Kia Ora! NZ Post #1

I decided I should probably start posting some pictures from our New Zealand trip since their are so many beautiful pictures of the awesome country. We had a bit of a rocky start to the trip when our video camera got stolen out of our checked baggage and our digital camera broke in our luggage as well. This meant a new camera for us, and so many memorable experiences to take pictures of! So, I will warn you now of a picture overload, and try to give you a little glimpse of our "gonna be hard to top", "even better than I anticipated" trip to New Zealand! I thought I would start this first post with one of my favorite parts of the trip, the Milford Track. We signed up for this trip in June or July, as they only allow 40 unguided hikers on the trail per day. The spots fill up fast, so we were excited we got in and realize why it is such a coveted "trek" (as they call it in NZ). We stayed in bunk houses with our group and got to know people from Israel, Germany, UK, Belgium, New Zealand, and Australia. We hiked at our own pace and could come and go from the huts as we pleased. The scenery was unlike anything I had ever seen before, similar to being in the rain forest, with green, wet, mossy foliage, and mountains that took your breath away at their absolute enormity and beauty. All in all, it just really is one of those things that you have to see in person to truly appreciate its magnificence!
In order to fight off the didymo bacteria, we had to "disinfect" our boots before hiking.
We found this creature on the bottom of a fallen tree. The white stuff was a hard rubbery growth, which clearly looks like a face. Josh added the finishing touches and gave this little guy a stylin do'.
Ahh,the end of the trail. I enjoyed the trek, but the last day I couldn't get to a hot shower and warm meal fast enough!
Believe it or not, Josh made some serious sacrifices for this photo to be taken. What you don't see or hear is me telling Josh, "Whatever you do, don't get your boots wet, it's not worth it (hiking four days with wet boots=pain/blisters)." Nothing in the rain forest dries out, it was the first day and he was walking along the river bank to reach this vine. No sooner had I warned him, when he fell in, got not only his boots wet, but fell in up to his waist. I couldn't help but laugh, and Josh got the picture on the vine.haha,

Just a pretty picture!
Everywhere you looks waterfalls could be seen falling off the mountains. Some big, some small, but because of the large amount of rain, the waterfalls are so powerful they cut through large rocks and ripped down the mountains.
When we reached the top of the pass, we were hiking in a snow storm (wasn't prepared for that!) We stopped at the warming hut hoping the snow would stop and clouds would pass, so we could enjoy the much anticipated view from the top. We had just left the hut and readied ourself to continue on when the clouds parted and allowed us a few amazing pics!
This was one of my favorite plants that we saw. I guess it was kind of fern with these spongy (everything seems "spongy" in the rainforest) chutes that coiled at the top. You really can't get the full effect in the pic, but take my word for it...it was pretty neat. :)
Here's an idea at how clear the water was. Obviously it was pure run off, and actually the water we drank. I just loved how the blue matches the beautiful hue of my hubby's eyes. (I couldn't resist the cheesiness)
This is what is known as the Milford Sound. It was great to be able to take the relaxing boat ride back to shore and enjoy one last view of this absolutely amazing scenery.