New Zealand-Day 1

Well, here's to the start of what promises to be an absolutely great trip.

My parents and I are heading to the South Island of New Zealand for two and a half weeks of "holiday" this January, where it will be summer. New Zealand, lying in the southern hemisphere on the opposite side of the globe from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is seasonally reversed from us. So when it is winter for us, it's summer for the kiwis. I'm actually writing on the fourth day of the trip, because of the lack of internet access that we've been encountering, and the strange thing about it is that while you are reading this in the States, you are actually a day behind us in New Zealand because of a 21 hour time difference. So while I'm writing this on the 4th of January, you could be reading it on the 3rd. Pretty nuts. But anyways, so far we've had great weather, in the 80's or so, and our stay on the South Island has been wonderful. The South Island is more diverse than the North, geographically and weather-wise, and it is definitely a unique place in the world. And I hope to share a glimpse of this place with you from the medium of this blog. Enjoy.

Our journey took us from Spokane, to Seattle, to Los Angeles, and then, after an accumulating travel time of about 29 hours, we finally made it to New Zealand, flying in to Auckland. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, with more than 1 million people. It's located on the northern part of the North Island. Right about here:

While flying to Auckland, we actually were the very first people on

Earth to see the sun rise over the new decade, 2010. Gisborne, New Zealand is the first place on Earth to see the light of the new day, and we were a couple thousand feet above it on the sunrise of January 1st, 2010. It was a really cool, but really weird feeling, knowing I was one of a few hundred people to be the first to see the light of a new dawn over a new decade. Pretty cool though. The Egyptians believed every time the sun set, it was locked in battle with the moon. And every time that the sun rose, it had vanquished the moon and been reborn. They found hope in the victory of the sun as good triumphs over evil. Perhaps, this rebirth of the sun for this next decade will give us a similar hope.

Anyways....From Auckland, we took a smaller plane to Christchurch, also one of the largest cities in New Zealand, and located on the South Island. From there, we got our rental car, with the steering wheel on the right hand side. New Zealand, like Europe, has a road system where cars drive on the left. Seems pretty simple right? Apparently not. It's been really amusing watching my dad drive, because every once in a while, he'll try to turn into oncoming traffic. While this is amusing from the backseat, it apparently is terrifying for my mom. Each of these moments sounds a bit like this:

Charles: "Alright, High Street! Man, I got this down pat, no need for maps for me...."

(Commence turn into incorrect lane, with oncoming traffic)

Carol: "CHARLES! Stay left! Stay left! Oh shtick, turn, turn, turn there are cars coming right at us!"

Charles: "Gaaah...Alright! Alright! I'm going, I'm going as fast as I can! Heavens to Mergatroid, what's the speed limit in Clics here anyways!?"

(Van passes over median with a thump. Random New Zealanders began to point and laugh, and my Dad begins to justify his wrong move in some pitiful manner amidst grumbles and wild pointing around the front seat of the van.)

The aftermath of these moments is always an awkward stagnation of quiet. Neither Charles nor Carol speaking to one another or making any sudden movements. Nothing of any sort to upset the quiet equilibrium reached when both are equally embarrassed at revealing our American-ness to countless passerbys. Finally, I laugh, disrupting the calm, and then I'm immediately sorry that I did.

But I'm pretty used to this by now.

I'm used to my Dad walking everywhere in his incredibly stylish phanny-pack, with his cooly collected demeanor and uncanny ability to ask me socially awkward questions in front of attractive girls. And this phenomenon of parental interaction is only increased when in New Zealand.

Such is a day in the life for Clayton Cardarelli. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Here is the fearless leader himself, looking outward over the vast, green New Zealand firmament we are undoubtably going to conquer over the next few weeks:

After a couple more hours of driving, we made it from Christchurch to our final destination for the next three days: Akaroa. Akaroa is Maori (New Zealand Native) for "Long Bay". And Akaroa was beautiful. The following day, we swam with dolphins in Akaroa bay, which was my first time in the water with them, and it was incredible. The dolphins that we swam with are Hector Dolphins, which are the smallest and rarest in the world. They look like miniature Orcas, with white and black markings along their bodies, and with a small, black, curved dorsal fin. Apparently, they are affectionately referred to as the "Pandas of The Sea", for their markings and their playfulness. I was cool with that. Other than that, we just relaxed on the beach for a much needed break. The first few days were incredible. And many more are sure to come. That's quite enough for today. More photos are to come, indubitably . Until then, g'day mates.

Akaroa Harbour

Above Akaroa, Rim of Volcano

Akaroa Bay, View From Water