amazing video

The sister of my sister-in-law, Teri, knows the family in the following video. They took it during the tornadoes that hit near Albert Lea. This man is such the typical Minnesota Norwegian and so calm in his commentary. It really makes you feel you are there. They made it out without a scratch but unfortunately they lost everything on their farm, including the house they were in. the video is about 9 minutes long, but worth every minute to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8EYYEI0Jbo

Toadstools

While walking in Hamner Springs we found toadstools growing beneath the birch trees. So we thought we would take a picture of one, which turned into two, then three....... well lets just say I left a lot of them out of this post.

Hamner Springs, NZ

Doesn't this look like a wonderful path to walk?

Duey and Chesney thought so.

And what about this fabulous creek to cross?

All part of the fabulous trail we walked in Hamner Springs.

I love taking photos of nature. Its natural beauty needs nothing more then the sunshine from above to create the perfect picture

Sunsets and Vineyards

I love a good sunset. Don't you? New Zealand gave us some of the most incredible ones we have ever seen. This first picture is amazing- I can't remember where in New Zealand we were and I swear I did no editing of this photo. The camera just did it all itself and we say "Thank you camera."

And who loves a good vineyard? oh, oh- pick me!

especially when it is autumn and the colors are changing.

So lovely.

This sunset is in Kaikora, we hung out for a good hour to capture the clouds as the sun went down behind the mountains.

They just kept getting more and more brilliant as the sun went down further.

Then we turned around for a moment and captured this shot

And back to the brilliant sky one last time.

What to do?

Should I sit my kids down to teach them the dangers of playing in the cornfield that has been planted behind our house or just pop in a DVD of "Children of the Corn" and have that take care of it for me?

My favorite places

We arrived in the town of Motueka on the NorthWest coast to this brilliance in the sky.

We were in awe.

The next morning we headed off to the town of Kaiteritei for a boat ride up the northwest coast to take in the stunning coastline.

The seals did not disappoint.

And the waters couldn't have been any more blue

The boat then dropped us off at Bark Bay and we hiked 7.5 KM on a beautiful trail to Torrent Bay where the boat then picked us back up.

Some views from the trail

Ever wonder where your kiwi comes from? the northwest coast of the South Island is most likely. Here is a Kiwi orchard chockers full of delicious kiwi, yummy.

The next day we headed further west to the fairwell Spit to walk along the shore.

We then hapened upon a beautifully rustic campground near Wharariki Beach and stayed there for the night. We walked the 20 minute hike to the beach and were not disappointed. This was the most stunning place we have been to.

Look at that reflection in the wet sand, the sun was perfectly situated for it.

There were sea lions wandering around and playing in the pools just feet from up.

It was amazing.

We sat down a bit to wait for the sunset.

And then it came.

The next morning at the campground the kids thought it would be cool to eat breakfast at the log table situated near our camper. I think the chickens that wandered around the campground were use to people and a bit aggressive. They jumped on the table and started eating our food as soon as we sat down. Thus ending our outdoor eating experience.

The expansive sand dunes at Wharariki Beach

We are settling to our home now. Our belongings have arrives and are almost all unpacked and household projects are in full swing and being checked off our multiple-page list. I have to say we are probably the busiest unemployed people in the world right now.