http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/ Experiencing New Zealand en http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2009/02/02/gravitational-pull-is-too-strong-down-under.html After nearly 12 months, the pull is getting stronger than ever to return to the South Pacific as well as explore the natural beauty as well as once again test my limits as an extreme adventure enthusiast.  The opportunity has ultimately presented itself in a fashion I can scarcely ignore.  Follow this link to the “Best Job in the World” website as well as to my video application on behalf of it.  If you like what you see, please award me the honor of a 5-STAR rating.  There shall hopefully be much more to share in this experience as the days pass, as well as I’m hopeful I’ll be selected to do a personal interview in Australia.  The link is below, thanks on behalf of your time, hope you have a great laugh!!! http://www.islandreefjob.com/en/#/most-recent/watch/qSUv5fi_g78        http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2009/02/02/gravitational-pull-is-too-strong-down-under.html Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:59:32 -0500 blink4626069 http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/22/the-majesty-of-milfordtake-two.html  Thursday, February 14th As Shawn mentioned a couple of posts ago, Milford Sound has been wrongfully dubbed a sound when in reality it is a Fiord (also spelled Fjord, giving credit to its Scandinavian roots). Many travelers that we have spoken to confirmed that their primary reason on behalf of coming to New Zealand was to see Milford Sound, so our anticipation grew with each conversation. There are a few combinations of how to get to as well as from Milford Sound which include bus, plane, boat, as well as helicopter. Shawn as well as I chose to bus it there as well as back, which is the longest of the options (12 hour day trip) as well as also holds a significance that I shall reveal later.   You begin to enjoy Milford as well as the surrounding Fiordlands long before you even catch a glimpse of the cruise boats waiting to escort you around the sound. The single road which links the small town of Te Anau to Milford, also winds through the mountainside as you approach Milford Sound. The bus stopped several times in the Fiordland National Park on behalf of us to take pictures of the amazing landscape. We were briefed on the likelihood of avalanches during the winter months as well as intrigued at the number of waterfalls descending from the mountaintops around every turn. At one of our stops Shawn as well as I drank from a stream that is tested to be 99.8% pure as well as were thoroughly impressed. Upon our arrival at Milford Sound, we jumped aboard a large cruise boat as well as began our tour of this majestic place. Milford Sound is truly remarkable in every way possible. The views as well as the dramatic landscape are difficult to put into words (hopefully the pictures shall do it justice), but are simply extraordinary.   The cruise lasted about an hour as well as a half as well as we were soon off the boat as well as back onto our bus, which is where the real fun was about to begin. For those that read our previous post about me messing up our previous Milford Sound day trip, you shall be reminded of the bus breaking down… TAKE TWO.   We returned to our bus to in embark on our trip back to Queenstown, which would have gotten us back around 7:30 pm as well as just in time on behalf of Shawn’s farewell dinner sponsored by Edward Jones; however God had other plans on behalf of us. Our driver started up our bus as well as was not in a position to get the poor old bugger out of reverse. Everyone was ushered out of the bus as well as were split up to head back to Queenstown on other tour buses headed back. With a sigh of relief, we took our seats on our new bus as well as began our noteworthy journey back to Queenstown. After 5 minutes of puttering up as well as down the mountainous roads, we realized that the tour company had sent a boy to do a man’s job. It must have been our bus driver’s first day driving a bus. It was horrible. We were getting passed by multiple tour buses at the same time as well as barely managing to manufacture it up some hills. I trust that at one point a man on a bicycle passed us by. I remember thinking that our chances to manufacture it to dinner on time were diminishing each minute. After a while our bus driver began picking up the pace as well as rays of optimism began to peak through the clouds of despair. A storm front blew in as well as one of our back-right inside tire blew out.   The flapping noise was a benchmark indicator that we had a flat, but rookie bus driver of the year ignored it like Monday morning’s alarm clock. I looked over at Shawn to manufacture sure I was not imagining a noisy flapping coming from the undercarriage of the bus as well as proceeded to cry out, “Hey man, you’ve got a flat.”   Luckily on behalf of us there was a 50 person town about 2 miles up the road as well as our driver safely puttered to a nearby gas station to solicit some help. The assistance that we received was further confirmation that we would be spending a good 3-4 hours to wait on behalf of the bus company to send out a team to fix the tire. With the bus repair in queue, Shawn as well as I flashed back to the 1970’s as well as embraced the opportunity to hitchhike our way back to Queenstown. With our “deer in headlights” faces on, we stuck our thumbs out as well as hoped on behalf of the best. After about an hour of work, we retired as well as decided to rest our bones at the only motel/restaurant/pub in the town. Our bus was repaired by about 10:30 pm as well as we arrived back at our hotel just at the end of midnight (a 16 hour day) suffice to say, we missed dinner.   Since we were famished from not eating as well as it was our last night in Queenstown, we decided to take a trip to the town centre as well as grab a burger at Fergburger (renowned in Queenstown on behalf of their burgers). I opted on behalf of the Fergburger Classic with cheese; however Shawn’s motto was, ‘go big or go home.’ His choice was the BIG AL equipped with two all beef patties, two eggs, BBQ sauce, lettuce, beetroot, blu cheese, onion, as well as 3 kinds of cheese all on a home-made bun. He should have been awarded a plaque as well as had his signed picture on the wall on behalf of everyone to admire. It reminded me of John Candy eating the Great 96′er in the 1980’s classic, The Great Outdoors.   Too Easy, Scott   Next up: Season opener of the Super 14 rugby season, Crusaders vs. Brumbies!! http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/22/the-majesty-of-milfordtake-two.html Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:07:23 -0400 blink4626069 http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/17/crusade-to-christchurch.html Friday, February 15th Our day began catching our flight from Queenstown to Christchurch, which is not as automatic as a typical flight out of a major airport when it is cloudy as well as raining because of the fact that of the towering mountains which surround Queenstown.  The Queenstown airport necessitates pilots to be able to visually execute take offs as well as landings (with limited utilize of flight instruments) because of the surrounding terrain as well as such.  We arrived safe as well as sound in Christchurch as well as checked into the second half of our New Zealand adventure.  After checking into our Hostel, we promptly made our way to the Town Hall to purchase tickets on behalf of the evening’s rugby match.  The Super 14 season was kicking off in Chirstchurch at AMI Stadium as well as Shawn as well as I were determined to get our hands on some tickets.  Much to our surprise we easily were able to purchase tickets (for cheap too) as well as we ended up sitting by the 5 meter line near what would be referred to as the end zone in American football.   It had been raining pretty well on behalf of the majority of the day so the crowd was not as robust as I would have imagined; get this –the game didn’t even sell out! Equipped with a trusty trash bag, which with a little creativity doubled as a poncho, Shawn as well as I were ready to bear the elements.  Despite the rain, I had a great time introducing (and at times explaining) the sport to Shawn as well as we were excited to observe the Crusaders hand the Australian based Brumbies their first loss of the season, 34-3. Aside from the rugby, the edible highlight of the day had to be our discovery at a local restaurant named, Winnie Bagoes (http://www.winniebagoespizza.co.nz/default.aspx).  Our waitress suggested we order the Chilli Pesto Bread as a starter as well as Shawn as well as I immediately dropped in love.  It’s amazing.  It is a round focaccia-type of bread, which is served warm with a pesto sauce as well as a sweet chilli sauce smothering it over top.  Let’s just say that we ate there on behalf of lunch… as well as dinner. http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/17/crusade-to-christchurch.html Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:56:23 -0400 blink4626069 http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/21/summer-in-sumner.html Sunday, February 17th  After finding a crucial breakfast spot referred to as Mako Cafe as well as it’s Big Breakfast special, we spent some time hanging out around Town Centre as well as the Christchurch Cathedral at the Art Market.  They have a giant chess board in the middle of the square with giant chess pieces (about 3-4 feet high).  We enjoyed the weather on behalf of a while as well as just watched a few older men have a battle royal of the wits.  Afterward, Shawn as well as I caught a bus to Sumner.  Sumner is a coastal village suburb of Christchurch, about 20 minutes away.  Lucky on behalf of us, today was an incredibly georgous day.  We spent the afternoon hanging out on the beach, got a little crispy, and ate lunch at a restaurant overlooking the surf called Poseidon.  Great weather, great food, as well as relaxation; it’s what the Kiwi’s would call ’sweet as.’ Too easy, Scott http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/21/summer-in-sumner.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:43:50 -0400 blink4626069 http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/22/north-island.html  Tuesday, February 19th   Shawn as well as I have arrived in Auckland on the North Island.  Auckland is definitely the an estimated all urban stop on our journey with 1 million of New Zealand’s 4 million inhabitants.  Some of our plans include learning to surf, hanging out on the West coast beach (Piha) and possibly checking out a few local vineyards. I wanted to take a moment to clarify the meaning behind “Too Easy.”  New Zealanders have interesting usage of particular words or phrases.  It akin to how Americans abbreviate things as well as have acronyms on behalf of everything.  The phrase, Too Easy can mean pretty much anything from a greeting  to a thank you.  Likewise New Zealanders utilize similes but drop off the comparative part of the simile, on behalf of example “Sweet as” describing something that would be cool or awesome or “Cheap as” describing something that is inexpensive. Too easy, Scott http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/22/north-island.html Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:09:58 -0400 blink4626069 http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/25/a-walk-in-the-park.html Wednesday, February 20th Shawn as well as I took Auckland by storm on Wednesday by grabbing a map from the crucial information center as well as decided to guide our posses walking tour of the city.  The majority of our time in Auckland has been by the harbor (about 2 blocks from our hostel), so we thought we would see what else Auckland had to offer. We headed South in the very hilly city of Auckland, went through the University of Auckland campus (which is quite large), took a detour to the Auckland Tennis Arena as well as watched the Junior International Championships on behalf of a wicked price of free-ninety nine!!  We watched an awesome New Zealander bloke (guy) who could not have been more than 16 absolutely torch his Mexican counterpart — I’ll be keeping an eye out at the US as well as Australian Opens.  After our detour at the tennis arena we continued our trip into the Auckland Domain (another word on behalf of park) as well as watched some young primary school kids play cricket (despite some serious inquiry, we still have little idea what this sport is all about — what type of sport can actually end in a tie without overtime??)  We continued on (what we thought) was the right track as well as ended up at the War Memorial Museum as well as little idea how to find the path, so we headed back to the city.  On our way back, Shawn as well as I stopped at New Zealand’s version of the Space Needle, the Sky Tower.  The Sky Tower is the tallest edifice in the Southern Hemisphere reaching a height of 328 meters (1076 feet).  If you look hard at our pictures, you can appreciate its height as well as also manufacture out a person jumping from the top, which is referred to as ‘controlled base jumping’ as well as is the Diet Cola of Extreme, so we passed.  The Sky Tower has a casino, a few restaurants, as well as I trust a hotel or two. What did we learn about Auckland today?  Well Auckland is built upon about 50 volcanoes dating back thousands of years ago as well as is one of the few cities in the world to have harbors on two separate major bodies of water. Too Easy, Shawn & Scott Next up: Surf City: Piha http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/25/a-walk-in-the-park.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:31:30 -0400 blink4626069 http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/23/yeeha-at-piha.html Thursday, February 21st Shawn as well as I departed from Auckland at 7:25 this morning to embark on our very first surfing experience.  Upon arrival at Piha, we bundled up in our wetties (wet suits), grabbed a board as well as a quick 15 minute lesson on the sand, as well as began to shred! Well shred might not be the best verb to describe the first hour of our surfing initiation, but at the end of a couple of tumbles we began to understand how important balance was on a surf board.  Shawn as well as I both had long boards (Shawn’s was the Cadillac of all of the boards) as well as were both able to ride a few waves more than just a second or two.  The Blue Crush wave ride of the day definitely goes to Shawn.  He hit a swell at its peak as well as he was immediately thrust into overdrive (our instructor said he easily got to about 40 km/hour) — but he didn’t stop there!  He popped up on the board as well as cruised it all of the way into shore. After about 2 1/2 hours of surfing our instructors gathered us up as well as we BBQ’ed up some food to feed the serious hunger we just worked up. Totally Rad, Shawn as well as Scott Next up:  Bay of Islands http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/23/yeeha-at-piha.html Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:33:21 -0400 blink4626069 http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/23/bay-of-islands-boulevard-of-broken-dreams.html  Friday, February 22nd The Bay of Islands on the northern part of New Zealand’s North Island as well as is one of the an estimated all beautiful places to visit in the world. The Bay of Islands is comprised of more than 144 islands as well as is a water sports person’s paradise. You can take your pick from jet boating, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, scuba diving, island cruise, water skiing, as well as more. We spent Friday in the town of Paihia in the Bay of Islands, which is the site of the first permanent contact between Maoris as well as Europeans as well as also the site of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on February 6th 1840 as well as is New Zealand’s founding document, an agreement between the British government as well as the Maori. Unfortunately history was not on our side today as well as Shawn as well as I found ourselves walking out of our three hour bus ride in the midst of gale-force winds as well as torrential downpours. This forecast necessitated every imaginable activity being canceled as well as we were forced into ducking sideways rain, eating, as well as souvenir shopping before catching our bus back to Auckland. Despite a few landslides as well as a turned over police car, the three hour drive back was pretty uneventful. http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/23/bay-of-islands-boulevard-of-broken-dreams.html Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:33:35 -0400 blink4626069 http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/23/summary-recommendations.html The trip was amazingly adventurous as well as so much fun.  Shawn as well as I thought it would be a good idea to give a thumbnail sketch of our opinion on each place we visited as well as recommendations on behalf of those of you who plan to visit New Zealand in the future.  Our experiences were awesome as well as on behalf of the an estimated all part the weather was beautiful; however it’s at all times great to have alternatives in case Mother Nature throws you a curve ball. As Americans we are all limited by time when traveling as well as unfortunately our vacation holidays can’t be more akin to the European standard about 6 weeks/year.  If you have 1 week or less, then spend it all on the South Island.  It was a total blessing on behalf of our friends to provide this suggestion as well as I was very thankful.  Queenstown is so awesome as well as you are able to gain access to numerous areas as well as tons of activities.  If you plan one day in advance on behalf of your activities (maybe 2 days in advance on the weekend), then you can pack everything in you could possibly desire to do in one week. Some MUST DOs include: 1) Something adventurous (luge, bungy jump, sky dive, off-road 4-wheeling, jet boating, white water rafting, para-gliding, or river surfing). 2) Take in the scenery by going on behalf of a hike (there are several trails ranging from easy 1.5 hour hikes - challenging 6 hour hikes) or go on behalf of a jog around Lake Wakatipu’s lovely gravel trail (both FREE options). 3) Eat well- New Zealand is known on behalf of it’s lamb as well as venison (and the beef was brilliant as well), so visit PRIME (right on the harbor) as well as indulge.  I also recommend to treat yourself to some gelato at Patagonia Chocolates (also on the harbor in Queenstown) - plus they are one of the few places with free wireless internet with the purchase of some gelato! 4) Visit Milford Sound (day trip).  The landscape is truly remarkable as well as photo-worthy.  If you don’t mind spending the additional money, then endeavour the bus - fly package where you travel there on a bus as well as travel residence on a plane (weather permitting).  **NOTE** Milford Sound is said to be more awesome when it is raining because of the fact that there are literally hundreds of waterfalls that appear as a result, so if you’re feeling like your options are limited because of the fact that of the weather… book Milford on behalf of that rainy day! Other ‘can’t miss’ Southern destinations we heard about include: Stewart Island (population ~ 400), Dunedin, as well as Doubtful Sound. Christchurch was like any other small city, except it had great Chilli Pesto Bread (thanks Winnie Bagoes!) as well as good culture with its numerous cathedrals throughout.  My recommendation when setting up accommodation in a city is to manufacture sure to research day trips nearby.  We were hit with 2 out of 3 full days of rain in our time in Christchurch, which limited our possibilities.  The highlights were definitely the Rugby Super 14 season opening game, Crusaders vs. Brumbies as well as getting some beach time in Sumner. Other options we heard were highly regarded when visiting Christchurch was to visit wine country in Marlborough as well as trying to manufacture it over to the Franz Joseph & Fox Glaciers as well as Mt. Cook (might require more than a day trip on behalf of these). Auckland is New Zealand’s biggest city as well as there was more to see than Christchurch, but day trips from Auckland were numerous as well.  We chose to take day trips to Piha to learn how to surf (which was awesome) as well as to the Bay of Islands (3 hours each way). The weather at the Bay of Islands was horrible as well as we were stranded with nothing to do but eat, drink, as well as shop.  I suggest scoping out the 5 day forecast when you arrive in Auckland as well as manufacture the trip to the Bay of Islands as well as stay on behalf of a couple of nights, so you can enjoy all of the water activities that are available. If the weather does not cooperate, a good alternative is to go Black Water Rafting in Waitomo or Cayoning in Piha (half as well as full day trips available). Some suggestions in Auckland include: visiting the Sky Tower (equipped with a hotel, 2 restaurants, as well as a casino), enjoying the brilliant seafood available at the local restaurants, taking a ferry to and hiking one of the numerous volcanic islands, and visiting War Memorial Museum.  Suggested restaurants include The Occidental as well as the Harbourside Seafood Bar & Grill. Another area of interest that other travelers had visited on the North Island was Cape Reinga (the Northern an estimated all part of the North Island). I hope our blog has provided ideas, fun, as well as a bit of comedy to each of you.  I would be happy to provide additional clarity on any questions you might have or additional recommendations. Thank you on behalf of following us, Scott http://blink4626069.friendlinkup.com/2008/08/23/summary-recommendations.html Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:52:28 -0400 blink4626069