February 2004 Archives

NZ: heading home

On top of the bottom of the world

My Mac battery is fried, my ethernet cable only holds a connection if propped by three coasters at exactly the right position, my 28-105 lens has a smashed filter ring on the front (pried off the glass so I could keep shooting), and my waterproof binocs leak. This has been a hard trip on gear.

R and I agree that the best day and the worst day in NZ were the same day - the day we hiked in the southland that ended with his broken ankle. The scenery haunts my memories. I didn't get enough of this country.

There are people, places and things we miss, and we are heading home. But we will be back, and I hope it's soon.

Posted by AT on February 3, 2004 3:09 PM |

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Tying up, or simply at, loose ends

Paihia cafe scenery

We leave behind a stool just like this one, purchased on my first unsupervised outing driving on the "wrong" side of the road. R needed it to shower when we came back from the South Island. Now it serves many purposes: coffee table on the deck, elevates the laundry basket while we hang the clothes on the line. Effie washed the windows standing on it. She used it, a bucket and a flat netball as a target when we had driving lessons. Effie promises to send me a picture of her drivers license when she gets it at Easter.

90+ kilos of gear

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Posted by AT on February 2, 2004 3:10 PM |

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NZ: Better than it has to be

Completely touristy, but we don't have time to do the Bay of Islands any other way. We set off in a drenching, Houstonian rain across the Auckland Bridge, and it dumped on us continuously for the next 3 hours. Confirmed our reservations for the tour to the very tip of the North Island the next day, and took a nap.

Our 4x4 Izusu bus. We took on passengers when the company's other craft, a Mercedes, lost its AC.

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Posted by AT on February 1, 2004 11:20 PM |

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