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| Nelson and Allie on the ferry back to Auckland with Waiheke Island in the background. |
Oh, New Zealand! We now understand. Everyone who we have talked to who has visited New Zealand has nothing but great things to say about the country. They ooo and ahh over it like it’s a magical place. On our 13hr flight to Auckland we said, “I don’t really know what to expect, but I’m excited to see what everyone’s been talking about!”… Now we know. This place is amazing! We love it and we can safely say, even though our time here is far from over, we would recommend this place to anyone! The scenery is beautiful, the people are beyond friendly, and did we mention the scenery is beautiful? We arrived in Auckland on Christmas morning and after a few days of getting adjusted to the time we made our way down the North Island to Wellington, the capital. We then took a 3hr ferry with our car to the South Island. We traveled along the west coast stopping at quaint towns along the way. We also spent a night in Wanaka, a beautiful small town fittingly on Lake Wanaka. Enjoy our pictures! Next up, we ring in 2012 with the kiwis in Queenstown and Nelson goes bungy jumping!
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| Our first holiday treats just a day before Christmas Eve. These were complimentary in the VIP airport lounge in Lima. Merry Christmas to us from Amex. Love that card. |
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| Christmas tree at the SkyCity Casino, connected to our hotel. |
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| The Sky Tower in Auckland next to our hotel. |
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| We took a day trip to Waiheke Island via ferry from Auckland. It was a beautiful place. Everyone was having a holiday at their summer homes on the island. |
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| Nelson with just one of the stunning views on the island. |
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| More stunning views of the beach. |
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| Our hotel in Auckland, the SkyCity Grand Hotel. A Christmas gift from Allie's parents! Thank you! |
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| Our Christmas tree in the lobby |
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| Hmm, somethings different here? |
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| Thanks for the reminder! We keep reminding ourselves when we attempt a right hand turn, "Wide Right!!" |
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| Beautiful rolling green hills... |
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To flat plains with mountains...
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To large, modern cities! This is downtown Wellington, empty due to holidays!
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Wellington Botanical Gardens
Our ferry from North Island to South Island.
The most adorable ketchup bottle you will ever find.
Now Allie, keep your eyes on the road. Ignore the most beautiful blue lake you will ever see.
Beautiful Lake Wanaka... "It looks fake!"
Nelson with Lake Wanaka
More beautiful Lake
Allie with the lake. Awesome stones for skipping!
Our shadows love that the sun sets at 10pm and rises at 5am! Talk about fitting a lot in the day!
Allie and Nelson at Lake Wanaka
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Words like, spectacular, natural beauty, God's Country come to mind.
ReplyDeleteThe colors are brilliant and vibrant from the lakes, to the flowers to the rolling green meadows. And did I mention how fabulously happy you both look?
Glad the hotel did not disappoint, your Father sure can pick 'em :)
I bet JoAnne will love the ketchup bottle, too cute. How can the people not be friendly living in such a beautiful landscaped paradise. I just can't get over how beautiful the lake is! I bet Angela and Frank will like the shout out to AMEX:)
Lake Wanaka does look fake! Wow!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
The pictures are great. They really depict how beautiful the country is. You both look like you are enjoying and that is what it's all about. Can't wait to see the bungy jump and to hear about the NZ wines :)
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