Click through to the fine art gallery and find your favorite images in the New Zealand section. We’ll be adding additional images from our other travels soon. When you find the first image you want, click on its thumbnail, and you can see it larger (and even zoom in on it).

Click the Prints tab to see available types of fine art paper and sizes, and click the Products tab to see other items available, such as frames. Once you’ve chosen all the art prints you want to use to decorate your home or office and added them to your cart, check out, and go. Please let us know in the comments section of your order which of the five charities below you’d like the donation made to.

We look forward to printing your favorite images for you soon! (The print below, for example, will be framed and displayed in our own home soon.)

The available charities are:

• American Red Cross
• ASPCA
• Sierra Club
• Susan B Komen for the Cure
• Habitat for Humanity

This is the perfect time to make a charitable donation as so many are hurting right now with the recent natural disasters in Haiti and Chile. Get some beautiful art and some good karma all at the same time!

Thanks so much for following along with us on our journey and please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions about the prints or our NZ experiences. We’ve heard from many of you that New Zealand is on your short list. We’d love to hear from you if you go!

Angela is a shutterbug herself and she’s gotten some amazing photos during their sojourn.

Angela & Web reflected in one of the art sculptures at gorgeous Cable Bay Vineyard on Waiheke Island, one of favorite spots just a ferry ride away from Auckland. Wonderful vineyards with truly million dollar views.

We found an old abandoned boat and had lots of fun shooting in and around it.

Thanks so much, Angela and Webster! We had so much fun exploring Northern NZ with you both and can’t wait to see you again back in our neck of the woods soon!

Want some action? Check out our cheesy little flip video we made from the Shotover Jet ride. And take your dramamine beforehand.

It’s hard to pass up the opportunity to watch the beautiful light that the sun casts across the mountain range just north of Queenstown as it rises, even if you’re on holiday. There was a cloud that persistently remained just above the summit that was interesting to watch. Despite a morning breeze, it just stayed there because of the different climate at that altitude.

This frame was rather electrifying, as Bill had to lean over an electric fence with the tripod to take a photo of this creek. He didn’t know it was electric at first, so that served as a little wake-up call in lieu of coffee that morning.

One afternoon, shortly after a relaxing lunch at Glenorchy Cafe, we drove out to Lake Sylvan for a hike around the lake and to hang out in the water for a spell. Some of the afternoon light falling through the old and twisted pine trees was absolutely beautiful.

On the way back we stopped on the side of the road and stood on top of the car to get a shot over the fence of this hay barn in the distance.

The next morning Bill (the morning half of Anne&Bill) awoke super early for the half-hour drive out to Paradise. It was so peaceful out there and he saw absolutely no one until returning back to the inn for breakfast. What a wonderful way to begin a morning.

The millions of sheep are usually pretty skittish, but they’re also curious. Especially if they think we might have food.

We saw the most beautiful light on this windmill.

We spent our last afternoon there going around to various wineries. One of them, Chard Farm Vineyards, is set on a hill overlooking the river. The only access is via dirt road that has on its side a steep drop off down a cliff right into the river. No guardrail, no nothing. It used to be the main thoroughfare to Queenstown but now serves as a not-so-gentle reminder to visitors that they need a designated driver for tastings at the vineyard. You can see the buildings to the left of the frame below.

On the way back, we stopped by Amisfield for some chilled wine and cheese to help cool us off from the very warm afternoon and for an appetizer before heading over to Saffron restaurant in Arrowtown. Angela and Webster had previously dined there and had a wonderful experience with the creative fare, so we were eager to try it. Of course we wrapped up with their version of Hokey Pokey ice cream over moist chocolate cake. What a nice, relaxing meal! It was the perfect way to wrap up our trip to these scenic islands. We most certainly look forward to returning, especially to the South Island, and hopefully sooner rather than later. Next up…some images from our portraits done with Angela and Webster!

(Again, please respect our copyright by not printing, sharing or borrowing any of our photos without written permission. Thank you!)

So after we’d had our fill of whales, we took off on the road again and headed to Franz Joseph Glacier on the West Coast of the South Island. It was quite a hike from Kaikoura on the East Coast so we unfortunately didn’t have much time to stop along the way for pics, but of course we had to grab just a few.

So this is where we should have taken Angela and Webster’s advice to visit Fox Glacier over Franz Joseph, but we had already made our lodging arrangements and booked our hike, so we were kinda locked in. Fox Glacier is much less crowded and much less steep than FJ – a big draw for Anne. Unfortunately, we’ll have to hit Fox and their gorgeous blue ice on another visit.

The stunning glacier, just one of, believe it or not, over 3,000 in NZ. Especially wild to note that the glaciers are the only ones in the world basically next to a rain forest!

Don’t let that forced smile fool you. I (Anne) was not exactly thrilled at the heights involved with said glacier hike! Buy her a beer (preferably a Crushed Apple Cider from NZ’s Monteith’s Brewing Company) and she’ll tell you about it sometime.

Click on the photo below to see one of the other hiking groups making their way up the steep rocks to see where the shot of Anne (above) was taken. If you look hard, you can see little specks of red and white from the clothing of those hiking up the south face.

Back on solid ground (yea!), we headed for our next (and sadly, one of our last stops), Glenorchy, just outside of Queenstown. We didn’t do any of the film tours, but heard from locals that they filmed many scenes in the Lord of the Rings trilogy around Glenorchy. We can see why. More pics from there to come, but first we had to get there so it was back in the car for Anne and Bill…

Driftwood sculptures at Hokitika beach…

and Bruce Bay. So cool!

The gorgeous Lake Wanaka on the way from Franz Joseph to Glenorchy.

Could seriously live right here and be eternally fulfilled. Thankfully we have amazing memories and a few cool pics, too!

Just some shots around the garden of our B&B in Glenorchy.

Our view of the sunset that evening from our little private deck. It almost looked as if the mountain were about ready to erupt.

Thanks for joining us today. We’ll have more for you very soon!

On our way south to Kaikoura, the curvy ocean highway is full of amazing views, but one of the coolest sights has to be the fur seal colony that hang out on the rocks about 15 minutes outside of town on SH1.  The New Zealand Fur Seal,  found only on the coasts of NZ and Australia, can be seen up close and personal from Ohau Point and we weren’t the only shutterbugs watching over them from the safety of our elevated vantage point beside the road. Needless to say, they are super cute, but don’t take our word for it, see for yourselves!

Want to see the pics even larger? Just click on individual photos.

(Please respect our copyright by not printing, sharing or borrowing any of our photos without written permission. Thank you!)

So does not look so comfortable, eh?

Why hello to you, too.

One of the reasons for the large seal colony near Kaikoura is the ocean shelf that rises almost vertically to meet the shoreline, resulting in millions of pounds of plankton along the shore. This plankton of course attracts other fish (and whales) and as a result, seals.

This one apparently wanted the other guy’s sleeping rock. They all looked uncomfortable to us.

So maybe Kiwis don’t love their street signs, but they sure do like their road signs and we saw several fun ones on our travels on both islands.

They are all about telling it like it is. Love that!

Their speed limit signs. Yes, that 100 kilometers, not miles, per hour. Oh, well. PS – “It’s not a target.”

Some like these, weren’t on actual roads.

See outside the Kiwi Bird experience.

A reminder to stay on the paths at Wai-O-Taupo, the geo-thermal playground in the North Island. No problem.

And some just spoke for themselves.

This beer ad cracked us up for a good 10 minutes while we were sitting in traffic. Click on it make it larger, but it reads: “3.5% (alcohol) So there’s a 96.5% chance of not being ‘that guy’ at the Christmas party.”

Um, a bargain? Perhaps in US dollars…?!

Seen at a bungee jumping facility.

Still more to come next week. You won’t want to miss Paradise and Angela & Webster’s portrait session, for sure!

(You can see Part One here or right below this post. Click on individual photos to see them larger. Please respect our copyright by not printing, sharing or borrowing any of our photos without written permission. Thank you!)

After rescheduling our whale watching trip for the next morning for 7:15am, since we needed to get on the road once again right after the four hour outing, we set off in search of lunch. Once again, Angela came through for us. She pointed us to Nin’s Bin, a little crayfish spot just north of town. (NZ Crayfish are very similar to Lobster and are roughly the same in price.) Kaikoura actually means “Eat Crayfish” in the traditional Maori language. You can read more about Nin’s on this great Aussie food blog since Nin’s doesn’t have a website (and doesn’t really need one, apparently).

Talk about a table with a view!

This little guy liked it too, although he was definitely more interested in our crayfish.

And the requisite aftermath shot! YUM!

The coastal area right around Nin’s was ripe for photo takin’ so, of course, we obliged.

More Pied Shags!

After we tired of the wind and cold, we made our way to warmer climes at Kaikoura Winery. Located just South from Kaikoura proper, we were a little worried that a winery with such great views would only have that going for it, but our fears were assuaged and we enjoyed a wonderful tasting, especially of their white wines for which New Zealand is rightly renowned.

That night we decided to dine on our balcony overlooking the water and enjoyed some tasty take-away (Kiwis don’t call it take-out) pizza and calamari from The Black Rabbit. We found that most if not all the pizzas (and burgers for that matter) in NZ are loaded with interesting and sometimes intriguing toppings. (For example, their Gone Hunting is smoked venison, wild pork, chorizo, spiced plum sauce, and blue cheese sauce; while their Hen & Ham, which we were also considering, is roasted chicken, spinach, cream cheese, rosemary, cranberry sauce and bacon!) No basic pepperoni and cheese to be found here! We tried the Hen & Fig and found it absolutely delightful. Super thin crust and very tasty. The calamari was excellent, too, although the tiny portion size was seriously lacking. (We hadn’t touched it yet in the photo below – there was hardly any! What’s that quote – “They screw you at the drive thru!” Oh, well, our waistlines were probably happier. ;-D

We also used the opportunity to crack open one of our coveted bottles of ‘09 Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc that we picked up on our visit to Spy Valley Wines on our way to Kaikoura. Definitely one of our all-time SB faves for the price point. Highly Recommend!

The next day we arose at o’dark thirty, to pack and make our way over to Whale Watch Kaikoura with fingers crossed that our trip wouldn’t be canceled again due to unsafe seas. It wasn’t, although there was a high sea-sickness warning thanks to moderate to rough seas still. Anne gladly partook of the herbal anti-nausea pill they offered (for $4!) and they were soon on their way. Suffice it to say, it was a very bumpy ride and while neither of us lost our breakfast so to speak, it made for a pretty uncomfortable trip out to the prime viewing locations and back.

We got to “see” two Sperm Whales though, along with a couple of Wandering Albatross. See is in quotes, because, really all we saw was some spurting water from something that looked like it was very large, but couldn’t really be seen below the water (likely thanks in large part to the rough seas), and the huge tail fin as he went down on his dive back to the deep. Consensus: it was cool, but  it wasn’t fun and an adventure we wouldn’t repeat and probably not just because of the rough water. We would recommend spending the big bucks required on other, higher reward activities.

More from the gorgeous South Island to come soon!

Before we get to the latest’s pics from our excellent NZ adventure, we need to add one that we forgot to post on Monday. After taking some quick sunset pics at the lighthouse, we got back in the car and headed back into Wellington city to dine at the fantastic Moonsoon Poon. Talk about a place that doesn’t take itself too seriously. (Check out their website to see what we mean.) We were first introduced to the ‘Poon (remember what we said about that mind by Angela and Webster in Auckland, so we decided spending our last night in the North Island at their original location in Wellington was fitting. Bill got the Firecracker Chicken, which is ranked 20 on a hotness scale of 1-10, and Anne delved into her tasty Golden Lemon Chicken with coconut rice. So tasty in fact she had it at both locations. Definitely stop by if you ever find yourself down under!

One last shot in front of the lighthouse as the sun comes up.

Our adventure continued the next day as we boarded the inter-island ferry at the crack of dawn. We weren’t expecting much excitement before we even boarded the boat, but it found us anyway. After dropping Anne off with the bags to get in the looooonnnngggg check-in line (did we mention it’s Summer there?), Bill was returning the rental car to the parking lot (for some silly reason you have leave your N.Island car on the N.Island and then pick up your S.Island car on the S.Island) when another driver returning his rental, backed out of his space and hit Bill’s driver’s side door! Dude said he was blinded by the rising sun and couldn’t see so why he didn’t inch his way back just in case is beyond us. Thankfully, of course, Bill was fine and after they briefly exchanged info, we all made it onto the ferry on time. Unfortunately, after when we arrived in the S.Island three hours later, picked up our new car and told them about the damage, we found out we’re responsible for it, leaving it up to us to recover it from the other driver’s insurance. (Doubly unfortunately, we later learned that week that our U.S. auto insurance policy doesn’t cover us outside of the states and Puerto Rico. Note to readers who have wanderlust and travel overseas – check your car insurance policies before you go and make sure your rental car is covered!!) Yikes! Definitely NOT a charge we had budgeted for.

The ferry ride was nice and we had even had wi-fi coverage. Because of this though, I think, we found ourselves arriving at the Picton dock having not taken any photos during the journey. Doh! Truth be told, though, it was really nice just spending the trip relaxing, reading and playing games on our iPhones. Plus we needed to rest up for another long drive ahead. Our plans called for us to head south from Picton to Kaikoura about four hours away. What we didn’t realize is that those four hours seem to be calculated for flat, straight roads, something definitely on the endangered species list in the South Island! What’s a little motion sickness, though when you can get shots like these along the way.

We finally made it to Kaikoura just as the sun was getting nice and low in the sky. When the sun came out that day anyway!

The chimney remaining from the old port before it was moved closer to it’s current location closer to town.

We saw this amazing light as we crested a hill and ran to get the shot before the clouds moved away!

Bill got up early the next day to catch first light and grabbed the photo above, and this amazing shot below looking down on the outskirts of town just as the sun was starting to hit Mt. Fyffe.

Did we mention there are LOTS of cows…

and sheep everywhere?!

It was gorgeous sunrise, but unfortunately the chilly clouds rolled in and our whale watching adventure for the day was canceled due to high winds and very rough seas. So we did what a lot of people do and ate and drank our sorrows away!

Tune in later this afternoon for Part Two of Kaikoura adventures!

But first things first. We spent our last day in Auckland touring the amazing facilities of one of our album binderies – Queensberry. Having toured another of our album companies a couple of years ago, we knew how important it was to see first hand the hard work, love and care that go into making our clients’ albums long-lasting family heirlooms. The opportunity to visit Auckland-based Queensberry was a primary reason we decided to visit NZ at this time.

Our rep with Queensberry, Gino, was kind enough to take time out of his day to give us and Angela a tour of their large production space. (For their privacy and security, we didn’t take any photos during our visit, although we wish we would have thought to have them take one of the three of us outside in front of their sign. Doh!) We can’t go into many specifics, of course, but suffice it to say everything they do is top knotch. We were incredibly impressed by the staff’s training and their dedication to laborious hand-making techniques. Angela and Webster are the recipients of a beautiful matted album from Queensberry so we thought it’d be fun for her to see where and how her album came to be in the final post production phase. Such craftmanship truly makes a difference and we’re proud to offer such an gorgeous and uniquely crafted wedding album to our clients.

That night found the four of us seeing Avatar 3D – us for the first time! Yes, we actually went to a movie during our vacation in NZ, but we have to mention it since it was one of the highlights of the trip. Okay, one of many, but still. The Kiwis do movie theaters right. All seats are assigned and you have an usher to show you to your seat. We all decided to splurge and upgraded our tickets to La Premiere, a VIP section of sorts – something we’ve never seen in our neck of the woods. With La Premiere we had a separate lounge/bar area we could hang out in before and after the show and was where we placed our order to have dinner and drinks delivered to us 1/2 hour into the movie, with dessert following an hour into the movie. Nice! Then our route to our seats – loveseat recliners(!) – included a trip through their enormous projection room which looked like something out of Architectural Digest magazine. Huge spools of film were going in all directions (beside us and above us) as we could see all the movies currently playing through the large windows overlooking each theater. It was really cool, but alas, you’ll have to take our word for it – no pics of all that. Oh, yea – the movie was really good, too – especially after two glasses of wine!

The next day, we reluctantly bid adieu to our gracious hosts and took off for Waitomo and Rotorua. A few hours after getting on the road (after lots of wrong turns we eventually decided to take a break and eat an early lunch in the city), we finally made it out of Auckland and were on our way. Finally, you say, are we getting to the pictures?! Why, yes. Yes, we are.

<< Click on individual photos to see them larger. >>

A hillside Maori cemetery we drove by and did a u-turn for. It was beautiful, but only on our way out did we notice the “no tourists” sign. Whoops! Out of respect, these are the only pictures we’re including. We were amazed by how personalized the grave sites were – most headstones had photos of the deceased – and humbled by cultures who honor their lost loved ones with such grace and respect.

Waitomo is on the map because they’re home to the famous glow worm caves. Never heard of them? Neither had we, but we just had to see these magnificent little creatures ourselves. Because it’s so dark in the caves (what claustrophobia?) we couldn’t take any photos inside without a lot of set up and a tripod. Plus, it’s just one of those experiences you should just sit back and enjoy anyway. The near silent boat ride through the main cavern filled with millions of tiny glow worms was truly awe inspiring and we highly recommend a visit should you find yourself in that neck of the woods.

Photo courtesy of Waitomo Glowworm Caves

So we took a few photos around outside the cave and then headed on to Rotorua where we would be staying the night before hitting the mud baths and the stinky sulfer pools the following day.

More highway u-turn pics!

This bull was large and in charge and we couldn’t resist the pre-storm light on him…

and his nearby friends.

Rain storm coming our way. Perhaps we should concentrate on driving from this point on.

The next day found us up early to make sure we saw the Lady Knox Geyser erupt promptly at 10:15 am. We were advised by the books and websites to get there early to beat the crowds. Didn’t work as they were all advised the same apparently. No matter, we were sure the upcoming show would be worth it after waiting in the blazing hot sun for 45 minutes. We then found out how this little miracle of nature spouts each day on such a predictable time schedule. The park ranger comes out and pours a little soap flakes in it! They explain it would erupt anyway, they are just helping it along. Um, okay. It was cool, but a bit of letdown after so much buildup.

After that, we made our way out to the main part of Wai-O-Tapu, along with hundreds of our closest friends, who all jostled for viewing positions at the overlooks. Did we mention it was high tourist season in NZ? Once we arrived at the steaming Champagne Pool though it all seemed worth it. Amazing, amazing sights and, believe it or not, the Champagne Pool is 2000 feet deep. Thankfully, the pics aren’t scratch n’ sniff – we would eventually be washing ALL of our clothes with ammonia to remove the sulfur smell from our clothes, after the clothes we were wearing infected all those in our suitcases. Once we got to the South Island, people probably knew one place where we’d already been!

Bubbles on the super hot surface.

Don’t know if this was a hot or cold pool, but we did know that we didn’t want to get in it! Colors have not been adjusted, by the way, it really is that putrid looking.

Sadly, we too quickly had to leave the thermal playground so that we’d make it to Wellington before dark. First though, lunch at Fat Dog Cafe. It’s definitely a can’t-miss spot. Thanks Angela and Webster!

Bill had to get what they’re known for, the Dog Bollox Burger, containing two beef patties, grilled onions, tomato, fried egg, onion rings, kawakawa, lettuce, and beetroot. (Be thankful there are no photos of him actually eating the thing!) Anne enjoyed their BLAT sandwich – Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato, which could be found at just about every cafe alongside fish n’ chips.

We didn’t realize we’d be driving by the stunning Huka Falls though, so we had to take a little detour on the way.

Anne thought Bill’s tee shirt that day was especially appropriate.

At last, we finally arrived at our destination for the night. We wanted to maximize our time there since the next morning would find us up at the crack of dawn for our inter-island ferry ride.

The view from the top floor of our lighthouse! Fun place to stay for a night and one night was actually enough. Very tight quarters like on a ship. Anne thought of it like a little glorified camping trip. With a few improvements and a little cleanup, it could be a really cool place, but the view was pretty killer.

Our stay on the North Island was much too short, but we couldn’t wait to see what the South Island had in store of us. Can you?

While the rest of NZ was up at 9am on a Monday morning to watch the NFC & AFC Championship games live (yeah, right!), we took off with Angela for the two and half hour drive to the beautiful Coromadel Pennisula for a fun-filled half day of sea kayaking out to Cathedral Cove and back. (We were slightly bummed to miss the exciting Saints -Vikings game, but we took solace in the fact that we were in NEW ZEALAND and it was SUMMER!

There are two ways to get to the cove – hiking in or by sea – and we chose water for this adventure. It was supremely cool – one of the coolest adventures Anne had ever done up until that point (more wicked cool things were destined for our wallets later in the trip), save for white water rafting. Gliding across the relatively smooth water, soaking up the day’s sun, seeing armies of jellyfish swim just below the surface of the bay, watching Gannets dive bomb into the water and just being utterly amazed by the sereneness of it all made it an incredible experience. One we would highly recommend. The company says it’s like back-packing on water and Anne would argue that it’s even better. Our only wish is that we could have kept our camera dry and more accessible so we could have taken some shots while we were actually kayaking. Perhaps we’ll ask Santa for a water-proof camera next year!

Click on individual photos to see them larger.

Most photographed rock in NZ, so says Mike, our kayak guide.

A big jump rock by the cove lured Anne and Angela to swim out to it and after getting knocked in the head (Anne) and scratched up (both Angela and Anne) when a big wave pushed them back into said craggy rock, woman-upped and jumped off! Even though a nine year old on the rock told Angela she was going to attract sharks with her bloody leg! Thankfully we (and the nine year old) made it back to shore safely.

Anne and Angela about to hit the water. (Thanks, honey for staying behind to capture it!)

After kayaking, we decided to take the long, but even more scenic way home. It added about an additional 2-3 hours to the drive, because of course we had to stop alot, but it was totally worth it. We hadn’t even been in NZ that long at this point and we were already running out of adjectives to describe all the beauty surrounding us.

Sheep and cows out-number people. They were everywhere! (Click on the pic to see the cows a bit better.)

Three Pied Shags drying their wings. They leave them outstretched for several minutes so they can fly again after diving for dinner.

A sign that had seen better days probably saying stay of the rocks. Ooops.

But if we had, we wouldn’t have gotten shots like this. Oh, the lengths we’ll go to. Okay, Bill will go to.

Ew. Just. Ew.

Fern curls were everywhere and came in all different sizes. It should be their national plant if it isn’t already. Loved them!

Webster was long asleep by the time we made it home that night and we weren’t far behind him! When Anne closed her eyes that night she said she still felt like she was out on the waves, being gently rocked to sleep. Another perfect ending to a great day.

View from a little overlook we hiked up just as the sun was setting. The water was literally violet. We’d never seen anything like it.

Happy Valentine’s, everyone. Lots more pictures to come next week so stay tuned!

As you know from the post yesterday, we arrived early in the morning and after clearing customs, met up with Angela for breakfast while Webster was at work. It was, as you can imagine, a little odd to drive on the left side of the road from the airport toward their house, especially after feeling a bit jet lagged with only an hour’s sleep. The unfamiliar traffic patterns will wake you right up! Especially when they don’t seem to believe in street signs and we didn’t spring for GPS!

Over breakfast at Cafe Kohi, the next different thing we noticed was that, when ordering coffee while in the U.S. one might order a regular coffee, a latte, etc., in NZ you’ll order something like a “short black”, “long black”, or “flat white”.  While English is in widespread use, the words all seem to have different definitions. Thanks to Angela for deciphering as we went. Another b’fast oddity was their version of  bacon. If it’s bacon there, you can expect it to be sliced similar to ham (as I discovered when my “French toast with bacon” came with the bacon slipped in between the slices of bread). A place offering “streaky bacon” will serve it American style, so if you’re a fan of bacon, as we are, know this going in.

We had heard from so many the country was a bounty of beauty, and one can get a little overwhelmed with all of it. While we spent a good bit of the overall trip traveling from one locale to another, the first few days were largely spent with Angela and Webster around Auckland and within a 2-3 hour drive of it. After our hearty breakfast and unpacking a bit, the three of us drove downtown to explore and of course take the elevator to the top of the Sky Tower, the country’s tallest building. There, we had a flat white and watched bungee jumpers take off from the tower’s observation deck just above us.

<< Click on the horizontal photos to see them larger. >>

View from the tower’s observation deck.

Just after a tasty lunch at Burger Fuel (with bottles of L&P, the de facto national soda drink, which stands for Lemon & Paeroa and is oh so yummy), we drove west and north from the city out to Murawai Beach, home of a large Gannet bird population. Judging from our twisted olfactory responses to approaching their perch from above, they liked hanging close to one another. Ew. Be glad they haven’t invented scratch n’ sniff blogs yet!

This pair was the first of seemingly millions of sheep in the island nation. Wool for everyone!

We were able to meet up with Webster just afterwards and drove over to Piha Beach, site of a surfing championship. While the surfers had put away their boards and camped out for the rest of the afternoon, we took in the sites along the beach as the sun set. It left us with an obvious choice for dinner that evening, at Belgian Cafe to devour some of NZ’s famous green-lipped mussels (they are huge!) and down a few pints of Hoegaarden and Chimay Blue. Yum, and a great way to finish off our first day there. We then gratefully hit the sack after being awake for a mere 36 hours!

Anne loved how the cloud on the left made the mountain look like a volcano. Thankfully it was not at this point in time!

Parts of the beach were filled with black sand, which felt so cool on our toes.

The light and clouds there are just other worldly at times.

During our stay in Auckland, we set our alarm clock to catch first light one morning (one must sacrifice, I suppose) to capture a few early sunrise photos from the beach around Angela and Webster’s lovely waterside home. Just driving through their driveway (second photo below) was like a jungle adventure!

And the stunning view from their living room.

Later in our stay during one of Webster’s rare days off from the hospital, we all took a ferry over to nearby Waiheke Island for a little wine tasting. (We also did a fun little portrait session with our gracious hosts and will share those pics in another post.) Now that’s an adventure we can get into. Here are a couple of shots made from the ferry during the crossing. Yes, it was that cloudy (and cold, what Summer?!) heading over to the island, and miraculously cleared up prior to our return to the downtown mooring. While our target winery, Kennedy Point, had sadly already closed by the time we got to the island, we spent a good bit of time at Cable Bay winery, enjoying the scenery, their excellent wine, and each others’ company.

We have so many more photos and stories to share, but for now, thanks for reading…stay tuned for more Kiwi adventures!