First Church of Jesus Christ Christchurch

Yesterday was a total bust. I drove way out of my way to get to Dunedin only to arrive too late to see any penguins or albatroses because the sun was setting and no more tours were going out. Throwing my hands up in the air, I said “screw it” and drove five more hours …

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National Geographic Ain’t Got Nothing On Me

I have most of my New Zealand photos up now. (Well, I took over 400 photos, but I have what I think are the best ones up) You can view the New Zealand group here. I had a hard time taking photos in NZ because of the overcast skies. The good photos either didn’t have …

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Can I Has Kiwiburger?

You know you want it and here it is. The New Zealand McDonald’s update. Any discussion of New Zealand McDonald’s has to start with the Kiwiburger. The slogan for the Kiwiburger is “Kiwiburger: That’s Our Tucker”. I have no clue what that means. I guess it is some sort of Kiwi slang that is supposed …

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How to Jump Off a Cliff and Live

Today I went bungee jumping for the first time in my life. Jumping off a ledge might seem like a simple thing, but it isn’t. Here is how to do it if you ever feel so inclined to go bungee jumping. 1) Lie to yourself No rational person would throw themselves off a ledge, so …

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Sounds Good

Tomorrow I’m off to Milford Sound. The place which is usually rated the #1 attraction in New Zealand. I hope I get good weather. I decided to stay in Queenstown and take a tour bus to the Sound, rather than drive. Once gas and everything was factored in, I was about the same just staying …

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ANZAC Day in Australia

Today is ANZAC* Day in Australia, New Zealand and several countries in the Pacific (Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji I think). It is the day which Australians and Kiwis remember their war dead. In the US it would be the equivalent of Memorial Day, or Remembrance Day in the UK. ANZAC Day, from what I’ve gathered, …

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Queenstown

After a day of glaciers, driving, and a LOT of photos, I have arrived at Queenstown, NZ. For the first night since I left Auckland I’m staying in a hostel tonight (or a Backpacker as they call them here). I want to stay right in town rather than on the outskirts. This is, by far, …

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God Save the Queen(stown)

A quick update before I hit the road and drive off to Invercargill (home of Burt Munro!!) and Dunedin. A few weeks ago I had no idea I’d be in New Zealand right now. While I consider myself a pretty smart guy, I’m embarssed to say I had never heard of Milford Sound before I …

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Oh yeah, I forgot to mention…

I got a tattoo last week in Rarotonga. It is a Cook Island Maori tattoo. The symbols are designed to tell a story, that story being my trip. In the center row, there is one character unlike the others. That represents me. Its a solo man. The other characters are birds which represent travel. On …

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