Arrival

Hey kids - welcome to New Zealand!

Above, is the area around Christchurch, the biggest city on NZ's south island, and where my family used to live when I was 3. My dad's cousin Jorgen and his wife Mona still live there (they were the inspiration that brought us to NZ in the first place, and the picture is taken from the hill on which they live) and I spent my first week in New Zealand with them. After conquering my jet lag (directly proportional to the number of screaming children seated within two rows of me on my trans-pacific flight), I spent the week exploring Christchurch and relaxing. Sadly, my parent's old house has been bulldozed, but my kindergarten looks exactly the same. I had a wonderful visit with Jorgen and Mona, and with Jorgen's mom, Aunt Charlotte. They had great stories about my fam - my favorite is how my brother Jason picked all the lemon's off of Aunt Charlotte's lemon tree, killing it in the process. I spent several days wandering around downtown Christchruch and seeing the sights, mainly Cathedral Square and the botanical gardens.

On Wednesday the 25th I left Christchurch, via train and ferry to get to Wellington, where I would meet up with my cousin Carsten. The trip was beautiful - after spending the last 20 years on completely flat ground in the midwest, the scenery here is just incredible. Here are views from the TranzCostal Railway and the InterIsland ferry, respectively.