Christmas Down Under

On Christmas Eve Conor and I flew into Auckland, New Zealand. After lugging our tent, sleeping bags and rain coats through customs, we hopped into a cab and headed to the harbour. "You want to go where?" asked the cab driver, "Where they keep the boats? You want me to leave you there?"

Yes.

It was officially Christmas Day by the time we arrived at the marina. We paid our lovely friend (an amount that could have been a down payment on a small home) and wandered into the darkness, hoping to stumble upon Conor's father, Jack, at any moment, "Merry Christmas!"

Conor's parents had arrived earlier that day and had already unpacked their belongings on a beautiful 38 foot sail boat in the Auckland Harbour. After hellos, hugs and happy holidays, we retired for the night.

I woke up to cool winds, delicious coffee and the view of a few hundred other masts, the city prominent in the background. We sailed for two days before departing Auckland and heading to the South Island. We swam and hiked. We barbecued, exchanged Christmas gifts, read, and of course, watched a few episodes of Flight of the Conchords on the boat. Although we did not see much of the city, the Great Barrier Islands were amazing. It was wonderful to spend Christmas Day on a boat in the Southern Hemisphere - a once in a lifetime thing, I'm sure.

We flew into Christchurch, picked up our rental car and began driving. The Semlers like to drive. Actually, I don't know if they actually enjoy long road trips, but they claim to, and they do them well. There was very little complaining and we only stopped a few times as we travelled south to Dunedin. Dunedin is a college town on the east coast of the South Island. With summer break taking place, the town was quiet. It was also rainy and cold. It felt like home. (Minus the rain, plus snow.)

We stayed in an old church, the Chapel Apartments, showered for the first time since our arrival, and ate ta pas at a cute little restaurant in the centre of town. Dunedin was lovely. A little sleepy, yes, but lovely. We drove up the world's steepest street and then walked to the bottom. Green. Hills. Sheep.

On our way out of town, we drove out onto the Otago Peninsula, stopped to watch the albatross for a bit and then hopped on to an 8-wheel drive vehicle and took a tour of the coast. More sheep. We also saw baby seals (some just two days old) and penguins - lounging on the rocky coast, strutting across the sand to their nests. Amazing.





Jack, Mary, Me



Young seal lounging on the rocks with her baby nearby.



Is my wingspan comparable to that of an albatross?

After Dunedin came Milford Sound and Queenstown. The photos of our kayak trip in Milford Sound pretty much summarise the hours we spent there. Clear, clean water (Bella would have loved it). Mountains. Crisp Air. Breathtaking views.





Who looks bad in Spandex? Clearly not me.





Is Conor getting paid to advertise here?

Queenstown was similar to most ski-towns. We were still surrounded by nature, but the resorts and hotels, restaurants and cafes, and crowds of people were our reminders that we were no longer in the national park. Queenstown was a great transition for my trip back to Australia and Brisbane.

I returned home to Brisbane after a three hour delay in Sydney. My late night arrival and early work morning were worth the Christmas treats in NZ. If only I had stopped and snagged two bottles of Bombay in the duty free shop, my Christmas trip would have been perfect.