Dolphins in Bay of Islands

We're now in Pai'hia in north New Zealand. We went on a dolphin watching boat and saw aboout 20 dolphins swimming and doing acrobatics all around the boat.

Jet Boat!

These jet boats are so cool - it's like being on an extreme roller coaster, but on the water. It had 1600 hp, at speeds up to 54 knots. Hang on to your hat. When it hits a wave, you really smack down on the water. We were a hootin' and a hollerin' !!!

The spot we're at is called the "hole in the rock" and we took the jet boat through it. We saw pirhanas in the water all around the boat, but no sharks.

Down the waterfall we go

This 50 meter drop looks fun, but was actually pretty dicey for me. (That's Mike on the left and me on the right.) My line slipped a couple of times, and I ended up swinging into some rocks. It was hard to keep a foothold on the rocks as they were slippery with water and algae.

After this one, we did one last abseil THROUGH a waterfall, where the water was pounding down as you tried to hold the line. Yikes!

Canyoneering in Piha, New Zealand

Piha is on the west coast of the North Island, and is a huge surfing/activity hub. We linked up with an outfitter called AWOL (!) to do some rappelling..the word for that here is abseiling.

This trip was a real stretch for me. It not only involved my first abseiling, but also included jumping off rocks into canyon pools, crawling through caves, and hanging onto a line strung along rocks on a narrow ledge.

Fireworks in Auckland Harbour

What a fantastic show! They even had fireworks that were in the shape of hearts (obviously just for the honeymooners :)

There harbour was chock full of boats while the fireworks were exploding...it was the BEST!!

Auckland Maritime Festival Fireworks

We stumbled upon a great dinner cruise in Auckland Harbour which had the most friendly people on it - we literally must have met everyone on the cruise! Check out the spectacular sunset. As you can see, we're both proudly wearing our Auckland Harbour Bridge Bungy Jumping shirts (you gotta EARN the shirt, man!)

I love bungy jumping!

Sue completes her first jump and is alive! See the happy face and the wave. I have yet to tell her about the 125 meter jump in Southern New Zealand where you have to run and jump over the side of a canyon. But hey, it's a piece of cake, right?

Five, four, three, two, one--- Go!

Sue was the last to jump since she was the lightest person. She had a lot of time to think about it. She was telling the others how to stay calm, but was speachless for the five minutes it took to strap her in and then jump!

Sue is now committed to the jump! It took three countdowns but she finally leaned a bit too far. It was more of a jump than a dive but hey, it's a long way down! She released her harness on the first bounce and enjoyed the rest of the jump from a seated position. Check out that smile on the next photo.

A refreshing jump into the river

Can you see I'm a bit wet and maybe a little dizzy as well. I told Sue it was a cool way to get refreshed. Now if I can convince her its was just a "piece of cake".

Bungy Jumping off the Auckland Harbour Bridge

Posted by Mike:

The jump was 40 meters but it was all about the first step. I went two feet into the water and had a bit of time to splash aroung before springing back up. After three bounces you release a strap and it puts you in a seated position. Mine got stuck and they had to hoist me up inverted the whole time.

Titanic slide

This ride was so strange and tacky, I had to do it. It's a recreation of the sinking Titanic that is an inflatable slide. What this has to do with Burger King is beyond me, but it was fun. We rode the Ferris wheel behind it after dark and looked at all the lights in Auckland.

Minus 5 degrees

This famous little bar is created entirely out of ice. Minus 5 degrees celcius, or 23 degrees to the yanks. Upon entry, you are issued a parka, boots and gloves. Your drink is poured into a glass made of ice..souvenir glass! It actually felt pretty good to escape the 80 degree heat for 20 minutes.

Check out Mike's fashion statement- parka and shorts

Auckland harbor

Wow - a beautiful city! It's like Seattle on a five star August day. The waterfront is bustling with people for a maritime festival - street performers, lots of food, sailboats and cruise ships.

We had dinner at a casual waterfront place called Degree, where they bring your food to you raw on an extremely hot stone, and you cook it at your table.

Mike easily mastered driving on the left side of the road, but managed to run the winshield wipers instead of the blinker at least 10 times. Hysterical. In a cruel twist of reality, he'll probably do the exact same thing when we get home with his car!

A dicey boat ride

We got in some snorkeling the morning of our departure. Beautiful tiny tropical fish were hiding in coral - diving in for protection at the least provocation. It almost looked like the coral was breathing fish.

After that nice experience, the rain came back. Apparently the best time to visit Fiji is in June/July but NOT January! We had a nice farewell with songs and leis, then stepped into the boat for a nasty ride. Although it looks calm in this photo, we had 10 ft. swells before our 30 minute boat ride was over. Yikes. Definitely time to leave Fiji!

Fiji Treehouse

We're on the deck waiving from our treehouse, which was amazing and thankfully very dry, given all the rain. It came equiped with some serious bug spray (which we didn't have to use) and mosquito netting around the bed (which we definitely used). It also had an outdoor hot water shower with coconut soap in a conch shell soapdish that was tucked into the crotch of a tree trunk.

One afternoon we saw several HUGE fruit bats flying overhead. There were lots of toads at night - you had to watch your step to avoid a squish. We tried petting them...they go into a trance or something. Weird.

It's mango season and they are tree ripened = sweet and juicy. Papaya and pineapple is also fantastic.

Rain rain go away

When the native Fijiians wear rain gear to batten down the hatches...you know the rain must be coming down pretty hard! Moments before this was taken, we were sitting on the deck under that umbrella having lunch. When our salad started to turn into soup...we ducked for cover.

Quick Kayak trip

We took a spin around our island on arrival, which was good because within a couple of hours, we had a TORRENTIAL rain fall. I've never seen rain like that!!

BULA!

Bula means welcome in Fijiian. We were welcomed with something called coconut juice (?) Pretty tasty! The people here are friendly...the weather is muggy and overcast.

Matangi Island, Fiji

We took this little plane (Mike estimated about 30 years old) through a nasty storm to our island. On takeoff, we had water streaming from seams in the ceiling.

Christmas Island

A surprise stopover on the way to Fiji. Captain Cook arrived here on Christmas Eve, hence the name. Anyone remember the Bing Crosby song - Christmas Island? Santa sails in with your presents in a canoe??

The really L-O-N-G flight

First class didn't even have it this good!!
Fortunately, we had lots of room to spread out.

Sue Raney, surfer wannabe

OK, so surfing was NOT my thing. I think I was up for all of TWO seconds. I did actually stand up (really) but the photographer wasn't quite fast enough...

Mike Raney, surfer dude

Not bad, huh? Actually, Mike is a natural at this... he was up and riding about 6 waves in the course of an hour! That's me laying on the surfboard watching behind him...

Surfing lessons

OK, so Mike talked me into surfing lessons... we're pretty confident on the beach.

Outrigger Canoe Trip

This was SO fun...we actually "surfed" the waves on the way into shore, then paddled back out and did it again.

Catamaran whale watching trip

Superbowl here we come!!!

It's 80 degrees and sunny, and we're inside watching the football game in our room.

3rd quarter and the current score is Seahawks 27 and Panthers 7. GO HAWKS!!!!

Does anybody know what channel the Superbowl will be on in New Zealand?!

SPAM

Yes, we found Spam alive and well (mmmmm) at the Diamond Head Market & Grill - this version is complete with rice, cheese and seaweed. We passed on it, for now... We opted for a picnic on the beach with other good stuff!

At the top of Diamond Head

Sue and I climbed Diamond Head this morning. We got lucky and saw a double rainbow just after sunrise. There were lots of Japanese tourists. We met a couple who just toured New Zealand (good tips!) and another couple who just opened a "Curves" fitness center.

We walked 4 miles back to our hotel in time to watch the Seattle Seahawks in the afternoon.

Waikiki Beach, Honolulu

Mike had a ice headache from the Pina Colada, but he doesn't look too miserable!

In the air

Let the honeymoon begin! Hawaiian Airlines 767 - 5 1/2 hours in the air is not bad in first class (thanks to air miles). We're drinking champagne and guava juice :) Believe it or not, the lavatory in first class was decorated with fresh orchids...I kid you not!

Skiing in Park City, Utah

Wow, what a spectacular view! From the left, Joe Sulc, our friend and flying partner, Mike, me, Vicki and Dan Raney (Mike's brother). Great skiing - today we're expecting a huge snowstorm, so we're stoking up the firewood in our condo :)

Snowmobiling in Cle Elum, WA

Here are the new toys (well they're used, but new to us). This was taken up in Blewett Pass in Eastern WA in Hayden Meadow. We were pretty excited to be able to get them on/off the trailer and start them up - the snowmobiling itself was gravy!

Snorkeling in Maui, Hawaii

Here we are on Maui in the Olivine Pools near the ocean. It was a little chilly in November, but worth it!

New Year's Eve in Whistler, BC

Here we are in Whistler, BC for some partying to bring in 2006!! The best part about this weekend was Sue conquering the infamous Wishbone run - which took 2 hours, 45 minutes and countless bruises in 2003. This time, I skiied it in 8 minutes without falling. Yee hah!