THE WEDDING

The morning was finally here - the weather was just right - a little overcast with a nice cooling breeze - perfect weather for Nichole & Jason to tie the knot.

With the boys heading off for a hit of golf and the girls leaving for their day of beauty etc - Josh and I decided to make ourselves scarce, taking in a morning swim at the beach. Without a watch time soon flew by, so we made our way out to the villas, lending a hand wherever possible. Trying hard to stay busy, we were tying ribbon on the cars, running wax to the boys, tying up ties - it was great. The girls looked wonderful and the fellas started looking rather spiff in their tuxedos.

The ceremony kicked off at the golf course, a wonderful setting for the day. The bridesmaids wandered down a steepish hill, stopping at the old wooden bridge. Nichole slowly headed down the aisle, with her father in tow. A wonderful ceremony was enjoyed by all, with the newly weds happily celebrating their day.

Nichole and Jason looked great! The reception continued to top the wedding - with the many place settings and decorations the centrepiece of each table. Conversations, food and drink flowed effortlessly throughout the night, with many indulging in a dance or two. A fantastic evening and a wonderful wedding - which we were very fortunate to be apart of!

Pauanui

Driving a few hours out of Auckland, we made our way to the small beachside township of Pauanui. Nichole & Jason had organised some wonderful accommodation for the bridal party to stay in - which was great. Arriving at the house early, Jason and I got things sorted, before chilling out and enjoying some fine NZ beer. Mid afternoon the girls arrived with the appropriate wedding gear in tow. Helping to unpack, we wandered around the area, before relaxing - a first in ages.

The next day came and we headed down to Hot Water Beach - named after the natural phenomenon that occurs when the tide is out. The sand retains heat somehow, boiling the water underneath. A quick dig with a shovel/spade and voila - instant spa! Something you had to experience first hand (not sure how many of the young ladies there would be impressed with me taking snaps of them lying in a natural spa......) Then it was off to Cathedral Cove - where a scene from Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia) was filmed. A picturesque walk had us weaving up and down the hillside before entering a magnificent cove - great swimming and fantastic weather!!! Diving straight in to the cool and clear water, Josh and I soon found ourselves jumping from rocks - quite fun. After our swim we took a few snaps then headed back up the 30min trail - an enjoyable time.

Arriving back at the house, the boys were indulging in a few quite refreshments, so we joined them - it was the polite thing to do! Another day had disappeared from our relaxing holiday. Early morning the girls ventured out to do "nails and wedding stuff", so the boys decided to chill, play some cards and generally relax - as it wasn't far from the wedding now. A BBQ soon followed, with everyone retiring early, knowing that the big day was sure to drain everyone (boys were teeing off at 7:30am, girls had hair/make up at 8am)

New Zealand - ay bro

Leaving Vancouver Boxing day (night time) we had a wonderful flight (leaving the snow well and truly behind!!!) arriving in Auckland mid-morning on the 28th Dec we were welcomed by a wonderful 19 degrees!

Jason & Nichole met us at the airport, before taking us home for a freshen up and a relaxing arvo. A few odd jobs followed before heading out and about to see the sights of the coast.

Touring around Auckland, Jason and I met up with a few of his mates, whilst the girls headed out to do some "wedding things" for their upcoming wedding. A chill out day followed, with a few more odd jobs being done, before enjoying a wonderful dinner with Nichole's sister (Nat) and her boyfriend (Josh) - a good night following, indulging in a few drinks......maybe too many :)

The 30th arrived too quickly, taking us on an early flight to Queenstown, home of New Zealand's adventure sports. Located on the south island, we anticipated cooler weather, but expected the sun to shine. Arriving in Queenstown on a beautiful day, we picked up the rental car, before the 7 of us headed to the hotel. Dumping our stuff quickly, we headed into town to get a few supplies, find our bearings, then heading to the bar for a few drinks - enjoying the wonderful view of lake Wakatipu, which was surrounded by the Crown Ranges.

Nichole's Mum (Stephanie) had given all 7 of us a wonderful gift - a Shotover Jet experience - which was a jet boat coasting through the canyon, completing a number of sharp turns (some towards the canyon wall) as well quite a few 360 degree turns!!! Very cool. After the jet boat we headed to Arrow Town, home of some delicious foods, markets and local shopping. Leaving late afternoon, we headed back to change, enjoy a few refreshments, then head out for dinner - taking in downtown Queenstown's nightlife. We all enjoyed the fireworks from the decking at the hotel - which was quite a good viewing platform.

A slow start to New Years Day, we jumped in our "hire car" and made our way up through the Crown Ranges - giving us magnificent views of the surrounding areas at its peak. Continuing on our journey - we found ourselves in Wanaka - home to a beautiful lake, surrounding mountains and Puzzle World. Taking in the beautiful scenery - we felt like typical tourists - with our own personal tour guides!!! - we headed into puzzle world - aiming to make our heads sore....well even more so than they were! Leaving puzzle world and the many complicated puzzles behind, we stopped in Cromwell for a bite to eat, then headed home - stopping at one of New Zealand's best bungy jumping areas - Kawarau Bridge - very high - not for us - but well worth watching the many people lining up to jump!

After a few good days in Queenstown, we departed - but not an enjoyable flight back! The winds were extremely strong, causing a lot of turbulence (we hit quite a few air pockets - which didn't allow us to move around the cabin!).

Deciding to rest up for a day - we did a few more odd jobs around the house in preparation of the wedding, then invited a few people around to have a beer / bbq at the house. It was a good night, with everyone having their fill of food and drink, before retiring, knowing we were heading down to Rotorua early morning.

Taking in the sights of the near 3 hour drive, we stopped for lunch, before arriving at our hotel, which had an awesome view of the geyser and mud pools that our balcony overlooked. As we were all keen to jump on the gondola - taking us up the mountain and giving us a wonderful view of the "sulphur smelling town" - Jason and I decided to take up the Luge option, smashing 3 tracks quite hard (Jason almost stacked in the tunnel - before both of us launched ourselves off the mini-jump - great fun!!!) and enjoying the tracks winding through the hillside. A nice dinner followed in downtown Rotorua, before we retired - ready for a huge morning!

Morning came providing us with a magnificent - but smelly - Rotorua day. Arriving at the wildlife sanctuary, we took in a guided tour of the Kiwi breeding program. We were very fortunate to see the processes involved in keeping the kiwis alive - from egg collecting, weighing, incubating and feeding - right through to the indoor and outdoor runs they have. Kate and I were shocked at the size of the eggs the kiwis produce, considering the size of their bodies! It was great to see 7 live kiwis running around, being fed or just enjoying their enclosures - a real treat!

From the sanctuary it was on to the adventure areas - where Kate and I decided we'd give Zorbing a go. Changing into our bathers, we went with the "wet option" which was always going to be fun! Before you start rolling the fun begins. Entering the Zorb is quite fun, running and diving at full pelt to get into a large hamster style inflatable ball - semi filled with water - something you need to experience, or watch yourself....quite a good laugh! Entering first - not sure that was a wise idea, before Kate slid in (taking my feet out in the process, sitting me on my ass, I was sure this was going to happen again shortly). The tap on the side of the Zorb came, meaning Kate and I had to begin moving down the hill. Challenged to stand the whole way, we began running, with Kate quickly slipping over into the pool of water (laughing very hard might I add!), it was very hard to continue standing - so I was taken out (again). Rolling down the hill - we both laughed as we were thrown this way and that - quite an experience, it felt like we were in there for quite some time! Arriving at the base of the hill - we squirted out of the Zorb - landing on the grass. The two of us thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would do it again anytime (seriously contemplated doing the individual run - but thought it would give us a reason to come back again - oh - and of course to see the newly weds!!!)

We again took in the scenery on the way home before tying up a few more loose ends with the wedding. The next few days will be very busy - before heading down to Pauanui - to enjoy the coast and see our mates get married! Should be fun!!!

Christmas Eve! Christmas Day!

Opening the curtains this morning we woke to another snow storm, this time it looked as though it would be settling in for some time. Big snow flakes filled the sky and surrounding areas - meaning it would be a white christmas for us, no matter what happens!

Deciding it was best to avoid the wintery weather, we headed down to the shopping district (Robson Street) to pick up a few small gifts for one another, then to meet up with Kiwi - farewelling her (if her flight gets off the ground!)

We headed back to the hotel and gave our parents a quick buzz before taking a few "touristy" shops in. A night in looked the best scenario (with everything closing due the christmas holiday)

Christmas day came (without presents!!) so we headed in to town to see the famous Vancouver Aquarium - seeing Beluga whales & baby on show - there were a few people in there - but not the usual crowds. Kate wasn't feeling too crash hot, so we stayed for a short while, before moving on to the Totem poles in Stanley Park. A short walk followed - taking us into the early afternoon, but with Kate getting worse by the minute, we headed back to the hotel for a cruisy afternoon and evening - maybe all the rush and energy sapping activities had finally caught up with us!

Granville Island

Another good sleep in allowed us to rest up before embarking on a long day of touring Vancouver. Arriving at the bus stop, we met up with Kiwi, before heading to Granville Island, home to the famous Vancouver markets, for both adults & kids!

With the wintery weather well and truly set in, we had to wait a bit longer than usual for the bus, as they are having more and more difficulty trying to combat the slushy conditions (they don't usually get this much snow here!) Touring throughout the markets, we saw many Native shops, which had some fantastic items - including Inukshuks, Totem poles, carvings, paintings and tapestries, very cool!

A quick bite to eat followed (delicious food!) before we headed into the kids market - it had to be done!!! The bus came again, so we headed back downtown, before transferring onto another bus - which took us to Stanley Park.

The park is massive - with the Aquarium, Totem poles, Christmas lights / train and plenty of walking trails and sights to see throughout. With snow covering most (if not all) of the park, we had many opportunities to do "snow angels" but declined, due to the fact our feet were frozen. It is a different cold here compared to Ottawa - very wet cold - therefore making it slushy. Taking in the park, we wandered around, then jumped on the Christmas lights train, which was put on by the Fire Brigade of Vancouver. The lights were well set up and had many families, tourists and couples wandering through admiring the many different scenes. A good day.

Departing Stanley Park in the early evening, we headed to the Old Spaghetti Factory which was located in the gas town district. A beautiful meal soon followed, before we stumbled up and down the area, stopping at a few shops to take in the "touristy side of things"- so stuffed full of food!