Well... it is only Thursday night, but we are mentally ready to go on our first grand traveling adventure! \240 Unfortunately, we still have another night at home...
Mark may think I am crazy for packing my suitcase on Monday night, but a stress free travel morning will make it all worth it.
I am trying something new this trip: I have rented an 85 mm lens for some astrophotography. \240I can’t wait to try it out.
Anyways... wish us luck that we’ll make it through a full work day tomorrow and that we will be able to sleep tomorrow night. \240We have a full travel schedule ahead of us!
Astrophotography requires a great lens and a great head lamp... \240
Oh.... and since we will be gone for 2 whole weeks, I decided to dye my hair purple. \240😂😂
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Mark went to see a terrible movie last night, and i stayed in with Catherine and Pearl. Our bags were already packed, so it was an easy night!
To be honest, I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep last night. \240I’ve been waking up at 3 am for no reason pretty regularly lately. \240 But I totally slept until 6am today. \240🙌🏼 miracles do happen! \240 We had some snuggle time with Pearl, and after a good breakfast, we were ready to hit the road!!
Our flight out of Charlotte was delayed ... because there wasn’t a plane here. \240Haha. \240Good times.
We’re good travelers, so the delay was just a perfect time to explore the new terminals at CLT. \240I found a cool spot to watch planes do what they do. (Click play on the time lapse video below).
Our flight to Philly was uneventful once we got on the plane. \240And, of course, there were plenty of Eagles fans around for Mark’s enjoyment. \240 He found some cool spots in the airport too! \240
The day will end with us in the air, so I’ll end this here. \240 Happy Saturday! \240
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We made it to Doha!
Doha is in Qatar, a small country right off Saudi Arabia... directly across the Persian Gulf from Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It’s about 4pm here on Sunday - about 8 hours ahead of Charlotte.
We need to talk about this flight for a minute. Now, I have flown Qatar Airways before... I was in the economy seats and I was thoroughly impressed with the service and quality of seats/entertainment. \240When Mark and I got to Philly, we decided to try our honeymoon luck - was an upgrade available? \240 Spoiler alert: it was.
I have done a little international travel, but never like this. \240So, I don’t know if the incredible service was due to the class or the airline, but I have to believe it was a little bit of both. \240Shout out to Tanya and Sanjeev!
The seats were definitely a highlight: fully reclining when we wanted to sleep, able to just kick our legs up for some TV time... we also received complimentary PJs for our comfort! \240 The entertainment was the same as what I remember from Economony Class, but on a larger screen. \240The food was also as I remembered it, but we could order whenever we wanted. \240It was also plated really well. \240Haha. \240(for reference: Airbus 350-900)
We don’t know that we’ll get the honeymoon upgrade on our next leg to Auckland, or if we’ll splurge for business class on an international flight, but we are glad we were able to experience this together. \240When a complimentary box of Godiva chocolates arrived after dinner, we just threw our hands up and laughed. \240It was unreal. \240
I recently commented on a friend’s Facebook post about life being about the journey, not the destination. \240 This is one heck of a journey. \240But I was thinking about it: you also need to be heading to a destination that excites you... somewhere you WANT to be! \240 So, I say this: it’s not JUST about the journey or the destination. \240Joy and Happiness and Peace are about all of it and any of it and what’s in your heart throughout. \240::Deep Thought of the Day::
I’ll leave you with a few more pictures from the Doha airport! \240 \240All our love from the Middle East!
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We made it! \240 More to come, but just wanted to let y’all know that we are safe and sound. \240
Okay, I’m back. \240 WHAT A DAY!!! \240 Mark and I went zip lining and zorbing, and found our way the crater wall for our AirBnB stay.
The adventures were photographed, so I’ll have to post those pics/videos later ... but here are some fun shots ...
Mark drives on the right side of the road... but it feels so wrong.
The gorgeous drive
Zorbing!
It was awesome! \240 But the sun was in our eyes!
Local beer and lemonade
Steam from the volcano
Our view for the next 2 nights.
Side note: our ABnB host is fantastic. He gave us a great tour of the lake from the house. \240He even told us about the Okere Falls... we couldn’t resist a quick hike...
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What an adventurous day!
We started our second full day by driving almost 90 minutes to go to Hobbiton. It was amazing, and definitely worth the trip.
After that, we came back to town, grabbed a few items, and then went to Te Puia to learn about the Maori culture, eat some food, and watch a presentation. \240There was also an active geyser!! \240(Better pictures to come!)
Tomorrow we’ll be driving to Wellington... \240for now, I’m going to sit and enjoy some tea before bed. \240 Love y’all! \240
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Well friends, we made it down the North Island to Wellington. \240We saw Mordor along the way, and talked to a guy who played an Orc. Mark’s phone has all the pics - so I’ll have to upload them later.
We’re safe and sound and staying in the lighthouse on Island Bay for a few days.
Here’s the view from the top of our lighthouse.
The days are really long here... \240 the sun comes up around 5am and sets around 8:30pm. \240 It’s a little disorienting, but we’re getting used to it. \240
Tomorrow will be another fun day - we hope all is well back home! \240
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What a busy day! \240 \240
we started with a tour of the Weta Workshop: the team responsible for making all the costumes and props for Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit movies, and many others! \240They’re also the studio who does the miniature and bigature sets for Thunderbirds Are A Go! The remake of the popular 60s show. \240
Next, we popped over to the Wellington Zoo. We saw a Kiwi! \240And had a close encounter with a pair of Cheetahs. \240They were so happy, and were purring the entire time we were there! \240These two boys were abandoned by their mother as babies, and they believe their humans are part of their tribe. \240
Finally, we went to Te Papa to view an installation by the Weta group titled “Gallipoli: the Scale of Our War.” \240 It was incredible. \240 Mark has the pictures, I’ll post soon.
We’re finishing our busy day with a quick bite and then back to the lighthouse for an early bedtime.
For now, I’ll leave you with this purring beauty.
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Good morning, rise and shine :)
Yesterday was another travel day for us. \240We took the ferry down to South Island, and it was gorgeous.
It’s not your screen... that’s a fuzzy picture. \240Sorry! \240But you get the idea... \240beautiful waters, dramatic rocks hugging out... \240more pictures to come!
We docked in the cute town of Picton, and took the scenic Pacific Highway down to Christchurch. \240We only got a few pictures from the road... but we did stop to see some seals! \240 Some are hard to make out, so I’ve circled them :)
It was a beautiful drive, and fun to know that the US was just on other side of that body of water. \240
Happy Saturday y’all!
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Sunday! \240
We took the TranzAlpine train across the South Island to Greymouth, and then drove down to Hokitika. \240The South Island is truly dramatic! \240 The Teutonic plates are still shifting down here, so the mountains and valleys have a lot of new beauty to offer.
Hokitika Gorge
It was raining in Hokitika center city
The famous Arthur’s Pass
View from our AirBnB for the night....
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Mmmm, pancakes! \240
We woke up yesterday morning without much to do except get back to the train. \240So, we decided to drive (much further than we expected) to see the Pancake Rocks! \240They are phenomenal, and definitely worth the excursion.
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Omg so tired. \240So so tired.
We hopped off the train yesterday in Christchurch, and got back in the car to drive to Lake Tekapo (3 hrs or so). \240It wasn’t so bad for most of the drive, until we hit gravel road. \240The moon was beautiful and full, and the road ahead of us was an adventure!
At one point, we came to the end of the road at - what looked like - a small bit of water. \240Our GPS was telling us to cross. \240Our guys were telling us not to. \240Mark hopped out of the car, found a big rock, and threw it in. \240 Y’all, this was a creek. \240This was not being crossed in our Mazda rental car. \240So, we backed her on up and found some bridges down another road. \240Ask Mark about what he saw out there, though...
we finally made it to Lake Tekapo around 11 pm, only to find that we couldn’t get into our AirBnB. \240We called the host, and it turns out that they overbooked - and had a new place for us to stay. \240It was fine... \240a sweet little room with a bathroom. \240And let’s be honest, that’s really all we needed.
It was a cloudy night, but we still headed up to the Mt. John Observatory for our star gazing. \240No photos currently, but we had fun.
We made it back to the room by 3am. \240 It’s 7am now and we’re hitting the road again to get back to Wellington. Mark is being a champ about it. \240I think I’ll sleep on the ferry....
Love y’all!
Edited to add a picture of Lake Tekapo for your enjoyment. \240
Lake Tekapo
Church of the Good Shepherd.
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We made it back to Wellington pretty late last night. \240There was a ton of construction on the coastal highway (it popped up in the short few days we were there!!) and the ferry took off about an hour late. \240No problem though! \240It was still a fun day! \240
We stopped at Goose Bay to check out the pretty Pacific Coast.
We’ll be leaving for Auckland in a few.... and then we’re done driving until we get home!
Here’s a fun pic from the ferry for your amusement. \240
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We landed in Auckland 7,000,000 hours ago* and we just found sushi. \240It was where it all began. \240I didn’t take pictures of the food, but trust us: it was delicious. \240Here’s a nice picture of our empty plates from the sushi train
Also: we finally got ice cream. \240 Actually, it was gelato, but I’ll take it.
We also found a very cool bar called Holey Moley. \240 Indoor putt putt. \240Movie themes. \240It was amazing. \240We were also 10 years too old. \240The Auckland’s waterfront is pretty cool too. \240
We’re here for a few days.... and we’re so happy to not be on the move for a minute!!
Cheers!
*rounded up. \240For effect. \240 Well, now that you ask, we technically landed 198 hours ago. \240Thank you, Internet. \240
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We had some fun today. \240Highlights:
- sarah busted on a lime scooter. \240
- shopping for an all blacks shirt ALL OVER QUEEN STREET
- siesta
- Mexican Dinner
Holey Moley Putt Putt with a giant beer for Mark.
Irish pub to watch the Australian Open... where Mark decided he was chilly and wanted to wear my scarf
... and where we saw a beautiful blonde mullet
And we stopped off to get some treats.
I tried these:
Hard Pass. \240Did not like. \2400/10. \240Would not try again.
Tried these:
Yes. \240Please sir, may I have some more? \24010/10. A++ Would come again. \240
Now we’re trying to figure out the stove in our AirBnB to make a frozen pizza. \240 You just can’t take us anywhere..... \240
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Adventure in Auckland! \240
Mark and I explored the city some more, saw a movie (obviously), and had a nice dinner before packing up and prepping for our flight home. \240Take off is in about 8 hours! \240
There’s a Myers Park on Queens Street here. \240#feelslikehome
Found a record store. \240Records are $7 each or something. \240 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Found “The White House: An Entertainment Center”.... \240y’all. \240It’s a strip club. \240
See? \240 Strip club. \240
Movies. \240Obviously. \240
Searching for: donut and ice cream. \240Found: donut ice cream sandwich, ice cream, cronut. \240
That’s all folks! \240 See y’all again in the good ol’ US of A!
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