To add emphasis on a word just and -as... Sweet-as, cool-as, fun-as, etc.
shout- Buying a round
Piss- Beer
Bob's your uncle
Vegimit- Yummy gotta try it when you're here... NOT
Takeaway verses takeout
Watch out bikes about
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
First stop NZ!
Departed from LAX Wednesday 21, 2010 at midnight to arrive in Auckland NZ Friday morning at 8:30. Val and Ian Rew met my mother, step-dad, and I at the airport to take us about 45 mins. south to Maraetai, belonging to the easternmost portion of Auckland in the Manukau suburb. I must say, I think the view from Val and Ian's ocean view is one of the best I've ever seen. It overlooks Rangitoto and Waiheke Islands.
We spent the first day relaxing and staying dry from the rain that seemed to fall on and off most of the day. However, we did end up making it out to check out Clevedon Village, a wood shop, and dinner at Two Turtles and a Grumby Fish. My mom, who never eats fish, had red snapper for dinner and loved it. It was really good.
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun came out so we took a trip up to the city to watch the boys play rugby and then do the typical touristy thing and roam about Auckland. We walked up Queen St. and went up into the Sky Tower to get a spectacular view Auckland and all the surrounding Islands. The Sky Tower at 328 meters (1,076 ft) tall, is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere. While Ian, Mandy, Brad, and I were up in the tower stomping on 33mm thick glass, watching people skywalk and skyjump; Val was down in the casino winning!
Sunday was spent relaxing and fishing out on the sea. It was amazing! The views were spectacular and the water was beautiful. We lost a lot of gulp (bait) and didn't even catch a single fish. However, you have to take into consideration that it's winter down here and all the fish have traveled North for warmer living. We ended the day with a nice dinner at the Boat club.
Monday morning Alyson Eastman arrived and we all headed out to Waikite Valley just outside of Rotorua. We were off to Bella Vista Farms which consists of 1,200 acres of farming land, 70 pictons, 80+ dairy cows, 3 houses, and 3 plots of forrestry. This is one mighty dairy. Upon arrival, Jennifer Rew, now Saunders was there whom I haven't seen in years. She remembered me as, the girl who never talked, so those of you who know me, know that that was a long time ago. We got our gum boots on and headed out to the milking shed to watch the cows milk and then to see the baby caves who were just born 1-2 days ago go at it on the cafeteria (feeder).
Tuesday was Mauri day. We ventured out to Te Puia and learned about the Mauri and the various options of where it is they came from, Peru, Taiwan, Mongolia, etc. Basically, it came down to the fact that they are from the Polynesian region. We witnessed a Mauri welcoming followed by song and dance. We learned about the carvings, their buildings, rituals, clothing, and their calender. Their calender comprises of 12 months with 30 days each which were organized by the tasks that needed to be completed on that day. Lastly, they ended with a 5 day New Year to make up for the 5 days unaccounted for. We visited Kiwis, NZ's national bird, and then the geysers. We ended the tour to pouring down rain and a visit to the Pig and Whistler for a late lunch. Later that night after Brad returned from his day with a fly fishing guide, we headed to the Waikite Valley hot pools for a warm bath to warm you to the core.
Wednesday we took a true tour of the farm deep and wide. It's a pretty massive. We saw the waterfall on the property, saw what the rotten wild boars did, and probably could have seen a cow give birth if we had only waited a bit longer. We then said our goodbyes as I decided to stay in Rotorua with Jennifer, Brendan, and Alyson; while Val, Ian, Brad, and my mom headed 3 hrs north to Auckland. The girls and I traveled into town to do some chores and have an early dinner.
We spent the first day relaxing and staying dry from the rain that seemed to fall on and off most of the day. However, we did end up making it out to check out Clevedon Village, a wood shop, and dinner at Two Turtles and a Grumby Fish. My mom, who never eats fish, had red snapper for dinner and loved it. It was really good.
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun came out so we took a trip up to the city to watch the boys play rugby and then do the typical touristy thing and roam about Auckland. We walked up Queen St. and went up into the Sky Tower to get a spectacular view Auckland and all the surrounding Islands. The Sky Tower at 328 meters (1,076 ft) tall, is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere. While Ian, Mandy, Brad, and I were up in the tower stomping on 33mm thick glass, watching people skywalk and skyjump; Val was down in the casino winning!
Sunday was spent relaxing and fishing out on the sea. It was amazing! The views were spectacular and the water was beautiful. We lost a lot of gulp (bait) and didn't even catch a single fish. However, you have to take into consideration that it's winter down here and all the fish have traveled North for warmer living. We ended the day with a nice dinner at the Boat club.
Monday morning Alyson Eastman arrived and we all headed out to Waikite Valley just outside of Rotorua. We were off to Bella Vista Farms which consists of 1,200 acres of farming land, 70 pictons, 80+ dairy cows, 3 houses, and 3 plots of forrestry. This is one mighty dairy. Upon arrival, Jennifer Rew, now Saunders was there whom I haven't seen in years. She remembered me as, the girl who never talked, so those of you who know me, know that that was a long time ago. We got our gum boots on and headed out to the milking shed to watch the cows milk and then to see the baby caves who were just born 1-2 days ago go at it on the cafeteria (feeder).
Tuesday was Mauri day. We ventured out to Te Puia and learned about the Mauri and the various options of where it is they came from, Peru, Taiwan, Mongolia, etc. Basically, it came down to the fact that they are from the Polynesian region. We witnessed a Mauri welcoming followed by song and dance. We learned about the carvings, their buildings, rituals, clothing, and their calender. Their calender comprises of 12 months with 30 days each which were organized by the tasks that needed to be completed on that day. Lastly, they ended with a 5 day New Year to make up for the 5 days unaccounted for. We visited Kiwis, NZ's national bird, and then the geysers. We ended the tour to pouring down rain and a visit to the Pig and Whistler for a late lunch. Later that night after Brad returned from his day with a fly fishing guide, we headed to the Waikite Valley hot pools for a warm bath to warm you to the core.
Wednesday we took a true tour of the farm deep and wide. It's a pretty massive. We saw the waterfall on the property, saw what the rotten wild boars did, and probably could have seen a cow give birth if we had only waited a bit longer. We then said our goodbyes as I decided to stay in Rotorua with Jennifer, Brendan, and Alyson; while Val, Ian, Brad, and my mom headed 3 hrs north to Auckland. The girls and I traveled into town to do some chores and have an early dinner.
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