With Your Own Eyes

Since I've not much to do these next two weeks, as I've made it abundantly clear, I'm going to try to get some of those lovely pictures I've bragged so much about up on the web. I'm debating if I should just plop them all in a new entry or disperse them appropriately throughout my blog. That would make for a fantastic compilation, but it could be quite annoying for you dedicated readers (aka probably just my mom and dad. :-P) Maybe I'll just throw some in this entry and see how it goes. Regardless, please enjoy seeing this experience finally with your own eyes!














Brett and I our first big night in Auckland...and our last. The city, although welcoming, was wretched at best and so very Americanized that there was little difference between it and a burrough of NY.



Riding along the beach near Goat Island. It was a bit rainy, but totally worth it. Especially since I hadn't been on a horse in ages. Luke turned out to be a trustworthy animal and I was sad to say goodbye after our good hour of bonding time.




















Brett and I, all sexy in our underground caving gear just before heading out to the Black Abyss in Waitomo. Yes, we looked the part of fools but once we were in that sub-zero water, we were glad to be wrapped up. More pictures to come from that portion of the trip, although there were none from the inside of the caves. The guide suggested that unless our cameras were completely waterproof, that we should leave them above ground. After swimming through the raging river below, we understood.




Here I am running down the hill at Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of the New Zealand. This is the place where the two seas meet, and what a beautiful sight it was. There is a lighthouse a bit to the left of where this photo was taken. More to come from Cape Reinga.















There I stand in red at the base of a giant Kauri Tree. Our trip to these ancient natural wonders was wet to say the least, but the trek throughout this rainforest was magnificent. We later found ourselves perusing a carpentry mill where artists sculpted everything from statues to furniture from naturally felled Kauri trees. Look forward to more photos from the forest and from the mill.