Auckland (the end): next up... ?

plane left at seven
landed in portland at nine
time travel is weird

Tongariro National Park, Day 2: can't say they have these in Portland... oh wait yes they do, except for the cicadas.

rain, volcanic ash,
craters, lakes, bush, cicadas -
this hike had it all

Tongariro National Park, Day 1: the end is near.

goodbye to good friends
time for three days on my own
mountains, here i come!

Queenstown, Day 3: note to self.

wine tour and dinner
low residual medium dry south island
rieslings: my new cab

Queenstown, Day 2: I did go back for seconds, after all.

jumping off a cliff
willingly and on purpose
might be addictive

Wanaka, Day 2: can you?

there must be worse ways
to kill an afternoon but
i can't think of one

the view from the traffic jam

Wanaka, Day 1: OK, it was mostly an accidental misstep.

a brief thought of work
almost sent me off the edge
no more work thoughts please

Tui Extreme, Day 7: again! please?

not antarctica
but milford sound kayaking?
pretty damned awesome

Tui Extreme, Day 6: no TPS reports involved.

jump shots in big fields
speeding tickets, lovely views...
a decent friday

Tui Extreme, Day 5: could've been another Saturday in Portland.

lazy queenstown day
followed by too many beers
and 80's covers

Tui Extreme, Day 4: Portland is going to evict me.

sixteen miles later
i am really quite certain
i don't want a bike

Tui Extreme, Day 3: thank you, Siberia Valley and Frank Costanza.

lake crucible hike
think i finally found my
'serenity now'

Tui Extreme, Day 2: to sum up...

franz joseph glacier
slippery uphill boulders
to a lovely view

Tui Extreme, Day 1: we totally channeled you at our sixth grade graduation.

no matter how far
still get celebrity news
RIP whitney

Kaikoura: wetsuit playground.

day seven highlight:
swimming with dusky dolphins
fast little suckers!

Abel Tasman National Park: nature's symphony.

abel tasman sounds:
deafening cicadas and
frogs that sound like birds

Marahua: but at least we enjoyed the ride.

new zealand road trip
picton to marahua
but first a ferry

Wellington, Day 2: or maybe pizza.

nothing tastes better
than porter after a hike
except maybe fries

Wellington, Day 1: have I mentioned that I love vacations?

rainy wellington
still a hundred and one times
better than cubeland

Auckland, Day 2: it's no spreadsheet, but...

pet a friendly eel
in a cave lit by glowworms
how was YOUR monday?