Memorial Day in Calaveras Big Trees
It’s J.T.’s birthday weekend, and we’re heading into the sierras for a long weekend in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, just outside of Arnold, CA on Hwy 4. Unlike 3 years ago in our 2nd Fun Finder season, this Memorial Day weekend does NOT have snow in the forecast. Or rain.Or anything in between. Season 5 is so much better … although the elevation is comparable to Pinecrest, CA, the winter was nowhere near the same (drought!), making for a … Read More
Safari West in Santa Rosa, CA
For Christmas last year,Kirk’s mom Pat got 4 tickets to Safari West in the hills of Santa Rosa, and Mother’s Day Sunday seems like the perfect day to redeem them! The weather is perfect on this spring day, as Pat, Adam, Kirk & I arrive for our fascinating three-hour riding and walking adventure in Safari West’s 400-acre preserve. On the drive, we will get to come in contact with giraffes, gazelles, zebras, oryx, antelopes, cape buffalo, wildebeests and many other … Read More
Goodbye New Zealand! [Day 16]
It’s bright and early when the alarm comes on this morning, and it’s time to get up, get ready and get going. After having completely lost the day of April 12th a couple of weeks ago, today April 28th will last a full 43 hours … with a big chunk of that going towards travel time. By 8am we are at Queenstown Airport, dropping off our campervan and checking in for our flight to Auckland. As we land in AUK … Read More
Our Nevis Swing Video
Video of us taking the Nevis Swing plunge. The Nevis Swing is the “Biggest Swing in the World” with a 300 meter (984 feet) arch and 175 meters (574 feet) above the ground. Here is a view from the platform of the next pair that dropped.
The Biggest Swing in the World [Day 15]
It’s our last day here in New Zealand (with the exception of the trip home tomorrow) and Queenstown still has one more thrill ride waiting for us! After an earlier start than normal we pack up the camper for the last time and check out from the campground, heading to town. As we get a bite for breakfast at Ferg Bakery, we run into the film crew around Sam Wang yet again – it’s barely 10am and the Taiwanese celebrity … Read More
Hot Jet Boat and a Cool Ice Bar [Day 14]
It is cold in QT. Very cold. But as the sun is making an appearance this morning, we are getting up and out rather quickly. After a great breakfast at the Red Rock pub we are on to our great adventure of the day: a Shotover Jet Boat Ride down the Shotover River through its canyons with narrow rock walls and plenty of other obstacles. But if the Duke & Duchess of Cornwall can do it (a couple of weeks … Read More
Final Push to Queenstown [Day 13]
It’s our 13th day in New Zealand and 11th on the road. We begin the final leg of our left-side-of-the-road journey to Queenstown today. Haast, last night’s stay, is the entrance to Mount Aspiring National Park which has over a dozen stops along the way for views and hikes. The downpour of on and off rain from last night continues through the morning part of our drive. While the rain puts a bit of a damper on many of the … Read More
An Encounter with a Sheep and a Glacier [Day 12]
Our fellow neighbors here at the campground surely get up early! But once we take a peek out the window, we understand why: the sun is out and the mountain tops are clear … It’s time to pack up & get going! Already in town for our next adventure, we stop quickly only to get some shots of the sheep … only a handful of the estimated 9 million in NZ. No way Kirk can leave this country without some … Read More
A Glacier, Giant Eels and a Kiwi [Day 11]
Day 11 starts out a bit sunny as we’re getting our 2-monthiversary date heading into the town of Hokitika. With the National Kiwi Centre located here, we make this the first stop. Right on time or the giant eel feeding, which seems to be more of a highlight than the 2 kiwis they house, we check out the place (a bit dinky). After the eels, we are excited to see the kiwis running around in their dark enclosures. The one … Read More
Krazy Kea Along Arthur’s Pass [Day 10]
Today’s adventure began as we left Greymouth and headed south on Highway 6. Eager to get away from the rain, we took a detour towards the center of the island to Arthur’s Pass along Highway 73. Highway 73 is a beautiful drive starting at the coast where the drive is flat, up to the sharp mountainous peaks New Zealand is known for. Clouds seemed like fluffy cotton candy sticking to the alpine trees. Vegetation is green and very lush like … Read More