Anthony and Casey's Totally Epic New Zealand Adventure!

Week of 6-Apr:
We departed NZ and arrived home in MN all on the same day. After 29 hours of travel, it was nice to be home!!

In summary, this trip fundamentally changed Anthony and I's relationship. We are twice the team we were before we left. It's so powerful what a stress-free environment and quality time can do. We will remember this forever and turn to it when we start to lose perspective, as a way to reground ourselves. I love you, Anthony!!

Week of 30-Mar:
Pic 1: An Escape van

We are back in Orewa. We just love it here. We go to our free internet spot, workout at the Leisure Center, see Annette and family, do laundry, etc. It's hard to believe we are preparing to head home to the US. The time has truly flown. I think we did our best to enjoy every day and to make sure we didn't take it for granted, but then also take it for granted a bit. A good mix of, just living our life and can you believe this is our life?! We are of course excited to go home and see our friends and family, but sad to leave this amazing place, filled with beauty and magic. I can say, without a doubt, that Kiwis are the nicest most genuinely welcoming people I have ever met. They are never in too much of a hurry to stop and chat FOREVER with you and they can't leave without giving you their number with an invitation for tea (dinner) or a place to crash.

I finally took a picture of an Escape van. Those and the Wicked vans are all painted up. The Wicked vans are odd, on the back of them they have some random saying and the sides are spray-painted with jacked up stuff. The last one I saw said something like, "I am not suffering from insanity, I am enjoying it." I hope we see one more, so I can get a pic before we leave. :)

We are going to a RUGBY game on Sunday. We are super stoked. We don't get how it is played at all, but we are ready to drink and eat with the best of them!!  Har-har!

Pic 1: Trash Pick-Up project! -- Pic 2: 4 black garbage bags, 4 cow feed bags, 2 Ironman bags, 4 plastic grocery bags and 1 cone later!!


Anthony came up with a genius way to give back to New Zealand!! A trash pick-up project. He saw at least a 12 pack of bottles during one stretch of his bike ride by Kai Iwi lakes and pop there was the brilliant idea. So, we decided to pick-up the whole road (both sides). Well, we spent 5 hours traversing the road and only got a little over 10K (5K out and 5K back, unfortunately the road is 10K out and 10K back - guess we have a reason to come back some day!). There was so much trash! We filled 4 huge garbage bags, then got 4 cow feed bags from a kind farmer who spotted us on his tractor and asked if could contribute bags...we were thinking trash bags, but the cow feed bags were WAY better, they are thicker and a wee bit smaller, so no glass pokes through and scrapes your legs and it doesn't get as heavy to carry when it is getting full...we also filled two Ironman transition bags, and then 4 plastic grocery bags. We also found a discarded cone in a ditch. It was a grueling activity, but super fun to do together. We found two shoes, not a match though, two pairs of boxers and one pair of underwear, a pair of shorts, two pairs of socks, a bar of soap, three dirty diapers, more beverage bottles and cans then one could count, parts to a vacuum cleaner, a scarf, lots of tapes and a couple CDs and lots and lots of other icky, gross and disgusting stuff!!! No one may even notice, but we thought that 5K stretch looked immaculate! :)

Pic 1: On a run to Manganui Bluff - cool plants-- Pic 2: Lake Taharoa


Pic 1: Sites all along the track -- Pic 2: I just LOVE pine trees


Pic 1: My first and only stair workout in NZ! -- Pic 2: I came within a couple feet of the "moo cows" as I call them. I talk to them as I go by..."Nice moo cow"


Pic 1: I couldn't find the bluff, but I ran into the ocean, which was cool enough for me!


Pic 1: Lake Taharoa, where we camped -- Pic 2: Anthony running towards the park


Pic 1: The park entrance -- Pic 2: View from our campsite - that's Anthony reading on the beach!

I hope the scenery shots aren't too redundant, as I am constantly amazed by it, I keep taking photos. We camped at Kai Iwi lakes a couple nights. It was by far the best lake we have swam in - crystal clear for many, many feet. It had a nice buoy line to follow and was fairly quiet. It was heavenly.

Pic 1: Dirt track races at Waikaraka Speedway -- Pic 2: My favorite Wendy car



After our tour of the north part of the North Isle, we of course headed back to our favorite area, Orewa Beach. We hung out with Annette, Allan and Nicholas again. They hosted at their house and we brought dinner. :) It was so hard to say goodbye! 

Our final days in New Zealand we spent in Auckland.  On Saturday night we went to the dirt track races. They were so RAD! They had all different types of stockcars and saloons. Some of them I had never seen before. It was COOL! I had a freaking blast! I was rooting for the Wendy car, because the driver was amazing. He moved up 8 places over the course of the race. Unbelievable! He might not have liked it, but I kept cheering, "Go Wendy!!". :)

Pic 1 & 2: NZ Warriors play the Aussie Rabbitohs in Rugby at Mt. Smart stadium



On Sunday we went to a Rugby game!! We didn't understand any of it, but we had a ton of fun regardless. Those guys are brutes! Oh and they have a dance team/cheerleaders. They were horrible!! EP Dance team would have put them to shame. ;)

Week of 23-Mar:
Pic 1: Sunset in Paihia -- Sunrise in Paihia


Pic 1: We went on a kayak tour in Paihia -- Pic 2: Kayaking in the Mangrove forest


Pic 1: Quick stop by Haruru Falls for tea and biscuits -- Pic 2: Us!


Pic 1: Living the high life -- Pic 2: Paddling into the waterfall


Pic 1: Where we had dinner after a fun day of kayaking


We really enjoyed Paihia. The weather was perfect there. We spent one half-day doing a cool hike/run on the Opua track. Another half-day we spent on the ocean kayaking with a tour. There was just us, an English couple and the guide (who was from Canada and sounded and looked exactly like Seth Rogan, but was named Kent!). We kayaked through the Mangrove trees. They are a cool tree...you should read up more about them! We then paddled toward Haruru Falls. We took a little break and then proceeded to launch our kayaks into the flowing waterfall. You put the nose in and then the pressure pushes you back out. It was exhilarating and wet. That night we went to dinner on this cool beached boat called the Sugarboat. We had delicious fish dishes. The decor was super funky. We really liked it.

Pic 1: The sand dunes in Opononi -- Pic 2: Tane Mahuta, New Zealand's largest Kauri tree (168 ft high, 46 ft girth and a volume of 8,635 cubic feet)

Pic 1: Our campground in Kaihu -- Pic 2: The Barbie!


Pic 1 & 2: Trounson Kauri Park


After Whangarei we headed to the Kauri Coast. A long the way we stopped and saw some beautiful areas. We finally hunkered down in Kaihu for a bit and then moved on to Kai Iwi Lakes.  For the last week we haven't even had access to internet! We have been in the middle of nowhere.

Week of 16-Mar:
Pic 1: At Shakespear Park - our new friend -- Pic 2: Watching the sun rise on an early morning run


Pic 1: The terrain at Shakespear Park -- Pic 2: Looking down at where we camped


Pic 1: Low bridge! -- Pic 2: An hour after watching the sunrise, it clouded over!


Back to Orewa. We are still recovering from Ironman, so we just do little workouts here and there. We got to see Annette, Allan and Nicholas for dinner one night. We grabbed some greasy fish and chips and ate dinner by the ocean. They were funny as ever and we are looking forward to seeing them again before we leave. :)

Pic 1: Going for walk in the Parahaki Scenic Reserve in Whangarei -- Pic 2: A cave we were both too scared to go into

Pic 1: View from the top -- Pic 2: Us again. :)


Pic 1: Our campsite in Whangarei, great views and no neighbours! -- Pic 2: At the top of Mt. Manaia


Pic 1 & 2: More on the top of Mt. Manaia


We decided to head up the north coast to Whangarei. We really dug the campground there. Went hiking and swam/lifted at the local aquatics center. Cute area.

Week of 9-Mar:
Pic 1: Tree huggers -- Pic 2: Walking in the Redwood Forest


Pic 1: Hydro-Zorbing! -- Pic 2: The zorb close-up. That's me inside!


Pic 1:Mocking the camera guy, we re-enacted it for Anthony -- Pic 2: Whakarewarewa Thermal Area


Pic 1: Anthony's steaming mad here...don't be deceived by the smile! ;) -- Pic 2: Sarah W got me that cute TYR top. Thanks Sarah!


Pic 1 & 2: More thermal pools


Pic 1: Click for bigger version to read. This was the coolest part of the walk. -- Pic 2: Tanya on our walk


Pic 1: So many stairs...so cruel right after IM! -- Pic 2: If I had a memory like Scott's I could tell you all about this cool rock (but it's not rock) formation


After the Ironman, Tanya joined us for a week of vacation. We started by heading to one of our favorite spots, Blue Lake (near Rotorura). We did a long walk in the Redwood forest and took my friend Jodi's advice about trying zorbing. It was super fun!! We also walked through the Whakarewarewa Thermal area. It was very steamy. :) Tanya is camping for the first time by herself. She even set up the tent! So cool!

Pic 1: Up, up and away! -- Pic 2: The "false" lookout aka, the lookout before the lookout


Pic 1: This hike was rooty and technical. -- Pic 2: We's like spider monkeys! -- Pic 3: Time to "rock" climb


Pic 1:This was my favorite part -- Pic 2: Almost there!


Pic 1: View from the real lookout -- Pic 2: We made it!


Pic 1: Scaring Anthony! -- Pic 2: Like you could get enough pics of us! -- Pic 3: Perfect day


Pic 1 & 2: Lounging in the sun


Pic 1: Tanya making her delicious omelets -- Pic 2: After a hearty meal, we decided to go out!


Pic 1: Deliberating over the vastness of greasy, tasty items -- Pic 2: Mmm....sundaes and fries!


We got to Te Awamutu and spent the night at a little holiday park. It was cheap and clean! That area is beautiful. We hiked up Mt. Pironigia and made it to the false summit. We would have gone further but it has been just a couple days since Ironman and we wanted to be smart. We ate a good meal when returned and then went out on the town, except there were no people in the town. The bar we went to was giving us first and last call at 10 PM! So, we decided to make a run for the border...no...we decided to have it our way....no....we decided that we were lovin' it and grabbed some golden arches. We had to walk through the drive-thru, but oddly we were not alone. Someyoungboys were doing the walk-thru too. :)

Pic 1 & 2: Waiau Falls -- Pic 3: That's where we are heading, to the tip of Castle Rock!


Pic 1: Peaking at Castle Rock -- Pic 2: The cutest guy I know! -- Pic 2: Saving Tanya! :)


Pic 1: We made it down safely -- Pic 2: Celebrating St. Pattie's day just a wee bit early!


Pic 1: Tough guys -- Pic 2: So happy together!


From Te Awamutu, we headed up to Coromandel.  When we got in we did some shopping. It's an artsy town and very quaint. The following day we planned on hiking quite a bit, but it was raining, so we did computer stuff and read. Then we were itching to get outside, so we went hiking anyway. Luckily it was only misting. Afterward we went out to celebrate a fun week together.

Week of 2-Mar:
Pic 1: Transition area -- Pic 2: After the pre-race dinner

It's Ironman week. We got to Taupo on Tuesday in time to ride part of the course. Here are some pics (thanks Tanya!) of Ironman. Will write more later.

Pic 1: Tanya excited to munch her Golden Graham Treat! -- Pic 2: IMNZ Completed


Pic 1: Ironman number 7 for me and 9 for Anthony! -- Pic 2: Back to watch the final finishers


Pic 1: The Finish -- Pic 2: Dancing and singing the last people in


Pic 1: Awards Banquet (Annette and Us)


Ironman is over. Both Anthony and I went into the race feeling trained but not PR trained. I know that sounds crazy because we have had so much free time, but it just wasn't the point of this trip. We spend our lives working hard, both professionally and athletically. Sometimes these journeys are to excel at sport and sometimes they are to relax, unwind, enjoy each other and see the world. So, with that, we thoroughly enjoyed Ironman. We met nice people, did mini workouts and rested the week leading up. We saw all our favorite people from the Hibiscus Coast Tri Club - Annette (with Nicholas and Allan), Jo, Alli, Ian....didn't see Pam, though I heard she was there cheering on race day. We also saw Tanya, from MN, and her friends from Michigan, Sandy and Jon and her other friend from Colorado, Lauren. We all went out for yummy Thai one night.

The cool part of race day, wasn't the course or the speed, but the spectators. They were AMAZING! They all cheer for everyone, not just who they came to watch. They read out your name and they really cheer for you. You couldn't help but float through parts of the run. The swim is an awesome one-loop swim in crystal clear water. The bike is a relatively flat course with a semi-rough surface (chip seal). The run is a stunning, mildly hilly route along the lake. NZIM is the only IM Mike Reilly announces outside of the North American ones. That was a neat addition. Anthony had an amazing PR in the swim, a solid bike and a sub-par run. I had an average swim, slower bike and average run. The best part was seeing all our friends on the course or cheering on the sides. Tanya finished right after me. She had a fantastic race day. Her goal was to enjoy it and she sure did! Annette conquered the bike but got a stomachache on the run that slowed her down, but didn't stop her determination. The bestest part was when I finished. Anthony was there to put my medal on me and he had figured out where the streaming video camera was, so we turned and waved to our families. :) After soaking our legs and taking a Polish bath we met Tanya for some food and then headed to the finish line with Tanya, Sandy and Jon. It's always a moving event to watch the final finishers. The oldest competitor (72 (or 73) years old, ) finished just 4 minutes after the cut-off. :( We still cheered him in, but it won't count officially. We are so glad that we participated in the 25th Anniversary New Zealand Ironman. What an awesome event!

Week of 23-Feb:
Pic 1: My Magnum PI -- Pic 2: Hanmer Springs Hot Pools


Pic 1: The lap pool we swam in before spending time in the thermal pools


From Mt Somers we traversed the country-side in search of the sun. We couldn't find it at first, but we substituted it with hot pools. They were fantastic. The complex had a lap pool that we utilized before enjoying the thermal pools. We have been free camping a lot lately. With our rechargeable battery (as we travel it recharges), we don't really need to plug in for much (just microwave and computers). Plus, we find the most beautiful spots to camp for the night. We are getting tired of the rain, but just know that sun is around the corner soon!

Pic 1: Drinking a beer at the Strawberry Cafe (Irish pub) in Kaikoura -- Pic 2: Fresh Crayfish at a roadside stand. Yummy!


Pic 1: Heading out of Kaikoura on their main road. -- Pic 2:  Seal Colony right outside Kaikoura


We stayed at a great Top 10 Campground in Kaikoura. They show a movie every night! We biked, ran, lifted and swam in Kaikoura. It was a great town. One day we went into a second hand bookstore and each picked out a book for each other to read. It was Anthony's great idea. I just finished mine and it was different from anything I have read before. We also stopped at a road side stand for a fresh crayfish lunch. We had never had it before. It was good but I wasn't wowed. On our way out of Kaikoura, we literally ran into wildlife. The cows had the right of way on the major road of Highway 1. Then we stopped at Ohau Beach to watch the Fur Seals. If you can see, in the small pool in the rocks were baby seals goofing around, while their parents slept.

Pic 1: Sunset from our free camping spot in Picton

This is our last pic from the south island of New Zealand. We are heading north towards the big IM. We are sad to go, but really enjoyed every minute of it! The ferry back to Wellington was uneventful. We watched the worst movie ever...The Day the Earth Stood Still. I really dislike movies with Keanu Reeves (except Matrix). He is so bad, but Anthony made me watch it with him. Ack! It was awful.

Pic 1: Relay for Life in Masterton -- Pic 2: Eating ice cream with an ocean view in Napier


Pic 1: Late in the day in Napier -- Pic 2: A really big Charlie Brown Christmas Tree


Pic 1: More pics of us! :) -- Pic 2: The lumber shipping yard


Pic 1: Train cargo -- Pic 2: Too much time together!


Pic 1: We do cartwheels everywhere, keeps us young! -- Pic 2: Sunset from on top of the bluff domain in Napier


On our way back to Taupo (where the IM race is held), we decided to take the east coast route. It is known for its wineries. We stopped first in Masterton. We ended up spending time watching the Relay for Life teams as they ran circles around a park. They raise money for cancer and see how many laps they can accomplish in 18 hours. People had tents all set-up and some were clearly racing the event. It was interesting that we ran into the event on the day I found out my grandfather has lung cancer. It started as pneumonia, but it didn't go away. They hypothesis that his melanoma cancer cells attacked his weakened lungs when he had pneumonia. Who knows. Whatever the cause, it is devastating. My grandpa is otherwise "fit as an ox" he can hear, see and tells great stories. He just recently retired from working a couple years ago. Luckily he has made it to at least 86 years with all his nine children and wife still around. That's no easy feat. Well, I love him a lot and I can't wait to see him when I get back to the States.

After a couple days in Middleton we drove on to Napier. It's a happening town. The sister city to Santa Monica. Full of flowers, fountains and art deco. We really liked it there. Super charming and had a great pool. We loved free camping here, such beautiful spots right on the ocean. People would pay hundreds to be 15 feet from the lapping shores. It lulled us to sleep at night. We love the ice cream here because it is yummy and amazingly cheap - $1.75 USD or so for 1 litre. The container is too big to fit in our tiny refrig, so we have to eat half of it and repackage the rest in a tupperware container. :)



Week of 16-Feb:
Pic 1: Coronet Peak
 

Back to Queenstown because we like it so much. More cheap movies and great rides. On the way out to Arrowtown, Anthony found this great climb up Coronet Peak. Then we did a little flat out to Arrowtown and back. Life is awesome! Days pass so quickly. This morning we went to yoga.

The lack of stress is wonderful. Now we head for Twizel.

Pic 1: Eating breakfast at Lake Middleton (near Twizel) -- Pic 2: Our favourite campsite


Pic 1: The start of a very hard run for me! -- The view on the run...looking towards Mt. Cook National Park


We found this campground about 10K south of Twizel. It was awesome! You could really pick anywhere to park. There was no assigned camping spots. So, we parked as close to the water as possible! It's definitely our favorite spot so far. We did a long run while we were there and Anthony swam in the Lake. It was only 1/3 a mile across. A perfect distance. WE have been reading a lot lately. Anthony has polished of nearly six books and I have read and re-read many.

Pic 1: Twizel, on Lake Ruataniwha, has a world class international rowing facility. There was a regetta when we were there. -- Pic 2: Where's my boat?


Pic 1: Feeding the salmon at Mt. Cook Salmon Farm -- Pic 2: Anthony trying to get them to do tricks for us
 

Pic 1: I just got us a fresh whole half salmon for $10 NZD. I am such a bargainer! -- Pic 2: I couldn't capture the color of Lake Tekapo, it was stunning! So blue/green!


On our way to Mt. Somers, we stopped in Twizel to check out the regatta. Apparently, an olympic rower from NZ was bopping around town. I was hoping to run into him and drool. Never spotted him though, good thing he is on the cover of our Weet-Bix box, so I can admire him everyday. Yes folks, I said Weet-bix, we are eating the competition. Nestle cereals here are few and Uncle Tobys is just oats. So...sorry GM. After rowing, we stopped at a salmon farm to pick up a yummy fresh slab of salmon! As you can see in the left hand corner, they were closed, but they let us in anyway. We asked lots of questions about raising salmon and the guy said we seemed so interested we could go feed the salmon for free (this lively excursion is usually $3 NZD per person). It was a rainy, crappy day and the fish were so excited to see us! They put on a good show. We feed them stinky food and they danced all around. It was good, clean fun. Plus, we walked a way with a huge piece of salmon for dinner. Yay!

Pic 1: Out on a nearly 5 hour ride in Mt. Somers -- Pic 2: Me trusty companion


Pic 1: I took this picture for Kaia....I was heading towards Rakaia. -- Pic 2: Some of our first flat road biking. It was glorious!


Pic 1: Leaving Mt Somers on a yucky day! -- Pic 2: Our campground in Mt Somers


We had an awesome day of biking in Mt Somers. We started riding toward the mountains, but we got all wet, so we turned around and head out toward Rakaia and we dried right up in the shining sun. They have great flat roads there. After our ride we went across the street to the local tavern for a pitcher. We played cribbage and listened to the locals talk about jugs, but not the kind of jugs you would imagine being discussed in a pub, had something to do with their job. Still made us laugh every time they said it!

Week of 9-Feb:
Pic 1 & 2: Driving down to Queenstown

Pic 1: My most favourite bike ride! Here come lots of pics. Pic 2: Can you see the sailboat? Lake Wakatipu is HUGE.

Pic 1 & 2: More pics from the ride

Pic 1: Guess who I ran into out on the road.-- Pic 2: The landscape was so diverse. Doesn't this make you want to hike!? 

Pic 1: Moving the cows. See that post in the middle of them? That's we had just been!-- Pic 2: The water is very green.


Pic 1 & 2: More pics from the ride


Pic 1: Walking around Queenstown


I didn't want to like Queenstown, because it is everybody's favourite place in NZ, known for it's extreme sports. Driving in I decided it was too commercialized and it is, yet, it can get away with it because it has so much to offer. First off, the ride from Queenstown to Glenorchy was extremely beautiful. It's all along Lake Wakatipu with mountain ranges in the background. Second, they have a running trail that, as far as we can tell, runs nearly all around the lake. Every where we go the Kiwis thought to put walking tracks all along their lakes. At home, it would be all private property with homes lining it, but that's not how they do it here. The town centre has a Pedestrian Mall, which I of course love, because of my time in Iowa City. We found a cute Thai restaurant and celebrated V-day a little early. This is our second time eating out. We cook all our meals in the campervan or on the holiday park grill. It's sweet. We tried out the local gym. We lifted some weights and the went to a class that was a mix of yoga, pilates and Tai Chi (sp?). Anthony did great, I was a bit bored, but it felt good to stretch out. The place we are staying is a 2 min walk to the grocery store and 3 min walk to the movie place. On Mondays they rent older movies for $1 NZD, that's not even $0.60 USD! We decided to rewatch Lord of the Rings, they only had 2 & 3, so now we need to see 1 before we return home.

The campervan's front brakes has been making noises for a while. With all the up and down, they get heavily used. So, we brought them into get fixed. While they were fixing them, we went for a long run along the lake. Everything is so easy when you have time to do it all.

Pic 1: Starting our hike to Luxmore hut -- Pic 2: Getting closer tot he top


Pic 1: View from Luxmore Hut -- Pic 2: Time to eat!


Pic 1: What a great day for hiking! -- Pic 2: The rainforest


Pic 1: Going out after our long day of hiking to watch a live band


After Queenstown we drove to Te Anau. It's near the Fiordland National Park. The day we got there it was a balmy 55 degrees (F). The next day was also cold. We got in a swim at their local pool, which we had all to ourselves! We set out on our hike the following day, which was the most beautiful day there so far. It was nice and warm and sunny. We did a nearly 24 mile hike/jog. We started in town and ran to Luxmore hut. There are a series of 3 huts on that particular track. We ran into some people who were doing the whole thing. I think it was a total of 60K for them. I had never seen a mountain hut before. I hope we do that kind of camping some day, pretty sweet set-up. We got home and soaked our legs in the lake and then got ready to see a live band. We went to a bar called The Ranch. The place was packed and the people there love to dance. It was super fun. We ran into a couple of girls we met at our holiday park - Elisha and Caitlyn - they were crazy fun plus two peeps from Holland. They were picture happy, so I hope I can track them down on facebook and get a couple photos.

Week of 2-Feb:
Pic 1: Steve in the red boat -- Pic 2: Gloria walking on the beach


Pic 1: Boat ride!! -- Pic 2: Anthony and Gloria

Pic 1: Lochmara Lodge (only accessible by boat) -- Pic 2 & 3: Rope swing!

We made more friends! Steve and Gloria are our camp mates. They started talking to us when we returned from our respective five (Casey) and six hour (Anthony) bike rides. We were slightly delirious, but they were so fun that we chatted a while. They are from South Africa and just moved to NZ a couple months ago. They have been traveling around the island deciding where they want to live. In fact, they already own a car, boat, 3 room tent and a home (that they move into in a couple weeks)! They have started looking for jobs and will have no problem making friends! A couple of their kids live here and the other is in the UK. They offered to give us a boat ride around the Sounds the next day. We were all over that....boat and cabin kids that we are. :)

Steve and Gloria took us all over! We stopped at campsites along the shoreline and did a short hike. They took us to the Lochmara Lodge and we had some tea and delicious brownies. They told us all about South Africa. The crime and corruption sounds horrible, but the scenery beautiful. They both own their own companies. Steve is an electrician and Gloria a principal. They told us a story about how one of Steve's workers stole two million rand from him. They took it to court, but has been two years and nothing has happened yet. They say people pay the police or other officials to lose files or evidence. Then the person gets off. Part of their file went missing, but they had made copies of everything. Gloria said at night women don't stop at stop lights. They only slow down to see if traffic is coming. Otherwise, they risk getting jumped....in their car! Security systems are a must. No one has mailboxes anymore, because people steal everything, even manhole covers. They sell them for scrap metal. When Gloria worked out in the garden she wore an alarm button around her neck. Wow! Quite a change moving from there to New Zealand! I am so proud of them for selling it all and moving here. No doubt it's a lot of work, but with their kids here I am sure it is the right move! We hope to see them on our way back through Picton

Pic 1: Forest fire in Nelson -- Pic 2 & 3: The helicopter with its bucket on the ground and in the air. There were a dozen or so putting out the fire.

Pic 1: A walk on the beach with a bottle of wine! -- Pic 2: Sunset

Pic 1: Where we ran -- Pic 2: Anthony coming into view -- Pic 3: Picture break at 1:45 into the run

We stayed one night in Nelson. It's an OK town. The biggest excitement was a forest fire right behind the town. Cars and people lined the street to watch. We used their local pool/gym and then kept on going. We drove all the way to Westport. It's gorgeous here. We did a 2 hour long run on the beach, ate lunch outside, read and are now working on our computers. IM training is going. We are definitely not stressing over getting our workouts in. I did more training while working! We are enjoying everyday.

Pic 1: Wayside rest, just like the ones off 35W :) -- Pic 2: Road block. Yikes!


Pic 1: Sunset in Wanaka -- Pic 2: Another photo of me trying to keep my eye open. :)


We drove from Westport, on a rainy day, all the way to Wanaka. Rest day from working out and crappy out, is that not the best time to drive multiple hours!? Totally. :) The road was crazy curvy and came with stunning views and wild road blocks. Anthony drove. That way we both don't have to be scared for our lives. :) We went to Wanaka because Gordo's blog mentioned stopping here during an Epic Camp. Well, it was beautiful but incredibly windy. We nearly got blown off our bikes. While running, I would shift multiple inches when both my feet off the ground. It was super fun though. I love being blown around...just not on race day.

I guess I was in a big hurry to leave Wanaka, because I pulled away before I unplugged the campervan. Needless to say, the cord did not win. Whoops! I carried the sad looking orange cord into the electrician and they fixed it right up. No biggie. I had pulled out clean and we only lost a foot or two of length. You would think that after 3 months traveling the US in the camper, I would have been smarter than that. Must be the Tim Casey gene....LOVE YOU DAD! :) During the fix we ran to the pool and then ran back....it worked out perfectly. People are nice, honest, helpful and genuine. I could definitely live here. 

Week of 26-Jan:
Pic 1: We are trying to take a picture of us everyday for 70 odd days. Yikes! :) -- Pic 2: Breakfast in bed

Pic 1: Running in the Redwood forest -- Pic 2: The trail


We went for a long run in the Redwood Forest near Rotorua. It was gorgeous and very tough running (especially with a broken toe). Anthony was so exhausted when he got back, he immediately took a nap. :)

Pic 1: On our way to Tongariro National Park -- Pic 2: View out our back door in Okahune

Pic 1: Cooking some OEP! -- Pic 2: Us of course!

We were heading to Wellington but I had the urge to stop in Tongariro National Park. Of course Anthony was game, he is so easy like that! I could see on the map a road that looked good for biking and brought you to a ski chalet. It was up for at least 10 miles. I couldn't wait!

Pic 1: Starting the road up to Mount Ruapehu -- Pic 2: And up

Pic 1: At the top, looking up -- Pic 2: At the top, looking down

Pic 1: The road down -- Pic 2: I thought this was a good shot of my armpit. How often does it get to be the focus? Never. Face shmace. :)

The ride was amazing! Hardly any cars, beautiful and tough! Anthony got cruising before me. I started later in the day because I wanted to get some pics up on the website. I was getting some pressure from the family. :) I even got to Skype with Mike. After the ride, Anthony and I walked to the grocery store. We made the best burgers ever! We decided that the night was still young and went out to party at the local pub. We meet the 10 people who were in there. Two bartenders (Leroy and Billy), two bartenders who were off (Holly and Jo) and the six or so contractor guys who were keeping the place open. They were a fun bunch and we hung out to the wee hours of the morning.

Pic 1: Wellington from the Inter-Island Ferry -- Pic 2: Coming into Picton

Pic 1: Glad to leave clouds and arrive to sun -- Pic 2: Start your engines! Waiting to get off the ferry


Pic 1:Anthony at one of many "scenic lookouts" -- Pic 2: Our view from our campsite

On our way to catch a ferry. Time to head to the South Isle. We caught the ferry in Wellington and it took us to Picton. Right near Picton is an area called Marlborough Sound. It's stunning. The road is great for riding and we are parked on the water. It's perfect.



Week of 19-Jan:
Pic 1: Walking on the beach in Orewa -- Pic 2: Chillin' in the campervan (hope you like the yellow jacket, I have it on in nearly every picture!)

Anthony arrives! I drove to the campervan place and had them pick up Anthony. There was not a chance that I was going to drive around the airport and look for him and avoid getting someone and their vehicle, myself and my vehicle and anything else from getting severely injured. I am feeling much more confident now, but why risk it!? I rode with the driver to pick him up and I was so excited to see him. We got him back, unpacked his bike, to care of some things and we were on our way. I wanted to take him back to Orewa so that he could meet the tri club. Plus, they do a Tuesday night swim from Stanmore Bay and a Wednesday night run from Red Beach Surf Club. We participated in both! After the run on Wednesday, we headed up to the Red Beach Surf Club to have a beer with our new friends.

Pic 1: On the way to Rotorua -- Pic 2: A forest and cars on the "wrong" side of the rode.

Pic 1: Blue Lake south of Rotorua -- Pic 2: Reading by the lake


Pic 1: Our "swimming pool" -- Pic 2: A barbie


Pic 1: Before the triathlon -- Pic 2: Transition -- Pic 3: All done!


Blue Lake is awesome! They have bouys (pronounced boys here) all along the lake where boats and jet skis can't go. It's parceled off for swimmers and kayakers. The water is super clear and very blue. ;) The riding around here is very hard. Lots and lots of hills and climbing. You can run around the lake on a trail that is 5.5k long. Perfect! I even met a gal out riding, Ashley, both her parents had done Ironman (mom 11 times and dad 8 times, or something!). Ashley was a great biker and if she ever does IM will kick booty. We happened to be there on a weekend when there was a triathlon! I had broken my toe and couldn't race, but Anthony was all over it. He did awesome. We love being around sporty folks.

Week of 12-Jan:
Pic 1: Packing for NZ - Pic 2: The flooding in Fiji

With the help of Mike and Donna, I actually made it to the airport in one piece and with luggage that weighed the acceptable amount. :) I left Minnesota on Saturday and arrived in New Zealand on Monday, 13-Jan. Anthony had a national sales meeting that week and was arriving 6 days after me. The journey was long but eventful. On the plan ride to LAX I just happened to be sitting next to a General Mills employee on his way to both Australia and New Zealand to look into Mergers & Acquisitions. What a cool job. We chatted for a lot of the ride. My LAX to Fiji leg was delayed by over an hour. The 10 hour flight from LAX to Fiji was LONG. I worked, slept and ate. When I got off in Fiji, I met a woman named Elizabeth, from Australia. She had seen me doing yoga on the plan to stretch out and my IM tag on my bag. We talked about sport, jobs and life. She was an elite member, so she brought me into the air conditioned lounge. It was sweet! Fiji is incredibly humid and was getting major flooding while we were there. My flight from there to NZ was also delayed by an hour. I finally arrived in NZ around 2 PM on Monday.

Pic 1: Inside the campervan facing the rear -- Pic 2: Facing the front
 

Pic 1: Outside the campervan -- Pic 2: Outside looking in

Pic 1: Stop one - Orewa Beach -- Pic 2: View from campervan


 I called the campervan place and they came and picked me up. I immediately bombarded him with questions about driving on the left and manual. I tried to sound casual about the manual part. I mean, I didn't want them to think I had only done it a couple of times! Kiwis have the strange rule that if you are turning left and the person coming at you is turning right, the person turning right has the right of way. Good to know!! After putting the bike together and semi unpacking, I took off. Sort of. I drove 2K to the grocery store. By the time I got there I was sweating bullets and had to take a break. I got some sustenance and let my body recharge. I had high hopes that I just needed to get to the "highway" and I wouldn't have to worry so much about shifting. WRONG! I literally spent the next 2 hours of my life petrified. There were so many roundabouts, stoplights and hills that I nearly had a mental breakdown. The first campground I got to was full. I started crying. Then as I was pulling out of the parking lot, I had to stop at a stop-sign on this massive hill and someone had pulled up RIGHT behind me. I killed the car twice before I made it out. Luckily I hadn't rolled back. I was using Garmin to take me everywhere. She led me astray on the next campground and we couldn't find it. So, on to the third. Which ended up being a haven. I parked it and didn't intend to move until Anthony arrived.

Pic 1: My new tri friends (L2R: Pam, Billy, Cheryl, Wayne, n/a, n/a, n/a, Nick, Allan, Annette, Suzy)-- Pic 2: Biking from Silverdale (L2R: Nick, Christine, Annette, Jo)


On Friday I went for a walk and ran into Annette in a car port (parking lot) she was just removing her bike from the boot (trunk) and I asked her where she rides. Come to find out she is also training for Ironman! She is a total sweetheart. She told me all about the tri club and their events. As I stood there looking eager, she asked if I wanted to join them for a couple swims and a ride. I was so excited! She picked me up Sat at 7 AM. She brought me to Manly Bay and I met a bunch of the Hibiscus Tri Club members. After the hour swim we picked up Allan, Annette's husband, and met the tri group for coffee. We were there over 3 hours or so! It was so fun. Most of them had just done a half-ironman in Tauranga, hence the blue race shirts many of them are wearing. Pam on the far left is from the USA, her husband and her sailed from CA to NZ and ended up staying for the last 10 years or more, she also qualified for the Olympic Trials the first year it was available to women! Right of her is Bill Smith, Will Smith's dad. Will Smith, for those of you who don't know, is a pro triathlete who lives in Wisconsin. Small world! After lunch, Annette invited me over for a barbie at their house. They were having a couple over for dinner and I got to go too! Man are they funny. Allan, Annette and Darren are all journalists and from England. You should hear the banter. I laughed hard! I also spent a bit of time chatting with their son Nicholas. Great kid.

The next morning, Annette picked me up and we rode to Silverdale to meet more peeps to ride. It started pouring ran, but we still had 5 people riding! After a quick shower and a quick call to my folks, I met Allan, Annette and Christine for lunch. Then I spent the afternoon at Annette's. We watched IM Taupo 2008 and a couple other specials about IM. It was very relaxing. I think they were just being sweet and taking care of me until Anthony comes (which is tomorrow)! Oh, Twilight and Eclipse are read. In fact, I started reading them again. The bookstores don't have 3 and 4 yet, because they are getting republished or something. Won't have them until the beginning of Feb. Boo!