Road trip!

Zorbing was invented here: rolling down a hill
in a big rubber ball filled with water

Mark and Conrad finally got to test out their new tent and it turns out that it effectively shields them from Matt's snoring and most other background noises. It's a good thing too because there are a lot of people camping in many of the places we visited and they are not shy about plopping their tents within a few feet of yours. We're used to a little more breathing room when we camp. On the plus side, the toilets are usually clean(ish) and stocked with toilet paper at the Department of Conservation sites.

Waterfalls and a glacier at Mt. Aspiring

My goal for this trip was to make sure that Mark and Conrad got to see a glacier and a mountain. Check and check. We tried to alternate death hikes (if you ask the kids) with some 'fun' activities. Our visit to Queenstown was almost a repeat of our visit 15 years ago (Shotover Jet, gondola, and luge) but we got to see a lot of new things too. We skipped the bungee jumping and river sledging this time but the boys did watch some bungeeing. It turns out that this is not necessarily a PG-rated activity. They learned a few new words and gestures in the process.

Lake Matheson

When can I stop walking?

Franz Josef Glacier

Mt. Aspiring

Mt. Cook and Lake Tekapo

Skate park in Wanaka

Panning for gold in Arrowtown

Shantytown in Arrowtown where Chinese immigrants lived
while they panned for gold

A hot spring river and waterfall.

Zorb in action

Sculpting school at Te Puia

Pohutu Geyser heating up

Shotover Jet.

Yes, I realize there are real problems in the world

Big kauri tree

So this month we find ourselves "On the Hard." That's boater speak for having the boat pulled out of the water and placed in a boat yard.  No matter how nice a boat yard, being on the hard is always a wee bit soul crushing for us. There is always a long list of work to do: known projects, known unknown projects and worst of all, the dreaded unknown unknown projects.  All of these result in the  bleeding of copious amounts of money. Couple that with having to get up early (unless you can sleep through grinding and welding just out your window) and having to walk to the bathrooms 200 meters away, and you can start to understand that being on the hard just plain blows.

River Skate Park

We are finishing up the removal of bottom paint and gel coat. We should stop with the internet research on blistering. It's as bad as researching medical symptoms online at making ourselves crazy.

Perry with a naked (almost) bottom

We'll take an abbreviated road trip while we wait for the hull to be fully and completely dry. Mark and Conrad are champing at the bit to try out the tent they got for Christmas, which they think will give them relief from Matt's snoring. I think they underestimate the power of their dad's nasal passages and overestimate the insulating capabilities of a few layers of nylon.

When we get back, we'll work on a couple of fiberglass repairs and have the bottom filled and faired before heading off to the Chicago area for a visit. We're excited to see our family and friends. Not so excited that we'll be back just as the primaries are in full swing and will undoubtedly be inundated with political ads.  Much as you can build (and/or lose) a tolerance to alcohol, we have certainly lost our tolerance to the nastiness that is American politics these days. Might need to build up that alcohol tolerance to cope...

Conrad is showing the size of the tree. Mark's a bit tired.

Whangarei Falls

Bumper balls

Jousting at Medieval Madness

Bagpipes at Medieval Madness