New Zealand 3 - Camper Van!

Who woulda thunk it, the Whitings in a Winnebego!  After weeks of planning activities and many hundreds of dollars spent on jet boats, horseback rides, boat cruises, penguin sightings and mountain adventures, the only thing the girls were still talking about by the time we got on the plane to come home was how awesome it was to sleep in the bunk above the driver's seat in the camper van.  It was a great way to see the country and the girls would have been happy never to leave the cheesy holiday parks we stayed in along the way, complete with trampolines, mini golf, and lots of other kids to play with.

Even the communal kitchens were a source of never-ending fun.

You can certainly understand why they call Dunedin the "Edinburgh of the South".  We explored castles, ate every meal in a pub, and toured the local brewery.  Even the scenery looks like Scotland despite being literally on the other side of the world.

New Zealand 2

For our last day in Queenstown, we went horseback riding through an unbelievably beautiful valley.  It was all very Lord of the Rings.

Then it was into the car for the long trip to Milford Sound with the girls assuming their usual respective roadtrip positions.

Then it was off for a chilly cruise through Milford Sound.  Hannah braved the elements, but Abbey was happier inside the ship and watching us walk around above her.  As with most public transportation we end up on, the girls were invited to "drive" the tour boat eventually.

Although we were promised an abundance of wildlife sightings, all we got were these 4 lazy sea lions hanging out on a rock.  The scenery made up for it though.  What a beautiful country!

Yoga with Daddy

Do people really need to be told this?

This is the kind of thing that makes you realize Australia is as close to being in Asia as it gets without actually being there.

Date night Manly Beach

My boston friends will be the only ones to get this, but this really is so much better than a movie at the Burlington Mall. Although, i do miss the pre-movie dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. If someone would open one of those (and maybe a PF Changs and a Jonny Rockets) here in Sydney my life would be truly complete.

Date night at Vivid Sydney

Amazing. This city is so beautiful to walk around even without all of this. Check it out at www.vividsydney.com.

Update on Balmoral Burn

Found this great news article with picture of the Parent and Child heat Hannah and I ran in. Scroll down to the second picture where you might be able to make out Hannah in the yellow rain jacket with hood up in the middle of the pack on the right, behind man and son in turquoise, then man in big orange rain poncho, then Hannah. I'm behind her in light blue (looks white) rain jacket surrounded by orange poncho-ed runners.
www.news.com.au/national-news/nsw-act/balmoral-burn-takes-place-in-torrential-rain-story-fnii5s3x-1226655448948

Hannah being Hannah

Leading the charge on creating group play date chaos with Xander (we like to call him "the Australian Noah"), torturing her mother with her gross loose teeth, hanging out with Annabelle, setting a brave example for her little sister on the carnival rides, choreographing a dance party, and hard at work at her very favorite activity, arts and crafts.

Abbey being Abbey

Showing off her loooooonnnngggg hair, hanging out with her 2 best Australian friends, overloading a cupcake with the maximum amount of frosting, making the most of her Tinkerbell tutu, looking very ladylike in the car, and creating more masterpieces for my office.

First day of "winter" at Balmoral

Even though Sydneysiders think it has gotten cold (um, 70 is not cold people!) it's not stopping them from enjoying a glass of wine on the patio over the sea. Gotta love this place!

Balmoral Burn

First week back at running after 6 weeks off to recover from pneumonia, and somehow I got roped into running straight up hill in the pouring rain. Hannah and I did the Balmoral Burn (see http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balmoral_Burn for more info on this great charity run) this morning, along with a bunch of her friends from Beauty Point. Kelsey even managed to finish in the top 20 in her category! Hannah and I were not quite so ambitious and had to walk part of the way. Hannah's friend Xander and his mom Kate joined us to brave the torrential tropical storm.