New Zealand-South Island

WOW! I think we decided that New Zealand is where heaven is.  It actually looks a lot like Utah and the Western US, but prettier.  The people are laid back, friendly and so kind and we loved listening to them talk...best accent ever!

1st stop Christchurch

Seeing the devastation of the earthquake last year was so humbling.
This charming city that should be buzzing with action was eerily quiet and empty
it was very sobering.

They brought in these pods and set up a new little mini downtown.

even the bank was temporary

the devastation was all over

and the churches were very hard hit

We stayed at this charming bed and breakfast just outside of town.
 It was so beautiful, well decorated, gorgeous gardens...

and they served us delicious "canapes" on arrival

here's our comfy bedroom and nice bathroom
all inclusive with heated towel racks
it was chilly there!

we parked it in this comfy den and chatted, watched tennis and checked in with our kids

delish breakfast they fed us before our departure

John and Kim own the B & B

yum!
Spen still talks about his Eggs Benedict

we laughed a lot!  :-)

Queenstown:

puts it in perspective just how far we really are from home

enjoying our lunch  in this incredibly beautiful Park City/Sun Valley type town
the lake water was the most beautiful clear blue

Spen researched and found the best burger in town, Fergburger.  It did not
disappoint!  So much so, that Scott and Spen had them twice!  

We did some sightseeing on Segway's
it was a super fun way to see the sights of this incredibly gorg place!

they have seaguls, just like Utah...just smaller and prettier than ours

loved seeing these cute old men out enjoying their bowling game

we had fun doing some souvenir shopping for the kids on these quaint little streets

back for round 2
Julie and I opted for a ladies lunch at the recommended "Vudu Cafe"
yum!

Spen is happy
need I say more

dosen't it look like Utah?

Bungy anyone?
Bungy jumping is huge here

but we just did the gondola ride instead

to see this amazing view of Queenstown

Roadtrip from Queenstown to Christchurch:

1st stop, fresh yummy giant cherries and peaches from a cute little fruitstand
in Arrowtown
Probably the cutest, quaintest town I have ever seen
looks like the movies

in Wanaka, I came across this,  we all wanted to know what it was;

a baby hedgehog we were told,
see how his hands are up under his cute little face

waterfalls, rainbows, lush mountains, gorgeous coastline
It dosen't get any prettier than this!

yes, those are all waterfalls cascading down this incredibly beautiful, lush green mountain side
we couldn't believe it!

I was so glad Spen bought himself this fleece, b/c I wore it the whole trip
I wasn't used to this chilly weather...it felt so good!

our two day road trip was so fun, we could talk, eat, SLEEP,
see the sights, listen to good music,  stop for a hike or pics whenever we wanted
We just took our time

When we arrived at our MOTEL in this tiny little town, the restaraunts were all closed
Luckily we had plenty of 'snacks' to put out a pretty good little spread for our 10pm dinner
the Motel office was closed and our keys and room #'s were taped to the door in an envelope

the next morning we hiked up to Fox Glacier

another stop along the way for lunch
Hokitika
this was a bit rougher of a town, but on the coast and beautiful

we enjoyed a delicious lunch

Spen's idea of delicious

my idea of delicious

the homes were all very small and simple in NZ
but very tidy and well kept up

we stopped into a bakery for a treat
and Julie ordered the special,
"Jenny Craig Donut"
named after none other than
"an american weight loss lady"
the lady told us
We silly American women are known for our dieting even all the way over here

It was a cinnamon sugar donut
with a creamy filling and drizzled with a fruit sauce

We made it back to Christchurch in time to stop for a nice dinner and enjoy the beach one last time before we headed to the airport to fly home

This house fell right off the mountain in the earthquake

and the sun sets on this incredible adventure we had.

Scott and Julie were the perfect travel buddies, we loved being with them!
 Spen is great to travel with, if you can keep up with him :)  I think we only lost him a couple times.
  He makes it so fun b/c he loves it so much and is so adventurous.
New Zealand really is Heaven!