New Zealand -- November 26 - December 27, 2009

^{The hiking portion of this trip is rated 5 boots out of 5 on the Hiking Boot-o-meter.}

^{The world travel portion of this trip is rated 5 little upside-down (southern hemisphere) globes out of 5 on the Globe-Trotting Globe-o-meter.}

^{The road trip portion of this trip is rated 5 Zoomers out of 5 on the Road-Trip Zoom-o-meter.}

This is Sue's seldom seen not-such-a-happy-hiker, fully knackered, "You're telling me that we just finished hiking 53.5 miles, and tomorrow we start in on another 37.3 miles?", you gotta be kidding, very tired tramper expression.  And it was perhaps not entirely unjustified.

But the next morning brought a new day - as it generally tends to do - and we had places to go and things to do, 

starting off with a hearty breakfast on the front deck. 

The setting sun shining on Mt. Cook - fully 170 miles to the northeast.

So they plant a big ol' Danger sign alongside the trail.  So what did they think we were gonna do?

It was like waving a red cape in front of a bull. 

We ratcheted up our smugness index - given the good weather and trail conditions we could get away with it - as we blatantly and gratuitously...  

... thumbed our noses in the face of Danger, from, it should be noted, the unsafe side of the sign no less!!!

Grag and Andy - Auckland and Auckland/Christchurch

Bruce and Chris from Hamliton

Southern Scenic Route

Clifden Bridge

Riverton - Longwood Holiday Park en suite

Riverton Rocks

Purakaunui Falls (17kms south of Owaka)

McLean Falls 

Invercargill

Bluff - Sterling Point and Bluff Hill

Curio Bay - Hoiho

Porpoise Bay

Nugget Point

Dunedin

Taieri Gorge Train

Wanaka

Haast

Fox Glacier

Greymouth

Able Tasman Track

Picton

Wellington

Hastings

Napier

Taupo

Turangi - Creel Lodge

Tongariro Crossing - 2509' up and 3694' down

Rotorua - Waimangu, Wai-O-Tapu, Te Puia 

Trounson Kauri Park

Waipoua Forest - Tane Mahuta, Four Sisters, Te Matua Ngahere 

Tiri Tiri Island

Auckland

Are we still there, yet?

http://www.anchorage.co.nz/index.html