Comments on New Zealand

As Robin said, "Is anyone reading this?" OK, so my blog isn't public, but I hope the people who do know I have this blog know that I've updated! Everything is finally up! I'm sorry for the plethora of pictures, but you know me. To me, a picture is worth a thousand words. . .ok, more like, I'm just camera happy all the time. Hope you enjoy the pics!

Overall, I loved my trip! Food was good and cheap (at least I think so!), although souvenirs were pricey. It did remind me a lot of the West Coast, from California up to Alaska. Diving reminded me of Monterey, the beaches were like home, and kayaking the fiordlands transported me back to Alaska. Yet, there were huge differences too. There were tropical fish swimming amongst the kelp, thermal vents heated the beach, and we camped in the crazy cool forests of the fiordland. I'm so glad I made the trip!

Did you notice that so many of my friends have now gone, but each of us has had (is having) a very different experience. I've been reading the blogs, and it's interesting. I don't know why it only occurred to me now, but I finally realized how different we all are! I think what tipped me off was the comparison of our accounts of New Zealand. There were all the birding notes Robin made, Freecia's comments about sheep, my many underwater photos, and Melissa's outlines of natural history and culture. We all have different passions, and we each catered our trips to what we love. The best part is that NZ had to offered something different for each of us, and it's great to hear everyone's take on things! I think the fact that we like knowing what the others like is what makes us friends, huh? It reminded me of our trip to Seattle and Vancouver, and our many trips to Monterey. We should do another one of those (hint: Melissa's birthday is coming up!).

Here's to friendship, trips to far off places, and future trips together!