New Zealand in Vixen the Vanette: June 2011

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Hot Water Beach

Where else in the world can you bring a shovel to the beach and dig your own hot tub!?!? Amazing! The unfortunate part is that the tide comes in and inevitably wrecks your tub 3 hours after you dig it (you can only dig in the right place at low tide)... awwww...

Steaming hot water is bubbling up out of the sand in the close foreground of the picture. It mixes with other cold water seeping up through the water table, and voila! You get a perfectly warmish-hot sandy tub!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The 'ol gold mine shaft

We went exploring on the Coromandel peninsula, and found some amazing old gold mine shafts. This trail is hyped up in the guide books for going through a 1/2 km abandoned shaft. Notice DJ's suprise and excitement at finding an old gold hole :)

Here it is! The Collins drive! 500m of pure darkness... and ghosts??

Kathy's not so sure about this anymore...

Ok, how much more creepy could this get?

Well, these rotten old buttresses ought to keep 'er from collapsing! Only in NZ would they let anyone who pleases enter this place!

Is it over yet??

Made it!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Fishing NZ style

Headed out on the high seas!

Josh is ready.

Rods are in the water, just need the fish to bite now.

Josh, reeling in the big one!

There it is! Nice "Cow-Eye" (NZ translation: Kahawai)

Wow Josh, you filled the whole cooler!

Sacha and Cassey (dog) were impressed.

Does anyone know how to clean and filet them...? No, OK, well, we'll give it a shot anyway.

Getting there, notice the table we are using, Brent's new treasure from Rotoiti!

What do you think? Smoked "Cow-Eye" doesn't sound appetizing does it?

Kayaking in Lake Rotoiti

Diane, Josh, and Sacha in the new kayak

Gettin' the thumbs up.

Hot pools are on the other side, we get a great view in the mean time.

docked at the hot pools.

The wind gave us some help on the way back.

Brent found some treasure in the lake, and insisted we bring it home :)

Fern trees and a Lake Rotoiti rainbow.

'Cados

Diane's mom owns this beautiful avocado orchard just down the street. We drooled during the whole tour... We even got to take a huge bag of avocados that had fallen home with us.

Mom, this better be what our trees look like when we get home :) --DJ

DRIPPING WITH FRUIT!

Josh and DJ staining a Cabbage Tree Cottage deck

Fire up the Pizza oven

Brent has made an XXL pizza oven in the yard where on Fridays they sometimes have friends over for a pizza making bonanza!

It's definitely hot in there, ready for pizzas now!

Brent stirring the coals while Josh supervises.

Josh "THE MAN" Pullyn

Gettin' HOT

Puff the magic chicken!

Diane breeds hens (or chooks as they call them here). This one has feathers that face backwards making her look like a puff ball!

The Pullyn's (Our newly adopted New Zealand family)

Kathy working out front. Notice the nice new retaining wall just below her... yeah, we made that :)

This is Brent and Diane, the best hosts we have stayed with, no question! We spent 9 days with Brent, Diane, Josh, Max, and Sacha and we loved them so much it was difficult to tear ourselves away. After leaving them we spent 5 days on the coromandel, but missed them so much we ended up going back for another 5 days (all the time we could spare)!! We truly wish we could have stayed for many more MONTHS. They feel like our New Zealand family. Diane's cooking is practically gourmet, it's hard to believe it's all so healthy! She is one of the sweetest people we have ever met, and was even nice enough to treat us with her natural healing techniques. Brent is such a genuine kiwi, he is funny, so personable, and a pleasure to be around!