sweet as

hey'all! yes, i am a bad, bad friend ... i've stayed offline for most of my journey thus far .... but i must admit that it's been a rather refreshing change. anyway, i did manage to post some pics on facebook, and a picture says a thousand words, right?! ;)

i've had a blast in New Zealand though, and will now attempt to update ye on some of my adventures to date:

my first week was spent in and around Christchurch catching up with my sis and Andrew. this was a nice relaxing start to my vacation (can i still call it a vacation when i've been traveling most of the year?! i'm not sure about that (would you believe in heaven if heaven was all you had?)) anywho, Carrie is doing really well (i've never seen her so happy, in fact) and regular baby kicks remind us all that there's another person in the room who wants some attention too!

next i ventured into the countryside to spend a short week out at Andrew's family's sheep farm and to spend time with his (and my new) family. being a city boy, there were plenty of new experiences to be had, include corralling sheep and cows, driving ATVs and tractors, and a lot of opening and closing of paddock gates! (i now consider myself an expert at the latter)

family catch-ups complete, i began my exploration of the country with a tour of the south island. instead of hiring a car or taking individual buses and planning each day out myself, i decided to put the grunt work in someone else's hands and book one of those hop-on hop-off bus tours. two weeks in, i don't regret that decision at all. i've met some great people and did most of the south island circuit with the same cool group (a nice mix of young irish, brits, and canadians)

highlights of the south island tour included:

• swimming with wild seals in Kaikoura (they were so inquisitive and cute ... came within inches of me on multiple occasions!)
• sea kayaking and tramping in Abel Tasman national park
• spending a day walking around and exploring the Franz Josef glacier (i couldn't believe the access we had: the guide took us into tight crevasses and everything!)
• jumping out of a plane from 12,000 feet and living to tell the story (i've wanted to do this for quite some time, and wasn't disappointed in the least ... the smile didn't fade from my face for days!)
• relaxing and partying in the beautiful towns of Wanaka and Queenstown (i'm going back with the family after Christmas)

overall, i've been extremely fortunate: great people, wonderful adventures, and (dare i rub it in) beautiful summer weather! :)

yesterday i took the ferry to the north island and am currently spending a bit of down time (from the rigors of bus travel) in the lovely city of Wellington. next is a trip to Auckland, where i'll hop on a bus tour to further explore the north.

well that's my four dollars worth (everything, including internet access, is rather pricey here.) there are more facebook pics to come when i get back to Christchurch for Christmas (that's alotta Christ, eh?!) and i'll try to blog more in the meantime.

love you!