Rugby

This weekend, we attended our first rugby match. The Auckland Blues took on the Wellington Hurricanes in an 80 minute non-stop battle of brawn.
Although Megan has almost no understanding of the game of rugby, it was good fun to take in the atmosphere. Rugby is the country’s most passionately supported sport and the crowd is not too far from typical American football fans.

Megan and I had a good time recapping the similarities and differences between a rugby match and an American sporting event. Here are some of our favorites:

Beer
American: Bud Light
Kiwi: Speights

Snack
American: Nacho’s
Kiwi: Chips (a.k.a French-fries)

Half time show
American: Musical performance
Kiwi: Samoan war dance

Pre-game preparation
American: Tailgates
Kiwi: Pints at the pub

Stadium size
American: Regularly sellout 100,000+ seats
Kiwi: First sellout since 1987 at around 37,000

Cat call
American: "Show your tits!"
Kiwi: "Show me your rack of lamb!"

Public service announcement
American: Don’t drink and Drive
Kiwi: Don’t drink and Fry (unattended cooking is the leading cause of house fires in NZ)

Ok, so I many not convert to a full blown rugby fan while here, but I had a great time being a kiwi fan for the night! Let’s go Blues!

Parking Meter, New Zealand

Our first visitors!!!!

We have welcomed our first visitors to NZ! Last Wednesday my Mom and Dad arrived in Auckland and its been such a fun time showing them around the north island.

Here we are enjoying the view from Mudbrick Vineyard on Waiheke, if you look closely you can see Auckland in the background. Its official, its our favorite restaurant-ever!
We took advantage of our day off of work (thank you ANZAC day) and visited the west coast.
This is the view from the top of Whites Beach, it was such an amazing hike......
Check out my mom practically rock climbing to the bottom!

Here they are at Ransom vineyard with an awesome nibbles platter.

Over the weekend, we drove up to the Bay of Islands. Although it was a very rainy day we enjoyed an overnight stay in Russel (the historic little town that was originally the capital of NZ). This week, my parents are going to explore the south island; Mat and I cant wait to fly to Queenstown and meet up with them. More pictures and adventures to follow!

In the NZ Herald Today

Did Neanderthals speak like New Zilanders?

LONDON - Neanderthals have spoken out for the first time in 30,000 years, with the help of scientists who have simulated their voices using fossil evidence and a computer synthesiser.
And they may have sounded a bit like New Zealanders.

Is this why I cant understand anyone?!

Full Story:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/6/story.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10504671

Christchurch

Happy Birthday to Mat!!! We celebrated by traveling to the south island for the first time. It's only a one hour flight to Christchuch from Auckland and you are in a whole new world. Our 3 day weekend was spent exploring Christchurch and the surrounding Canterbury region.

Highlights of the trip included perfect fall weather, the Banks Peninsula and Arthurs Pass.

Check it out: http://picasaweb.google.com/megan.leanderson/Christchurch

On another note, we are preparing for our first visitors; cant wait to welcome my parents to Auckland next week!!!!

Tornado Races

A couple weeks ago Mat was invited to attend the Tornado Races in Auckland Harbor. Here is an amazing photo of that day by a local photographer that we love. More on the races later...

Bay of Islands

This weekend we headed North to the Bay of Islands and hired a sail boat for a few days. The Bay of Islands is a truly special place with historic significance and unparalleled, unspoiled beauty. The backdrop to our adventure was stunning despite some mishaps with fuel and accommodations!

Mat was the captain of Kea, our boat, as I am still learning to sail. It would be kind to say that Kea was a bit dodgy ... compared to some of the amazing boats we saw, we were definitely sailing economy! Although Mat may disagree, I think sleeping on top of our sea latrine in a very small compartment with no pillows and towels as blankets is roughing it. The true crown jewel of our experience was coming within a half mile of the dock and running out of gas. (We sat for an hour until we gave up on the wind and called the company we rented from to come and bring us gas!)

Despite these setbacks, I think the pictures speak for themselves; the Bay of Islands is a must see when coming to New Zealand. As we watched the sunset and drank our NZ wine on night two, we lamented how much we miss everyone at home and how much fun it would be to sail again with our friends and family on board. Hope this finds everyone well, you are in our thoughts

Here is link to our pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/megan.leanderson/SailingTheBayOfIslands