New Zealand

Went to New Zealand back in October 2009 for a holiday. Saw my sister and celebrated my Nana's 80th Birthday. First time all the cousins had been together since the early 90's.

Some of my favourite pictures...

Stopped and spent the day with a friend in Los Angeles on the way to NZ

"Swiss Plate" on Venice Beach


A Santa Monica Pier denizen


Spent a couple of days in Auckland (biggest city and where the plane lands in NZ). Then rented a car and drove to Northland all the way to Cape Reinga, the northern cape

View of Auckland from Rangitoto Island


Two of my favourite things in the world, fish and chips and L&P (an NZ soft drink)


View along northern coast near Cape Reinga


Sign at the cape




Took a bus tour on 90 mile beach


Car that never made it off 90 mile beach


Massive Kauri tree unique to the northern part of New Zealand


After the North, flew down to Christchurch and then drove to Invercargill where my Sister and rest of my family lives.

Bluff, way in the south, basically the opposite end of the country to Cape Reinga






NZ was prepared to defend itself against feared Japanese invasion


Kea in the Queen's Park Aviary in Invercargill


Petrified wood near Curio Bay


Curio Bay


All the cousins with Nana on her 80th Birthday




View up a tree at Queenstown Botanical Garden


Summer luge at Queenstown not nearly as good as Rodelbahn in Schweiz




View of Queenstown from the summer luge


Milford Sound, not actually a sound. A sound is made by moving liquid water. Milford Sound is actually a fjord, which is carved by a glacier. When they named Milford Sound there was not yet a word in the English language for a fjord, eventually the Norwegian word, fjord, was incorporated into English.



Took a boat trip out into the sound, this dolphin surfed in front of the hull for a short time.






Some seals sunning themselfs






Wild Keas are very mischievous and will grab anything shiny they can possibly get





You can look at the entire set here:

New Zealand October 2009