Roaming Brood

When we were researching flights from New Zealand to Thailand, we came up with many 33-hour travel options.  This wasn't ideal so when we found a flight that allowed us to stay the night in Singapore and have a few hours to explore the city before flying out late afternoon, we booked it.  It turned out to be perfect! Yup - 3 buildings with a boat-like structure across their tops - harbourfront WOW! Gardens by the Bay Gardens by the Bay - water features - checkout these lilies! Our 10 1/2 hour flight (the longest of the trip so far...beat Newark to Honolulu by 30 minutes) was the best one yet.  Singapore Airlines was fantastic - good service, good food and good entertainment. We took the local train system to our hotel.  All signs were in English and it was relatively easy to figure it out.  Like Japan, the trains were very clean with signs describing the hefty fines one would get for eating, drinking or smoking. MTR transit - lots of Engli...

We have been in New Zealand for 45 days...and it is now time to move on. South East Asia here we come!  Things we (Parker, Nathan and I) noticed: More sheep than people Many fields of long grass Many fields of flowers Lots of farms New Zealanders have accents...similar to Australians but still different Lots of different kinds of honey Lots of train tracks but we didn't see many trains Ketchup is called tomato sauce Lots of campervans on the road The water does go down the drain in the opposite direction! No Big Dipper in the sky...the Southern Cross is most noticeable It is very easy to see all of Orion in the sky The ocean water is more turquoise than we expected The Christchurch airport  has a giant chess game in the international departures area The people are really friendly Merino wool clothing is made here but it isn't any cheaper than home No plastic bags in the grocery stores Food in most grocery stores is expensive Lots of paua shells and ...

We decided to stop in Oamaru for a week for Christmas - another extended stay.  This time, we holed-up on a 100 acre sheep and grain farm belonging to a very kind kiwi family who graciously let us explore what life is like for them in the South Island. Going bonkers for the Moeraki boulders The thing about hosts that have kids is that they get what it's like to travel... with kids.  They invited us to a BBQ and made us feel right at home.  The kids got to know each other, music was played, wine was consumed, delicious food was eaten and fun was had by all! Apres-supper in the caravan - great people and... a zany picture to commemorate the evening! Our neighbourhood Oamaru's public gardens - very pretty - we got a city permit to busk here... not busy enough! Somebody learned to make Chai lattes :) The kids spent their days playing basketball, jumping on a trampoline, feeding and tending to chickens, sightseeing, learning at school, playing with...

Wanaka is almost as big an adventure-sport town as its sister - Queenstown.  Wanaka's turquoise is, IMHO, more vibrant, and we aren't so much into crowds, so we skipped Queenstown this time 'round (no offence Queenstown). The town of Wanaka - in the mountains on beautiful Lake Wanaka Pretty Lake Wanaka in the late afternoon Wanaka is on the aptly named Lake Wanaka.  It's nestled in a valley of snow-capped peaks.  The lake-front is great to walk or bike - the water is not as turquoise as, say, Lake Tekapo - but it's nothing to shake a stick at! There are lots of tour and gear-hire operators down by the lake - you can rent a kayak or... a jet board?!  Yup, a jet board - check this out .  We watched a few dare devils using these. The town also has a decent public playground for kids - a feature our kids really enjoyed. The playground at the waterfront Wanaka is a town for 20-something outdoorsy revellers.  The bar patios are full and t...