We have been wearing different outfits to see which will be the best for travel, especially shoes. The garden will be planted and cared for by our friend from CCD, Steffanie. She will be taking care of the cats every day as well.
Author: bdmarsha
Europe trip plan
Clare and Brian have planned a trip to Europe beginning May 27 with a flight to Frankfurt. We will be visiting sites on the Rhine, mineral museums in Freiberg, Munich, a boat trip down the Danube from Nuremberg to Budapest, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. We will travel mostly by train.
Here is a map showing some of the places we will visit; the blue line is the stretch of the Danube River that we will be on plus a bit of the Main-Danube Canal near Nuremberg.
Kayaks in an old volcano (1/11/17)
We had a whole day in Akaroa to goof off (and not drive)! On Tuesday afternoon, we went to the i-site to reserve two 2-person kayaks for 10am Wednesday. We made sure to arrive on time at the docks all sun-screened only to find out that the kayaks were still out on the bay. They arrived back about 10:15 and we were off, life-vests on, by 10:20 to wander in the harbor and local bays for up to two hours. None of us had experienced a two-person sea kayak with a rudder before so the rear occupants (Clare and Laura) got admonished quite a bit for not steering well (it is not easy and/or the rudder mechanisms were not correctly adjusted). Of course, both paddlers can steer with the paddles to some extent.
Clare trying to steer with her feet (there are pedals).
Laura and Checkers paddling in the harbor.
A small cave controlled by the geology and mussels on the rocks.
Birds on the far side of the peninsula away from the harbor.
A juvenile bird? Very fuzzy!
Eventually we returned to our condo, covered in sea water, tired, and happy. We lazed around in the afternoon (churning out blog posts) and went out for our last dinner in New Zealand. Later that night, Laura and Checkers went on a walk towards the nearby light house.
They also discovered a forest path and decided to explore.
Wandering around, there were many paths that all criss-crossed through the woods. How strange! After making their way back to the coastal road, they discovered a sign stating that the area was actually a park. With three cemeteries inside.
Naturally, even though the sun was quickly setting, they dived back into the woods to find them. Spooky!
This is our last night in New Zealand. It has been an amazing three weeks. We hope you have enjoyed reading about our adventures!
*****Written by Brian and Checkers*****
Two Lonely Mountains (1/10/17)
After scrutinizing the fog for so long last night, we finally found what we were looking for. The mountain! Mount Cook! While in our little cabin that night, the sky finally cleared.
Epic! A mountain you can see from miles and miles away. A mountain that has claimed many lives. On our way to breakfast that morning, we got a few more shots.
On our drive back out of the valley that morning, we got a few more.
And a few more.
Every time we made a turn on that windy road, we said goodbye to the mountain. Around the next turn, we found it yet again! Its persistence was formidable. We had another mountain to see, however, so eventually we left Cook behind.
We were determined to squeeze in one final Lord of the Rings sight on our journey. We drove a long way on a dirt road to find it. And it was worth it.
Do you recognize this hill? How about if you imagine the great city of Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld built upon its summit?
The roche moutonée is actually named Mount Sunday, but to us LOTR fans it was naught but the capital of Rohan. Although we could not see it, we also knew that the site used for Helm’s Deep was hidden somewhere in the mountains beyond.
Wow.
Today was one of the longest driving days we had–the giant detour really didn’t help–but we did see some incredible landscapes.
*****Written by Checkers*****
Bunch of Geeks go Traveling 