We had a great few days in Whitianga, a town on the Coromandel peninsula. One highlight was visiting Cathedral Cove, a place featured in the Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian! After a leisurely hike down to the cove, I was initially disappointed…the place was beautiful no doubt, but something wasn't right, it wasn't like all the pictures. Then we discovered that in order to get to the most photographed area of the cove, you had to walk through a rock arch...

We're finishing up our time in Northland, and what a beautiful time it's been! One of the top things I wanted to do while in New Zealand was to visit Waipoua Forest, one of the very few remaining stands of ancient Kauri trees. These trees are nearly as massive as the Sequoias found in California, but unlike any tree I've seen before. They're found in what I'd call a subtropical rainforest (yes, that's my expert opinion, haha), and they don't call them rainfore...

One of the coolest things that we have had direct exposure to on our journey is the passion people have for Australian Rules Football, Rugby League, and Rugby Union (the game played for the World Cup). It all started in Mission Beach, where we saw the Rugby World Cup opening ceremonies on tv. After seeing one of the most amazing ceremonies I have ever seen, we watched the New Zealand All Blacks pummel Tonga 41 to 10. There just happened to be a New Zealander t...

Oh my God!Seriously, God is awesome!We just spent the last three days on a tour of the Great Ocean Road and the scenery was absolutely spectacular.The winding road went along huge sandstone cliffs with clear aquamarine waters below.The big waves are popular among surfers but not so much among ship captains.One of our favorite stops was the "Twelve Apostles," which are a collection of tall standing limestone rocks out in the ocean.Unfortunately, the great 12 have ...

That picture is no joke.Skateboarding rhinos are running rampant through Melbourne!We've yet to spot one, but what a photo op that would be! JTo add that great little factoid, here are a few other quirky observations about Australia. ·"No worries" is the nation's favorite phrase.It can mean "don't worry about it," "okay," or "you're welcome." ·Vendors actually check the back of credit cards for every transaction; State-side stores should take a lesson.However...