What's Happening To Me???

Today I found myself making reference to the 'rubbish bin'. Then I paused and actually had to think really, really hard about what I used to call the bin -- the garbage can.

Oh my goodness, I've gone International English. What's next, petrol and car boots and going to the cinema to watch a film after going to the shops? Am I wearing pants underneath my trousers, or did I forget my underwear which I wear under my pants? Did BG crash the rental car or the hire car? Do I have a mobile or a cell phone? Is it dinner at six thirty, or supper at half six? Did I just eat a whole bar of chocolate, or was it a slab? (Let me tell you, the slab of chocolate sounds way worse.) Did my strawberries come in a container or a punnet? Do I have to do the laundry or the washing? There's nothing on TV, or is it the telly?

This reminds me of the time I bought a can of 'tomato sauce' in Australia, and it turned out to be ketchup. First of all, who puts ketchup in a can? Second, ketchup is ketchup and tomato sauce is for pasta or pizza.

Also, it's raining. Again.

New Zealand Whirlwind

We've finally got photos of our bungy jump:

The Pre-Jump Terror...



And The Jump...



We've continued to keep ourselves busy. First, BG threw himself out of an airplane at 15,000 feet while I stood sensibly on the ground below and snapped photos as he plummeted towards the earth at 200 km/h FOR ONE WHOLE MINUTE (BG insists that I include this for some bizarre reason, like duh, don't people throw themselves out of planes every day?).



Then we drove to the famous Franz Josef Glacier, the only glacier that exists at sea level and at a temperate climate. We did a hike up on the glacier and had the experience of wearing crampons for the first time. Thankfully neither of us drew blood or lost any limbs. After that we moved on to the wonderfully-named west coast town of Hokitika and saw a kiwi bird, which is a really exciting experience because they're a)nocturnal and b)almost extinct. We did have to go to a kiwi bird "house" to see it, but it was pretty cool.

One really great thing that we got to do was go to the school that our friend Meagan teaches at. We got to meet her students and show them some of the pictures that we've taken through the past eight months while we've been on the road. They were impressed by the international snack foods we've sampled (and have not sampled) like fried tarantulas and boiled chicken feet and impressed us with the depth and breadth of their knowledge of native New Zealand birds. Good job, Meagan, and thanks for everything!

From there I had some alone-time and got to carve and polish my own Koru pendant. Oh, and we also saw seals and glow worms and ate something called Hokey Pokey. We're on our way north and in a weird twist of events, the weather's getting warmer as we make our way to the North Island.

It's easy to see that we love New Zealand. I've never seen such diverse landscape and wildlife within such a small area. The countryside is breathtaking with mountains, glittering lakes, and rugged coastlines that eclipse anything I've ever seen before. The people are friendly and generous.

See?

Milford Sound:



Hooker Lake (Mt. Cook behind):

Just Another Day

Yesterday: Woke up, got out of the car. Made a delicious breakfast of toast and stuff. Walked around Queenstown, bought souvenirs of stuffed sheep and kiwi birds. Had a cappuccino -- soy with a shot of sugar-free vanilla syrup. Drove to Kawarau Bridge, 25km out of Queenstown. Tied myself to my husband and bound our ankles with a huge elastic band and jumped off a bridge, 43m above the river. Drove through the mountains to Wanaka, went to the grocery store, went to see "Indiana Jones and the Legend of the Crystal Skull" at a small local cinema complete with comfortable couches and gigantic homemade chocolate chip cookies and ice-cream. Went back to the campground, made dinner, went to bed.

Just another day in New Zealand. Today, BG's jumping out of an airplane...