Cathedral Square - A large collection of Victorian architecture is found in the "Garden City".
Clearly our excitement for the Christchurch Gondola is evident in these pics above.
Not sure what happened here but it made for a good photography subject. According to the locals, this fence was packed full of mysterious hanging bras about a month ago . . . these are the leftovers.
This is Wally . . . the love of my life. How adorable is this little guy!!?!? Steve had to restrain me from kidnapping this cutie and taking him back to Auckland in my carry-on. 
We hit the road routing along part of the Alpine Loop on our race back to Christchurch Airport Sunday evening. These are a few of the sights along the way (above). We really wanted to make a few extra stops but time was ticking. Unfortunately, upon our arrival to the airport we learned that our flight back to Auckland was delayed for three hours . . . plenty of time to have seen a little more of the beautiful eastern countryside of the south island. I guess we will have to go again . . . darn.
Shortland Street is a New Zealand TV soap that broadcasts each evening at 7 pm. Oddly enough, we constantly see the casts members around town and on our travels around NZ. We were actually in the same row as "Morgan" on our flight to Christchurch this last weekend (top pic). Steve had a hard time not staring the entire time. To date, we have come face-to-face with five of them. It's not Sting, but hey . . .
Steve celebrated another birthday yesterday. In honor of the big day, I am posting some pics of one of his idols, Johnny Cash. Actually, Steve was NOT a big fan of the pics I took of him at the restaurant last night, so this is all you get.
Last weekend we got invited to a "Grease" birthday party for our friend, Fiona. It was a night to remember . . . pizza, good friends, and John Travolta. Can you see how excited the boys were to watch the movie? Yeah, they were in the other room playing poker while the girls were glued to every cheesy scene.
Today in celebration of Pioneer Day in UT, Steve went to get some delicious Mexican food from an authentic restaurant we had heard about from some friends. While I worked at home on some editing, Steve headed over to Ellerslie to grab some Mexi grub. As he walked in the door of the small restaurant, he saw the one and only STING!!!!! Now, I wasn't there as a witness, but Steve is quite certain it was Gordon Sumner himself.
A testosterone-filled crowd. Nate & Steve cheered loudly for the win with "YES, YES!!!" exclaimed in a Kiwi accent. 
The Haka, (Maori traditional dance) was performed immediately prior to the international match with the Aussies. 
Our friends from CT/NYC, Lisa (above) & Jenn arrived in Auckland on Monday morning. While Steve & I have been busy working this week, the girls have had a packed touring itinerary around the north island, but we have managed to make some time together for a taste of NZ cuisine and plenty of chatter. It is so great to have the two of them around!!!! 
Steve's intense 4th of July BBQ in the pouring winter rains of July in Auckland . . . is he wearing socks out there?
Success. We were supposed to go to a 4th of July party that some PwC secondees were having, but I had to finish a photo project all weekend. Sooooo, we had a little BBQ at home with just us: complete with the usuals- hamburgers, real Heinz Ketchup, baked beans, ice cream, etc . . . We did have a few NZ 'variations' -- eggs on the hamburgers, Melona bars, and some kiwis.
Winter in Auckland means lots of rainy, wet weather . . . . but it also means weather warm enough that outdoor markets are still in full function. Yesterday we picked-up some produce at a great market in the Auckland area. When a large bag of kiwis is $2.00, you just can't pass that up!
Last weekend Steve & I went to see Simon & Garfunkel in concert. It was basically the greatest show ever. I felt like I was watching my Dad playing guitar and jamming up on stage (although, Dad might even be a little cooler than Paul Simon). 
Last week one of our favorite missionaries of all time, Elder Rutter, went home to the U.K. It was tough to say goodbye to someone who actually endured my cooking on numerous occasions and still managed to do it with a smile. It is a big loss for Auckland and a big loss for us.
Arrival at Aggie Grey's in Apia, Samoa. Tropical flowers were everywhere-- even on the bed, dresser, etc . . . 
These cereal boxes sure caught my eye . . . and not just because of Harrison: if you look close, a box of cereal is normally around $26.50, but luckily we hit the special for $10 a box.
We generally ate most of our evening meals at the hotel in a 'fala' style dining area. Each night we would dine on cuisine consisting of taro leaves, coconut cream, chop suey, roasted pork, sea urchin, raw fish, etc . . . Oh, and the mosquitos dined on ME!
As you can guess, Steve had to hit-up every local roadside dive for the 'authentic cuisine' of Samoa. I think we found it . . . and I think the local stomach bug found us. I was VERY sick the last day of the trip, staying in bed the entire day and watching Samoan TV; a nice variety of Top Gun and Little House on the Prairie throughout the day. As for Steve, his Samoan bug is truly around for the long run. Lind, you better send some of your famous pills our way . . .
Stephen remained in Apia, Samoa for a few more days to finish work on his client for PwC. He loved his time on the island with all the amazing, kind, and generous Samoan people!
Tonga is ruled by a monarchy. It is ruled by King George Tupou V . . . and this is His Highnesses kingly gate . . . and kingly house in the far background.
Steve's first stop in the Pacific Islands was Fiji (his hotel above). He stayed a week there, but spent most of his time in the heart of the largest city, Nadi. Most of the island is greatly populated with Fijian Indians, as well as the native Fijians. The general greeting there is "Bula" for "Hello".
Steve just returned from his three-week work tour of Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa this afternoon. Between the two of us, we have many images and stories to share from the Pacific Islands . . . soon to come.
The weather has cooled considerably in Auckland over the last few weeks. The leaves have changed and are crisp & crunchy under my feet as I walk to work each morning. I love the cold weather but I am certainly going to miss a big part of my regular winter routine: SNOW! Seriously, I love snow, so a winter without the white stuff will be tough for me.- No hot water on either Sunday or Monday morning
- Beds are rock solid- extremely uncomfortable
- Generally not clean - very grubby. Bathrooms are a disgrace
- A lot of bugs in rooms- a lot of bites overnight after sleeping in bed
- Bed linen is not clean
- Cannot do laundry as dryer is broken
- One channel on TV- church TV
- Internet broken in room
- Door lock broken on room- ground floor sliding door
- Blood on balconys
- Used bandaids and blood on shower curtains in room
- Five lizards on bed when waking up in morning
- Closets are damp and smell terrible
- Wild dogs everywhere
- Lights on stairs not working, dangerous at night
- "Lagoon" is dirty
- Lots of litter in the seating area beside the Lagoon
- Seats broken beside Lagoon"
Whose ready for an excursion to Tonga??
Deon will play. Although my recent cold/cough is trying to get the best of me, I must stay active while Steve is working in Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa during the month of May. What better way to beat the NZ rainy season blues than a little retail therapy and girlfriend time? Thanks for the great "Girls' Night Out", Charmain!
Although one can say I inherited some great internal genetic traits from my awesome parents, a weak immune system is not at the top of that list. Unfortunately, the Danley Sickness Curse has been plaguing the family now for many, many years and sadly moving to another country does not seem to be an appropriate antidote. Out come the drugs.
Somehow Deon was given the opportunity last weekend to sing with some amazing musicians at a YSA talent night in downtown Auckland. Her singing/guitar performances were very humble in comparison to the other incredible musicians that evening. Notably, two separate acts that night currently have NZ recording contracts, and it was was certainly apparent why as we listened to their phenomenal musical abilities!!! .jpg)
Last week was a 'blast from the past' for Steve & I. Steve really enjoyed a day on the golf course . . . a hobby he has not made time for in a long while. Pictured above: the founders of JAB (Nate & Steve) .jpg)
After seven months in NZ, Stephen experienced his first run-in with the law. He got ticketed for not wearing his seatbelt while taking me home from the grocery store last night (one block away from our flat). I guess sometimes it takes a $150 reminder to keep us in check . . . in any country.
Stephen's grandpa passed away today. He was truly an amazing man and an example of strength and goodness to so many. Simply put by Steve, "They just don't make men like that anymore."
Some were concerned that the ceiling of our plane was taped together with duct tape, but being schooled in the power of duct tape by my Dad from a young age, I was certain we were in good hands.
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Some colorful highlights: GBI "Pumpkin Festival" art; dinner together each night at our cabin, 'The Retreat'- Shoal Bay Lodge; our trusty tour guides, Steve, James, Nate; the colorful GBI town hall; the #1 driver & planner= James & Paula; last but not least- 'Bongo' our trusty grey van
Barry Kearney, our experienced skipper, showed us the art of deep sea fishing in Tryphena Bay. The waters were rough that day, but the snapper had never seen the likes of James, Paula, Michelle, Nate, Lesley, and Steve. Deon spent the majority of the time puking into a bucket.
The beaches of GBI were thick with mussels . . . were thick with mussels until Easter Weekend of 2009.
An hour walk from the road we arrived at some sulfur mineral ponds, a popular place for locals & tourists alike.
We made stops at The Lunch Box as many times as humanly possibly while on the island.
Last Wednesday evening The Killers performed at the Vector Arena (about a ten minute walk from our flat). Being a little homesick lately, Deon was ecstatic to be seeing her 'homeboys' in concert. Stephen used his old mosh pit skills to get us 'up close & personal' with the band that evening. 
A 'must see' in Hamilton is apparently the M.V. Waipa Delta Paddleboat cruise which consists of an hour of meandering up & down the Waikato River. Not wanting to miss-out, we booked our cruise early. 
Our trip home from Hamilton was truly not complete without a few sweet stops: Pokeno (famous for their bacon & ice cream) and Candyland. Pokeno has store after store of ice cream shops ready to serve you up to eight or nine scoops on a cone. I opted for five . . . yummy!
Candyland looked more like an abandoned warehouse from the seventies, but once inside the frightening exterior, discount NZ candy & fudge was plentiful.
A performance of My Fair Lady at the Civic Center in downtown Auckland was truly one of the highlights of this last weekend. Deon attended a matinee performance of the musical with some great girlfriends- Michelle, Chi, and Fiona. Thanks to Michelle & Chi's genius booking skills (and stunning looks), we were able to score tickets on the 6th row!
A few weekends ago I was lucky enough to cover the photography at a multi-denominational community service project at the Rosebank School in Avondale, Auckland. The project was a huge success and I had an amazing time covering all aspects of the improvements made on the school that day. 
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We were lucky enough to spend a few more evenings with Jeremy & Erin before their big send-off this weekend. Erin had a great idea for a restaurant called Mikano located on the harbour. It was arguably the best restaurant we have dined at thus far in Auckland. Between jokes about Steve's Tim Tam Slam addiction and tears of sadness over the reason behind the event, we were able to eat some phenomenal sea fare!!!
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Today we walked out of church to discover that our car had disappeared. Our first reaction was that it had been stolen, but we quickly learned that it had actually been towed by a Karaoke company that owns the parking spaces during the week and evenings. For some reason they decided that they didn't like our Camry (or maybe they needed a little extra cash), so they hauled our innocent car away. 
Today was a big event for the pacific island community of New Zealand: the annual "Pasifika". This event hosts nine different islands in the pacific (Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, etc . . . ), showcasing their unique aspects of culture and tradition in a village setting in Western Springs Park. 
We wouldn't say we were 'tight' with John Key, New Zealand's new Prime Minister, but we did get close enough to him at Pasifika to get this quick pic of his profile (behind the mic). I only had my little HP camera with me so it's not the best quality, but it proves that we chill with the high rollers in NZ. I bet I couldn't get this close to Barack.
This last weekend we attended the Auckland Cup Week Telecom Derby Day Horse Race (pics to come soon), and since then our week has been 'racing' by. A few specific highlights:
We rescued this cicada from a fateful death (doing our part for the 1080 effort-- see below).
The only problem is finding the right location that the hot water arises from the ground. Visitors dug huge holes with shovels in order to find a 'hot spot'. Of all the people on the beach Sat. morning, we only saw one guy with steam arising from his 'hot tub'.
The Peninsula has a relaxed atmosphere, to say the least. According to the trusty Wikipedia, the 1970s saw thousands of hippies relocate from large cities around NZ to the Coromandel in search of an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
We had big plans to attend the Symphony Under the Stars at the Auckland Domain this Saturday evening; however, Steve caught a horrible cold on Friday and the last thing he wanted to do was . . . well, anything. 
This mural graces a city wall near our apartment in central Auckland. I guess everyone around the world is feeling the love this weekend.
I found this old mannequin in a museum over the holidays in NZ and I thought it was an appropriate pic for today . . . slightly creepy.
In honor of the Chinese New Year, a massive celebration of crafts, martial arts, Asian cuisine, and fireworks took place this weekend in Albert Park, downtown Auckland . . . a ten-minute walk from our digs. 
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Although this looks like Zions or Bryce Canyon in UT, it is actually the other side of Red Crater.
After the boys tired of trying to catch some trout for lunch, Nate broke out his handy BBQ and grilled-up some delicious grub for the group. Quite honestly, Nate acted as trip coordinator, lodge booker, hike organizer, river seeker, taxi driver, and head chef for basically everyone on this weekend trip. We would have been lost without him!
Considering the non-stop snow skiing happening at Powder Mt. with the fam in UT, we decided to visit a ski resort of our own in NZ . . . in the middle of the summer. At least there was still a little snow on Mt. Ruapehu when we arrived. It's hard to decipher, but the name of the resort behind us is Whakapapa Resort . . . but you say it with an "F". Nice.
After visiting the ski resort early Monday morning, we headed back to Auckland, but not before numerous additional stops to get a few more angles of Mt. Ngauruhoe (thanks, Jeremy). Apparently I have found my 'Mount Rushmore', Dad.
Yesterday Steve & I watched a youth sailing competition right outside of our apt. These kids were really talented at their sport; it was fun to observe them attempting to perfect the art of staying afloat in the powerful Auckland harbour wind. 
Ok, this day really wasn't that terrific. Steve went back to work after an amazing weekend away, it was roasting hot in our apt., and I was rejected once again for a promising job that I was quite certain I had secured. So why would this day be terrific? Well, we got TWO whole packages in the mail today!!! Yes, for many of you, mail probably seems like a hassle, but since living in New Zealand, we revel in our daily mail count from home. 
We TRIED to find some Chinese cuisine, but to no avail-- the place we went was closed for the holiday. Does Malaysian food count?
Steve took me out for a little Indonesian food for my troubling 31st birthday last weekend. I guess since getting older, it is taking me longer to put posts up on the blog. Maybe that's why Steve never helps with any of our NZ blogging-- ha, ha. We also had a good (long) time viewing "Benjamin Button" at the theatre.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD DANLEY!!! I thought of you when I took this pic (for obvious reasons). Have a great time in Mexico!!!!!!
We have FINALLY updated our blog with the latest adventures from our fishing trip over the New Year holiday. Have a caffeinated drink in hand for this one . . .
Utah readers: Don't the images above look like areas in northern UT? We couldn't believe our eyes.
Back to reality: kiwi fruit farms
These purple flower line the roadsides continually EVERYWHERE in Auckland and the north island. I can't find what they are on the net. Any ideas?
In the hills surrounding the river was this mysterious red pond. It was one of the strangest things I have ever seen, and it was truly the color you see in this picture. What could possibly be the explanation . . . minerals, perhaps?
The wild turkeys were always very kind to pose for me.
Te Reinga Falls
All the mountains & hills are covered with zig-zags of trails for the endless number of sheep and mountain goats that dotted the area.
Two of our good buddies from the trip. We honestly saw four people the entire time we were up there.
Steve's favorite sign in New Zealand so far.
This is Steve's favorite pic of a rainbow. He released everything that he caught. We survived on Top Ramen and instant oatmeal since we weren't allowed to have a campfire.
My wildlife buddies kept me fairly busy during the long fishing days, and then Steve would cook-up some tasty grub in our designated campsite for the evening.
Steve takes his fish & chips eating very seriously.
. . . it was fish & chips, chips, and chips everywhere we went from that point on. We even tried some chocolate covered potato chips- yikes! We actually had a homeless guy ask us for our fish & chips leftovers in Te Puke as we finished yet another unhealthy meal. Honestly, Steve must have made his pleasurable indulgence look so good to the hungry man!
We visited the Opotiki museum which was a mess of old antiques . . . 
We also visited the old church house where apparently a European vicar was beheaded by the locals who also drank his blood.
Our vaca was NOT complete without a stop at Kiwi 360. Steve apparently can't begin to express his excitement over golden kiwis. Notice the large tree fence to the right of this pic. Everywhere you drive, you see these tall, natural tree fences around the kiwi farms.
We have returned from our fishing trip around the eastern side of the north island. It was a great time and we can't wait to illustrate our latest NZ discoveries on the blog in the next few days. I have become increasingly preoccupied with novel reading as of late, making it difficult to do much of anything else.
WE rang in the New Year by watching fireworks outside our building at the Sky Tower. They displayed a sufficient fireworks show to kick-off 2009. It was different to hear all the harbour ships honking their horns in celebration. The horns, the fireworks, and the humid heat were all very surreal.
The holidays would NOT be complete in NZ without a delicious Samoan meal. Well, we were thankful for the amazing spread that our Samoan friends put together for us to enjoy this last Sunday evening in Grey Lynn. The dishes were plentiful: Samoan meatballs, honey soy chicken, taro, and sapasui (to name a few). We were in heaven!
Following European tradition, the 26th of December is "Boxing Day" in New Zealand. Everyone that is anyone loads up their car with gift returns and heads to the stores/malls/generally crowded areas to try and find some mind-boggling shopping deals. Although this truly wasn't 'our scene', we decided to head to the mall to get a taste of the experience; actually, all we really got a taste of was some sushi and theatre snacks while ditching the stores for dinner and a movie.
Our Christmas celebration was amazing thanks to the Paki family. They welcomed us into their home for a celebratory day of delicious food, gift-giving, festive songs, and great conversation. The highlight of the day was when the whole family sang a number of traditional Maori songs for us. The voices in harmony were phenomenal!!!
The colors of the red, white, and green dessert in my hands is basically the only thing that reminded us of the holidays in NZ on the 24th. Well, that and spending time with our good friend Jacco. We were lucky enough to enjoy dinner together at a Mediterranean restaurant (Mecca) on Christmas Eve and spend some time sharing holiday traditions. Similar to Steve & I, Jacco is used to the 'white Christmas' of home in the Netherlands.
Well, eleven and a half, I guess. We couldn't resist taking a bite (or two) out of these delicious traditional family holiday cookies. Luckily they made it all the way from my sister's kitchen to our home in Auckland. What a great way to end our Twelve Days!!! Yum, yum.
I was lucky enough to be part of a Christmas program put on by our church last weekend. It wasn't the same singing "O Holy Night" without my Dad . . . not to mention performing a holiday program during the summertime with no A/C in the building.
I'm not sure what this was all about, but it made for a good photo op. Oh, and this was taken last week (not during Halloween).
This one is probably a stretch (judging from the pic above), but it is Friday here, so cut me some slack. 
The Viaduct is all about sailing, so this decorative sailboat represents Christmas in our neighborhood.
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Who can argue against golden candy over golden rings? I know my big brother would agree, so this one is for you, Jeff. We have grown fond of these delicious little lollies found in the Allen's Retro Party Mix package . . . a diet staple for any Kiwi (in our humble opinion).
Rubbish bags in Auckland are probably always red & green, but the colors are rather festive this time of year. Sorry . . . this one was pretty lame.
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