First Sights of the Country Side

Enroute to the Paihia (Bay of Islands) via Naked Bus ( beware there are NO washrooms aboard) 

Auckland was O.K. but the second the bus crossed a couple bridges and we reached the outer city I was instantly awakened. The beautiful countryside was lush with rolling green hills. The sheep, cows, and romantic farm cottages are exactly what I had envisioned of my time in New Zealand.  

After 5 hours on a bus with no toilet (Naked Bus is cheaper than the alternative but not cheaper enough for no bathroom) we are at Paihia, the gate way to exploring the Bay of Islands. Its the most beautiful day of our trip so far and we enjoy a walk around the small town. The next day we had to Shippy's for some Fish & Chips.  

For our last day in the area decide to take a boat cruise around the islands. Our beautiful weather hasn't lasted and the trip is an amended version "for safety" & we are bundled up in our rain coats. With one hours remaining of our four hour trip we happen upon a pod of dolphins of all ages & sizes. For 30 minutes nothing can keep us inside the boat & we enjoy embrace life in the wild.     

   Photos

Kia ora & Haere mai!

Only a few hours into our time in New Zealand and we have been overwhelmed by the calming vibe and kindness of everyone we have met. Air New Zealand had incredible customer service, great movies and comfy seats. Food was mildly disappointing but they make up for it with free local wine. 

If you arrive in the Auckland airport the city center isn't close. For NZ$ 16 you can take a bus to nearly anywhere that runs approx. every 15 minutes & the man working the booth is a huge help orienting you to the city's layout.

As you can imagine Gil has done hours of research and our first hostel is in the lovely neighborhood of Ponsonby. While we waited to check in we enjoyed our first official meal @ One 2 One Cafe. Our first meal was the perfect combination of homemade sausage, cozy cafe surroundings, & a warm (not allowed due to our budget) cappuccino.  It's hip, poshy and reminds us of home. While in Auckland we take a ferry to Devonport, for you SF folks its Tiburon EXACTLY, to walk the coastline, eat ice cream & cuddle up on the grass while watching hang-gliders. 

Tomorrow we leave bright and earlier for Northland. Until then we hope you enjoy some of the first photos of our journey.

Honeymoon! Jungle Week

For our second week, we made our way into the heart of the Belizean jungle, with a stop on the way to ride inner tubes on an river through enormous caves.  We stayed at the beautiful Black Rock Ecolodge, which was only accessible by a 45 minute drive from the highway, on one of the bumpiest roads we've ever experienced.  Due to the remote nature of the lodge, meals were served communally in an amazing open air deck.  The natural surroundings were conducive to lots of relaxing, reading, and hammock swinging in our riverside bungalow.  We did partake in a few more energetic activities at the lodge, including, hiking, tubing down the river rapids, canoeing, horseback riding, and some close encounters with rabies!

There was beauty and culture beyond the lodge as well. The highlight and most difficult day trip was to Actun Tunichil Muknal(ATM). After a short mile hike you spend nearly three hours spelunking through water until you reach artifacts and actual human remains of the Mayan people. We also took a day trip to Tikal in Guatemala, one of the largest archaeological sites from pre-Columbian Maya civilization, which was informative and impressive but didn't hold a candle to ATM. 

To close out the trip we drank too much wine on our last night, struggled through the bumpy car ride & Ziplined across the jungle before boarding our plane home. 

 Honeymoon - Belize Photo Gallery