sledding at mt dell

Alexi had a play dated with Rolf and Andie's Talia. We went up the canyon for a little "Big Jump" time.


They did this a good 20 more "Just one more times".

Momma Andie came buy to watch them get one of their bigger airs of the day.They were a little slacking at "keeping their hands and feet in the ride at all times."

alexi suave with his blondes

Fire truck time!

scarry fish and kid eating monster during sushi at Takashi's

Scarry monster!

Mr big shoes

Christy n carol on mt air sholder

A Whale of a Day: Part I

After a day of rest in Christchurch, we were off to find the great humpback. Unfortunately when we arrived, the winds were high, and had kicked up the surf, so the trip was re-scheduled for the next day.

A pic of Alexi (a bit fatigued after all the travel) demonstrating how to properly pass out in your monster tent.

Whale watching on hold, we set out to explore the area. Our first stop was a roadside grill by the beach which served crayfish fritters. Mmmm. Alexi ate a whole fritter by himself. I was bit shocked when I actually saw one of these 'crayfish' (in my minds eye these are small dark mini-lobster things). This was no crayfish, they were actually the largest rock lobsters I had ever seen. Just down the road was a seal colony hang-out, here is one of the beasts sunning itself after chasing off some tourists.

Afterwards, a stop-off to watch a sheep-shearing. This particular breed, gets sheared twice a year. And for the pro's the shearing record is close to 30 seconds.

The Demo: how to shear your sheep. I think it is one of those things that looks easier than it really is..

The finished product

The Horns: not a hit with Alexi

Farm Dogs, now we're talking. A few wet licks and pets and all was better.

Sunset after our first full day in NZ

A Whale of a Day: Part II

We got lucky the next morning, and were off to hunt the great humpback. We happened upon a group of 2 or 3, and were able to watch them surface and then dive back into the deep.

Off to Able Tasman. Only after a quick stop at one of the local vineyards.

A short walk on the beach to stretch our legs in Nelson. Note: people in NZ are definitely a tougher breed, although it is sunny in this picture, the water was frigid...

'A Bit' Lost...

Well, sort of. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, stress over trying not to drive on the wrong side of the road, a bad case of the grungries (being grumpy b/c you are hungry), poor night vision, or a poor understanding of local lingo and road signage.

We were close to the turn off..per the map and the locals. Just up the road 'a bit'. Well after several 'bits' we were in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed. Going up an endless pass through the rainforest and then down again. No signs, no other cars..hmmm.. gas tank getting 'a bit' low.

Finally a sign. WHERE? Confirmation: completely off track. Stomach sinking, 10 pm, gas more than 'a bit' low. After a few attempts at finding some human life, we spied a light, which thankfully was the start of a small town, and luckily a place to stay and some friendly locals.

We were just short of Golden Bay (on the opposite side of Abel Tasmen of where we had planned to be). But actually, it ended up being a delightful "find" (work used very loosely here). Re-grouping over breakfast, we watched the local Xmas parade, chatted with locals, and went to visit some of the local sites.

A view of the local area:

Split Rock

Our first visit to the rain forest:

Our first swinging bridge, leading to our first (of billions) of waterfalls.