I think I am in heaven...!

We had the most lovely walk through Tawhranui last weekend. When I say lovely I mean it felt like all my favorite things come together in one place and left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

  It has felt like winter here forever! We're kinda over being cold all the time. We are so ready for the warm summer days and beach weather! So that's why this walk was so lovely! It not only offered a great walk with great views of the ocean and surrounding islands, it also offered the first signs of spring!!

Yes the hike was through paddocks holding sheep! And let me tell you they were friggin cute! These little guys walked up to us and posed, no joke! The walk was supposed to take 3 hours but because everyone, except for Bregdt, needed to stop and lamb watch, it took us 4 hours. It was too much fun to watch how the lambs react when approached. They pop up from their hiding spots and run to their mums, where they proceed to beat her utters for milk. This in and of it's self was entertaining enough!

After our long hike we settled down and enjoyed a nice glass of wine....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19nVqP-rszc&feature=youtu.be

My Mountains

An important part of Maoritanga (Maori Culture) is the recitation of one's Whakapapa (family tree) during formal meetings and introductions.  As part of this process the speaker also introduces the region they are from by naming their local mountain and water.  Pretty much anywhere you go in New Zealand you are surrounded by lush green hills, and Auckland is no exception.  While these may not compete with the snow capped peaks of the Southern Island, they do still nonetheless make for some exceptional landscapes.  Where we live in Auckland we are lucky to be within walking distance of three such mountains: One Tree Hill, Mt. St. John, and Mt. Hobson.

The largest and most significant of the three is One Tree Hill.

The tree for which this mountain was named has since been cut down as a form of protest over the Treaty of Waitangi.  I believe a helicopter was involved. 

One Tree Hill is kind of like if a volcano formed in the centre of the Experimental Farm in Ottawa.  There are interesting geological crevices and landscapes all over the place, but also places for sheep and cow to graze, and all pretty much in the centre of the city. 

The obelisk at the top is visible from our bedroom window. 

It's a pretty stunning place to go for a run and provides views of the city centre.

One Tree Hill is also a great landmark as it's visible from most places in the city and for the moment, the neighbourhood we considered home.

Fish Bonanza!!!

We went to the greatest place, where fish was the only thing on the menu... along with alcohol! It was a very good day to say the least.

We started out the day bummed because we were meant to go to the beach and it was overcast and kinda chilly. Instead of sitting around our hostel and watching our German co-habitators play x-box, yet again, we took the day on and found our way to the Auckland viaduct. To our surprise we found the longest line in the world! The funny thing is the line was for those who had bought tickets on the internet. We snuck around and found that the ticket line was empty. We must have bypassed at least a 500 people. Suckers!


Hope you enjoy the footage...

So what have we been doing to keep ourselves busy you ask? There has been an array of activities to keep us occupied! When we first arrived we were on the look out for anything that seemed interesting.  In doing so we have participated in some great activities.  One of my favorites so far was Chinese Lantern Festival.

Every year the Chinese community in Auckland puts on a festival to celebrate the Chinese new year. The back drop for the festival is Albert park in downtown Auckland. We arrived at the park just before sundown and already there was a bustle about the place.  Music and traditional dance entertained from the main stage while festival-goers bounced between the many food stalls offering all sorts of tasty treats from Japanese pancakes, skewered-coconut shrimp and yummy pot stickers (kind of like fried won-tons).

The grounds were decorated all sorts of different lanterns strewn around the park ranging from very simple to highly intricate. Even the trees were adorned with beautiful flowers and Chinese tea pots. The night was truly a whimsical one.

Till next time!

I know I know we're bad bloggers!! We leave you hanging before the story has even really started! You see, what happened was we got caught up in living life here. That and our camera broke while we were white water rafting.

So I figured I would add a few photos just until we get the camera situation sorted, as many of you have been asking for more pictures or video!

Let us start at the beginning. The first real outing outside of Auckland that we had here was with Kate and Leight. They are a really great couple we met through Danica, a friend from back home. They were kind enough to take us out to Tawharanui park, which was just breath taking.  

Mostly we spent the day splashing around in the waves. I personally can't get enough of falling into the waves, for some reason it makes me laugh. If I could have stood in the water all day without freezing I probably wouldn't have come out. 

I think that the most significant thing about this day was that it was the day we saw our first Pukeko! I love them! I think by far they are my favorite animal! They are the silliest looking things and when they run you can't help but laugh at their clumsy gait. In New Zealand they're more popular than the Kiwi (ok this may be an exaggeration). However they are everywhere; they've made them into cartoons and plush toys. They seem to be their secret second favorite birds...shhh!

Well until next time! There will be more coming soon. I promise!! 

Steph 

TraNZplanted Episode 1

Here it is Ladies and Gents

Our first video blog!
We have finally finished editing our first video which depicts our first week of our journey. We hope you enjoy!