After the depressing loss, we hit the road back towards Auckland. On the way back to Auckland, I took Dan up to Mt. Eden (an old volcano in Auckland that is the highest point in the city which appeared in a previous post). Afterwards, we headed on back to my place and were out after a couple episodes of True Life on the TV. It was kind of nice to be back to the conveniences of my apartment but a shame that the trip was over.
Jan. 3 was Dan's last day. We pretty much just relaxed and watched other college bowl games on TV as it was another rainy day. That evening before Dan's flight, we went over to Paul and Fiona's flat for a little get-together, so Dan was at least able to meet some of my friends over here. I took him to the airport at around 8:30 to catch his 10:30 flight back home to the U.S. It was great having him out here as my first visitor to NZ and we had a fantastic holiday - well, back to work on Monday and looking forward to the next vacation.
View out over Lake Rotorua
Me digging into the hot (very hot) sand at Lake Rotorua
One of the annoying birds at the Holiday Park that sounded like a Pterodactyl screaming all night long
Watching the Rose Bowl while it was still early and we still had hope
Dan on Mt. Eden with a view out over Auckland City 
The crater at Mt. Eden
This tree is a Pohutukawa which is also known as a New Zealand Christmas Tree as the red flowers bloom each year at Christmas time
This is about the extent of my beard growth for the trip. Unfortunately, I've shaved it off already since I have to go back to work (sorry, ladies).
Nate,
ReplyDeleteMom and I stayed up late last night reading of all you and Dan's adventures - what a great trip, and what fantastic pictures. Some of the scenes look like it's from another planet. You'll have to advise me on some of the techniques (ie; linking other sites, movies, and labelling) some time. I noticed the pics w/one color emphasis - you must have gotten a new camera. My TX1 has that feature also. Have a great new year. Dad.