day 2.2 through 4

tame night. after getting caught and slaughtered in the rain, lying low sounded heavenly. "martian child" was on skymovies, so we watched that movie in dad's room - me, sitting in a chair practically plastered to the space heater. (good movie, by the way)

for dinner, we strolled down the street to a convenience store/kebab place. kebab joints proliferate Auckland's streets, so we were pretty much obligated to try their take on them. "NZ kebabs" aren't your expected meat & veg on a stick. rather, it's a pita bread/tortilla heated up and spread with hummus, topped with your choice of meat, salad, and your choice of sauce. we both went for chicken w/ bbq. i was NOT disappointed. holy hummus, was that kebab amazing!

tuesday morning. dad and i breakfasted at our hotel's cafe on toasted bagels and coffee. these bagels were more covered in sesame seeds than las vegas is in glitter! but they tasted good. our flight for queenstown didn't leave until 1p, checkout wasnt until 11, and it was 830 by the time we finished eating. time to hit the streets!

First stop was the embassy (starbucks) for coffee. then we wandered down towards the docks. it was a GORGEOUS morning. sun shining brilliantly, fresh sea air, people of all descriptions rushing around. we started walking back towards the city centre when dad spotted a tiny shopping mall. in we went. most of the shops weren't open yet, but a few were. including one whose display windows showed tables filled with sparkling jewelry and sequined handbags...like a moth to a flame, i was drawn in. the sales associate was a lovely woman who'd been living in nz for about a year. she and her husband had migrated from the midlands of the UK,. we had a fantastic chat and found some wonderful items to buy, too. cheers to dad for the shop find!

auckland airport. much more do-it-yourself; tag and check your own luggage. keep your shoes on. no worries about liquids. and friendly staff, thank you God! somehow my cell phone turned on while going through the carry-on x-ray; i was waiting for dad's bags to be cleared and felt a vibration from my Khenri bag..."what's that?" pondered i. and then the sweet melody of birdsong floated up to my ears--also orignating from the khenri bag. "oh cruel conscience! recreating the sound/feel of a text message SO accurately!" i had to pull out my phone, though i was certain it wasn't on or working. but wait!! what's this? the screen of my sad, little rumor was NOT black--no, friends, it was lit-up, and the black words "welcome to new zealand..." on a bubblegum pink background appeared!! MY PHONE HAS A SIM CARD!! my phone is usable overseas!! HERE! my. phone. works in new zealand!!!! i showed my dad this joyous discovery. he was as shocked as i, and almost as delighted (i think.) he had me look at it again, while saying "i bet there are international roaming charges." sure enough, there are...i'd been doing so well w/out my security blanket/cell phone...but i HAD a working phone...wouldn't it be wasteful NOT to use it?? but, maturity set in and i agreed...we will use it only for emergencies. (philo IS spending enough money as it is, thanks, da!!)

the descent into queenstown's airport was unimaginably cool. we came out of the clouds, and the first thing i saw outside of the window was a herd of sheep. YES. we de-planed directly onto the tarmac, where the smell of snow immediately hit my nostrils just as the brisk, cool air hit my skin. the scenery was terrific, however. majestic, even! mountains. the nz mountains:)

we have a rental car for our time on the south island (a glamorous white, 4 door, toyota corolla). we decided to give queenstown a look before heading on to our lodge in wanaka. mostly b/c it was 330pm and we hadn't eaten since 8am. queenstown is definitely a ski-resort-town. absolutely crawling with slope-hitters. like aspen or something. the first eateries we spotted were a mcdonalds and a subway. "screw it, it's food!" we thought. but parking was still to be found. we pulled into a spot, then realized a local food joint was literally steps away from our car. "fergburgers." it was really busy but we chose to wait, and it was well worth it. GINORMOUS gourmet burgers. soooo soo soo good!

off to wanaka....taking a switch back road (where the road doesnt wind around the mountain but rather zig-zags up one side of it). this was a little scary, but survivable, clearly. we drove through snow, but mild. finally arrived in wanaka just after sunset, and found our lodge--home to the famous hobbit room!! not a converted movie set afterall, but part of a 5-star lodge. not half as cool as the movie set. but cool in a different way. in a pampered way. the proprieter, gary, is attentive and meticulous to detail. as well as a fancy chef. we joined him and one other guest, katherine (a kiwi and pro-skier) for wine and apps, then drove around wanaka a bit, returning to find a loaf of 'hobbit bread' with jams and butter waiting....it was ...interesting.

wednesday morning, we were treated to a 3 course breakfast! granola and fruit followed by grilled lembas bread with delectable golden syrup, followed by bacon, sausage, and sauteed mushrooms. FULL.

THEN, we were picked up by wanaka journeys for our jet boat ride!!
our guide is a maori by blood, and his passion for the river and surrounding land was contagious. he is a fantastic story-teller, too--he seamlessly wove geological, historical, mythological, and even LOTR stories together throughout our journey. the water of the river was low, only an inch or so deep at points, which meant one twisty, turny, spinning, AWESOME ride! we even hiked up into the beech forest, land that few people ever explore. it was absolutely a unique and memorable experience... breathtaking. freezing. smell the spawning fish in the shallow waters. see the helicopters dropping skiers off on the mountains looming above. see the mountainsides forming clouds right before your eyes...