The trip to school (in the clearing high above the bridge) before the bridge was put in was a lot more difficult!

Crossing Skippers Creek ...
before the bridge was put in was in a wee carrier like this. We camped along Skippers Creek here during this full moon.

Bullendale
A hundred years ago, the most remote miners town in Skippers Canyon. Today, its a 4-hour 4WD and 4-hour tramp away.

Upstream, Skippers Creek
It's gentle flat water up here. Really, this isn't a shot from Montana!

Christchurch Cathedral


Cathedral Square
... from atop Christchurch Cathedral. The Saturday morning market is starting to get lively ...

Metal Chalice
This 60ft sculpture welcomed in the new millennium.

Christchurch Tram
That's Christchurch Cathedral at the end of Worcester Street in the distance. Trams were introduced here in 1905.

Scottish Dancing
Many Kiwis down here descended from Scots. These young Kiwis are competing, dancing to bagpipes in Victoria Square.

Central rose garden
In a prominent spot in Christchurch's Botanic Gardens

Becky blends in with the roses


New Brighton Pier
This fishing pier stretches 990ft into the surf from the town's beachside library.

Grant and Sonia


Above Akaroa


Wildfowers!
... while approaching Arthur's Pass

Happy Day!
En route to the the top of Avalanche Peak.

Christmas morning
with Chris and Oli Hunter, Laura is the photographer

Grill-meister
and that's a pint of the locally brewed Emersons by the grill, yum yum

Erzatz
Playing a Greek tune while in Greek costume

The cute grill-meister


Sky Bus
The "Youth Guest" at the Whare Flat Festival 2008-9. The lead vocals were stellar on Umbrella, ella, ella, a, a ...

Fiddlesticks
Kiwi fam band, they tour schools in NZ and Australia promoting an educational music program.

Mixing it up
Jane Clark, sweet on the fiddle, joins the Irish singer/songwriter Kieran Halpin.

The last tune
A polyglot for the last tune. Here's our friend Mike on e-guitar, BB the rocking banjoist, and Habbadam's horn player.

Chris and Sylvia
Biking at Piano Flat - Sylvia is over 60!!

Jan, 60-year-old Wonder Woman
Biking at Piano Flat

Becky and Shelly
Becky's Apollo has disc brakes!

John, Chris, Melanie and Sue


Al's two fav Kiwi canine friends
Nundi and Sadie. We miss you Gauss!

Invercargill's Coat of Arms
A plow, sheaf of corn and bale of wool boast the prosperity of the early province. The ship tells of overseas trade.

Invercargill's Basilica
Saint Mary's, opened in 1905, called "the prettiest church in Australasia"

Italy meets Invercargill
The campanile of First Church towers 106 feet over the town.

Gorse
NZ's invasive weed with Stewart Island in the background.

Kea at MacKinnon Pass
MacKinnon's memorial, above treeline on Milford Track, is a kea hangout, where they wait for careless trampers.

Kea on Avalanche Peak
Hold on to your cap, the fearless keas are getting close!

Photogenic Kea
Snowy Mt Rolleston provides a stark contrast for this native bird in Arthurs Pass National Park.

Unfurling Fern Frond
The koru, used in Maori art as a symbol of life, growth and rebirth, is based on this shape.

Lake Te Anau
Trampers must cross this lake to get to the trailhead for Milford Track.

Boating Across Lake Te Anau
The start of Milford Track is right around the corner.

Becky takes in the beauty.


Tiangang (TC)
TC (Al's office mate) tramped Milford Track with us.

TC being a goof
There are sections of boardwalk for crossing bogs.

Tramping along the Clinton River
Mount Sentinel, at center, divides the west and north forks of the Clinton. We tramped left.

Summer sausage and bread
A sandwich never tasted so good!

Playing Cards at Mintaro Hut
A game of "Ah Hell" before climbing Mackinnon Pass

Heading up to Mackinnon Pass


Becky and Phil


Atop Mackinnon Pass


Mount Balloon
This 6115 foot peak guards Mackinnon Pass, at 3541 feet.

Getting up to the Pass was easy
Only 1500 feet up from Mintaro Hut ... now coming down 3600 feet in a few miles is going to be the hard part!

Becky at Mackinnon Pass
The 3600 foot drop to the Arthur watershed is behind her.

Sutherland Falls (2079 feet)
The tallest permanent waterfall in NZ. World's Tallest: 3212 Salto Angel in Venezuela; US: 2953 Olo'upena Falls in HI.

Milford Sound
At the end of Milford Track

Hanging Waterfall
The wind was whipping through Milford Sound, "hanging up" the waterfalls.

Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound
We took two days to kayak up this fiord then around the corner into Hall Arm where we camped.

Kayaking in Hall Arm


Camping in Hall Arm
The view from our campsite in Doubtful Sound

Fiona, our kayaking guide
Fi has an awesome job!

Biking above Lake Ohau
Al and four mates rode 24 miles, climbing over 2000 feet to this mountain pass.

Descending from Flanagan Pass
to Lake Ohau.

Lake Ohau Biking Crew
Birthday-Boy Russell (orange), Bunny-Legs Steve (blue), Master-Mind Sue (tucked in behind), and Wonder-Woman Jan (red).

Lake Ohau and the Southern Alps


Hanging with Janet
after a game of Oh Hell!

Racing in Otago Harbour
A four-hour sail out of the harbour, then along the coast on Rob Wood's (front) 31-foot "Potamos".

Al on the starboard side
Running before the wind back to the finish - the Potamos came in 3rd out of 6 boats.

Moko and Chris
separating the ewes and lambs.

The tailing chute


Lots of Lamb Tails
After the lambs are loaded on the chute, Kaho prepares to start tailing.

A Pile of Tails
That's about 150 lamb tails on the ground. Terry and Al are waiting for the rest of the crew who are chasing an escapee.

Moeraki
The harbour beside this sleepy town sports the first iron dock in New Zealand.

Moeraki Boulders
Fascinating spherical shapes formed millions of years ago around lime crystals within the surrounding mudstone.

Moeraki Geometry


Releasing mathematical tension


Uncanny similarity


Broken Sphere
Vandals have broken some of the spheres open, exposing the hollow innards.

Sleepy fur seal on the trail
Look like Gauss?

Yellow-eyed Penguin
The world's rarest; only a few thousand remain. The southeast coast of the South Island are where they call home.

Athenian architecture in Oamaru
This limestone building, originally a bank, is now an art gallery.

Old Town Center in Oamaru


The Star and Garter
Enjoying a few pints at lunch at New Zealand's oldest restaurant, in continual operation for over 125 years.

The NZ Malt and Whiskey Co.
The proprietor shared his ware from a barrel tap. Guess who's getting New Zealand whiskey for Christmas?

Limestone Gravestones
... eroding away.

Becky checking out
a yellow-eyed penguin.

5th wedding anniversary
Becky surprises Al with flowers at his work.

Anniversary dinner
At the Fishbone Cafe in Queenstown. What's on the plate, mate?

View from our Room
at a guesthouse in Queenstown.

Queenstown is on Lake Wakatipu.


Entrance to Queenstown Hill Walk


Sleeping Beauty
or Sleeping Giant?

Basket of Dreams
Near the top of the Queenstown Hill Walk. Cecil Peak provides the dreamy backdrop.

The Remarkables
is the name of the mountains behind us.

Becky topping out on a crag
above Queenstown.

Ben Lomond Hike
to an old miners cabin.

Ben Lomond Hike


The Parkers on Lake Wakatipu

Dunedin
We live near the lower right-hand shore of the harbor.

St. Paul's Cathedral
This Anglican church was founded 1912.

Artsy Fartsy downtown
The Poet Robert Burns came to epitomize the nationalism of the Scots, particularly abroad.

Town Hall


Dunedin Town Center


Dunedin Railway Station


Dunedin Railway Station
Spring is here!

The First Church of Otago
This Presbyterian church was founded 1848.

The First Church of Otago
with flowers. Getting artistic ...

St. Joseph's Cathedral


Cadbury Chocolate Factory
in downtown Dunedin.

Dinner and cards
with Christian, Tiangang, and Suzie at our flat.

View from our flat
See the harbor and peninsula in the background.

Becky saddled up on an anchor
yearning for some Montana action.

My Savage (MT) Mama!


Lighthouse at Nugget Point
The Catlins

Nugget Point
The Catlins

Sea Lion at Cannibal Bay
Human bones were found in the sand dunes here.

Becky breaking the rule
of never getting between a sea lion and the sea.

Purakaunui Falls
The Catlins

Arriving on the South Island
The route of the ferry through Marlborough Sounds.

Happy on the South Island


Abel Tasman National Park
Anchorage Bay: A water-taxi will drop you off at your bay of choice.

Hiking the Abel Tasman
(ho-hum) another gorgeous beach!

Abel Tasman
Cool topology along the shore.

Split Apple Rock
How about them apples?

Maui, creator of NZ
This wood statue shows the creation of the North Island, which Maui landed like a huge fish (see Journal 3).

Maui's girlfriend?
These carved sculptures were polished to a bronze sheen.

Mother Earth and Father Sky
There was no light on Earth until their aeons-long amorous embrace was split asunder by Tane, god of the forest.

Cape Farewell
The northernmost tip of the South Island.

Lunch at Cape Farewell


Super Heroine
How long can she hold up that stone arch?

Shellfish!!!


When the seal first spotted us.
We approach the colony's perch ...

Baby seals


Mama and baby
Mama heads down to the water.

Baby Seal


Seals at Westport
How many seals are there? Can you find Waldo?

Te Waikoropupu Springs
Largest spring in NZ and reputedly the clearest in the world. The Maori say the springs yield the purest form of water.

Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki
The only place in the world this geological formation exists.

Penguin Crossing
and this is not a joke!

Making Friends in Greymouth


More fun in Greymouth


Franz Josef Glacier


New Zealand Alps
Mighty Mount Cook reflected in Lake Matheson.

Walk to Fox Glacier


Fox Glacier's Terminal Face


Fox Glacier Close-up


No Fear!
Becky preparing to do back-flips on this swing bridge.

Lake Wanaka

Hiking Mount Maunganui
Sun!

The town of Mount Maunganui
As viewed from the mountain Mount Maunganui.

Al atop Mount Maunganui


Whales!!!
swimming in unison along the base of Mount Maunganui.

Wairaka guarding Whakatane
Wairaka is the chief's daughter who whaka'ed "like a man" and brought the waka safely to shore.

Whakaari (a.k.a. White Island)
NZ's most active volcano

Ready to tour Whakaari
Hard hats and gas masks were mandatory

Old Sulphur Factory
Extracted low-grade sulphur for fertilizer during the Depression.

Crater Lake
is the active crater of the volcano. Gets to temperatures up to 600 to 800 degrees Celsius.

Stinky Gas


Whakaari Landscape
Boiling mud.

Whakaari Landscape


Statue of Caption Cook
in Gisborne, Poverty Bay

Karate Practice
on another gorgeous beach.

Napier, Art Deco Capital of NZ
during the Antique Fair weekend.

Pania of the Reef
Pania, lured by the "sea people," swam out to meet them, but when she tried to return she was transformed into the reef.

Ngaruhoe
On a crisp, winter's morn.

Taranaki Falls- can you spot Al?
On our hike by Ruapehu to Lower Tama Lake.

Al and Ruapehu
very windy

Becky and Lower Tama Lake
even windier

Wellington
Capital of NZ

Wellington City Center


Statue of Maori People
on Wellington's waterfront

A new-age Maori marae
This "modern" meeting house is on display in Te Papa, Wellington's premier museum.

Inside the marae


Our ferry
took us and our car from the North Island to the South Island.

New Plymouth's waterfront
The Windwand, a great, bent phallic symbol, also symbolizes the city's artistic flare.

New Plymouth's coastal walkway
Public access to the beach from downtown is a prereq. for Al liking the town.

Enjoying ourselves in the cold!


Painting of a Maori woman
In New Plymouth's Puke Ariki museum

Painting of a Maori woman
The tattoos on the lips and chin are traditional.

Painting of a Maori woman
The cloak, drawn over the right shoulder, were made of feathers or dog skin.

A New Plymouth sunset


New Plymouth's port at night
Paritutu, "rising precipice," dominates the ski line.

New Plymouth's port at night


Kauri log spiral staircase
50,000-year-old kauri stumps have been dragged up from swamps and made into staircases ...

Kauri furniture
... and furniture (spiral staircase log in background)

Cape Reinga
See where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean.

Cape Reinga
At the tip of this headland is the tree through which spirits exit to the afterlife.

Sand Toboganning


Al and his pink sled!
A pink cowboy hat would be the only thing that could make this picture better.

Becky and her pink sled!
We were warned sand will (and did) get in every orifice.

Baja-ing in the tour bus!
Don't slow down - quick sand!!!

Ninety-mile Beach
The island in the background is a giant archway.

Becky's 1st time in Tasman Sea


It has been a fun day!


Poor bastard
Got stuck on the beach just before high tide!

View from Ninety-mile Beach


View from Ninety-mile Beach

Driving the Coromandel Peninsula
Cows ... for SA

Coromandel Peninsula


Coromandel Coastal Walkway


Hiking over open farmland


Coromandel Coastal Walkway


Coromandel Coastal Walkway


Coromandel Coastal Walkway


Coromandel Coastal Walkway


Poley Bay at dusk
A stop on the Coromandel Coastal Walkway.

Al scaring the sheep off.


Falls near Coromandel Town


Rotorua Musem of Art and History
Once a bathhouse for the rich and famous, built in 1886.

Rotorua Lake


Ohimemutu marae, Rotorua
This Maori meeting house was built in the 1880's.

Ohimemutu meeting house, Rotorua
The center column represents the connectivity of all people, past and present.

Maori woodcarving
Traditionally, Maori adorn their faces with intricate tatoos.

Ohimemutu Anglican Church
Built in 1880's, one window features an image of Christ wearing a Maori cloak.

Ohimemutu on Rotorua Lake
We had lunch overlooking the Maori village.

Maori woodcarving


Maori woodcarving


Prow of a Maori canoe


Rainbow Trout
This creek was full of monsters.

The Big Daddy


Te Wairoa Falls
30m falls near the "buried village" destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1886.

Huka Falls, Taupo
According to Lonely Planet, this is the "Niagara Falls of New Zealand."

Wairakei Power Station, Taupo
This "sustainable" station generates 15 percent of New Zealand's power.

More Maori woodcarvings


View across Lake Taupo


Feeding the ducks
This alpha female had the large males in the flock scattering.

Rainbow over Lake Taupo
And when the rain stopped, we were reminded of the promise made to Noah.

Entrance to Waitangi
Unlike this carving, missionaries usually had the genitalia chiseled off.

Auckland City at night
Taken across the bay after departing a ferry in Devonport.

War canoes at Waitangi
80-man minimum to operate the large canoe (men only).

War canoe
Made from 3 massive kauri trees.

War canoe
Stitched together, allows for expansion when wet. Weighs 6 ton dry, 12 ton wet.

Kauri tree trunk
Made into war canoes

Maori marae at Waitangi
This meeting house is unique because it is shared by all Maori tribes.

Inside meeting house
Each tribe carved their own columns (on side walls)

Columns in meeting house
Each column has its own story.

One column
Story is in Journal Entry #3

Another column
Unknown story

South Head
Looking over the Tasman Sea from Kaipara Harbour

Widest kauri tree
Trunk Girth = 54.1 feet, Height = 98.7 feet

Widest kauri tree
Widest Kauri Tree. Waipoua Forest. Northland New Zealand.

Kauri tree bark


Silly Burt
The ferns! They're alive!

Green Countryside


Moving the cows
For the New Zealand Farm Bureau

Hiking Maunganui Bluff


Atop Maunganui Bluff


View from Maunganui Bluff


Bird
Moves its butt from side to side and fans its tail feathers like an accordian.

Feral chickens

The Old Government House


Our apartment
(behind balcony railing)

Our apartment
(bedroom and dining area)

View from our apartment


Albert Park is nearby


Entrance to Albert Park


Funky tree


Lots of city parks


Old volcano...now a city park


Enjoying a decadent seafood meal
Eating a seafood meal at Soul. Auckland.

Downtown Auckland


Auckland City


Auckland City


Auckland City
Auckland City.

Auckland City


Us on Devonport
(with Auckland in the distance)

Cool rock!


Rangitoto Island
(formed by a volcanic eruption 600 years ago)

Becky and Rangitoto


Lava rock on Rangitoto


Lava caves on Rangitoto
(There were tongues of hot lava below the hardened outer crust.)

Hiking on Rangitoto


Our car


Panorama of Piha
Piha. West of Auckland.

Good surfing at Piha


Spectacular Piha


Piha


Piha


Piha


Al at Piha
Piha. West of Auckland.

Piha
(Lion Rock)

Beautiful Piha
Piha. West of Auckland.

Sunset at Piha

Sunset Beach Resort, Waya, Fiji


Fijian welcome


Dining hall and beach volleyball


Dining hall


View from dining hall


Path to our bure


Our bure


Beach
Sunset Beach. Waya. Fiji.

Fijian Dancing


Fijian Dancing
Fijian Dancing.

Start of mountain trek
Looking at the Mountain Trek ahead. Waya, Fiji

View from mountain trek


View from Wayalailai
Waya, Fiji.

View from Wayalailai


Kerly and Al in mountain pool


Kerly and Becky in mountain pool


Flower superimposed on leaves


Kerly cutting a coconut


A village home


Norwegian girls
World travellers and world-class eaters