Between Ski Sessions in National Park

So we've been very active the last week or so (a lot more active than last week at least), we just got done with a day on the slopes. We're spending a few days skiing Mt Ruapeho in Tongariro National Park on the North Island. I would still categorise us as beginners, but we've been doing a pretty good job of picking up skiing (both of us had only been once before in North Carolina, so that doesn't really count.) The skiing here is great- well, we haven't actually been on much of the mountain, but it's still great to LOOK at. I think I have gotten enough courage from the time spent on the bunny slopes to tackle a real hill tomorrow.

Before skiing, we spent a few days in the Hawke's Bay Region, which is on the east coast and is known for being New Zealand's best winery area. We took a tour one day, visiting several different vineyards, and then the next day had a personal tour at a vineyard (thank you Sarah G. for that connection!) If you happen to be looking at New Zealand wines, we'd definitely recommend Matariki- they're excellent! The claim to fame of the town we stayed in, Napier, is that after a massive earthquake in 1931 the whole city was re-built in the art deco style (it felt a bit like being at Disney World, where all the buildings matched and had some sort of theme.)

We also have visited several geothermal areas (not all of them reek of sulfur), and seen many more along the side of the road- it's funny to be driving and see small pools all along the roadside that are steaming/bubbling. At one park we saw a geyser, advertised as erupting "every day at 10:15AM", and come to learn that the way it's so reliable is that someone working the park actually pours soap down the spout of the geyser to cause it to erupt (Steve and I felt that was a bit of false advertising, but fortunately the rest of the park was pretty cool so we got over the bit of false advertising with the geyser.)

A few observations that I have found funny/interesting over the last couple of weeks:

1) Water runs down the drain counter-clockwise here (can't remember if it's the other way around in the States?)

2) When New Zealanders try to impersonate American accents, they generally end up sounding like someone out of a John Wayne movie, with a very thick country accent

3) The El Camino has made a comeback in the form of the "Ford Falcon" (except the new version actually has a cover for the bed so it's much classier)

4) We haven't confirmed this is a trend across the country, but at breakfast this morning at our lodge a NZ family ate spaghetti on top of toast..... not exactly how I'd like to start my breakfast but may be very common. WE'll get back to you on that one!

Off to relax and rest tired legs now, hope to get a few more photos loaded soon!