Destination #2: Timaru*

After consulting our map Jacob and I decided to make our second stop in Timaru. We had no real reasoning behind this, except that it was about halfway between Akaroa and Dunedin (where we hoped to get to the following day). But, while we had real reason for it, I'm really glad that we chose it for our next stop.

Timaru was refereed to as "The Heart of the South Island", and it really was an awesome place to stop on a good-weathered spring day.


After finding a holiday park for the night, we headed over to Caroline Bay. The guidebook that my good friend Holly gave me said that it was a must see, and they were right. The park was HUGE and had everything from a rose garden to modern art to an aviary to a sandy beach! It was fantastic.

I love that in the background of this sandy beach there are snow capped peaks.... just a hint of the variety of climates we're going to see...

Jacob met a new friend in the aviary...



I swear he spent about 15 minutes trying to get this bird to talk to him. And, eventually we did get a "hello" or two.

After checking out the park we headed out to get some dinner. Little did we know that on a Saturday evening NO ONE would be open! We ran into this same problem when we moved to Canada a couple years back, but it hadn't occurred to me that it would be a problem in NZ, too. Needless to say after a day of driving and then wandering around a park, we were STARVING. Thankfully we found a place just outside of the touristy part of town. We parked in front of this sign, which I found a bit comical. =)


After dinner we headed back to the holiday park and got a good night's sleep!


*Hey! It rhymes! =)

Destination #1: Akaroa

After 30-some hours of travel, Jacob and I arrived in Christchurch on September 2nd and headed to the rental car stands to pick up our campervan. After watching a 10 minute video on where everything is in the van and how to hook everything up, and another 20 minutes of signing paperwork and saying "yay" or "nay" to a variety of additions that we could also "hire" (i.e. "rent" in American) we were on our way.

Jacob and I both sat in the van for a second before moving. Jacob nervously trying get his bearings behind the wheel, me nervously hoping that he WOULD get his bearings! lol And then off we went... for about 10 minutes until we found a grocery store and a coffee shop with wifi. We needed food and to let our families know we were ok.

And then we were off, for real this time, to our first destination, Akaroa!

Akaroa is on the east coast of the south island in a big crater, which means we climbed up windy roads in order to get there. I think this was kind of a good initiation for Jacob in terms of New Zealand driving. =) The views were gorgeous though, and I kept thinking that the rolling hills were what I expected Ireland to look like ( haven't yet been, but it's on my list).



Our first "holiday park" was reserved months ago. We planned to stay 2 nights (to recoup from the jet lag) and, as I'm a bit of an obsessive planner, I wanted to make sure that we had a place already picked out for our first night. I knew we were going to be tired and cranky and probably wouldn't want to be wandering around looking for a place to park for the night.




It turned out to be a fantastic place to spend our first day and a half on the island. We had gorgeous views onto the bay (I loved waking up to it!) and were within walking distance from the french-inspired village.






The only downfall was mother nature.

When we woke up that first morning we decided to walk down to the village. The clouds looked a little ominous, so we wore layers and brought our umbrella. Sure glad we did! After walking through the township and getting to the other end, it started to rain. First a little bit, and then a LOT. By the time we'd gotten back to our camper we were soaked and I was covered in mud (after slipping down a muddy embankment). It was only about 2 in the afternoon at this point. We spent the rest of the day in the camper reading, napping and listening to the rain (and HAIL) come pummeling down.

After dinner, some time watching Kiwi TV in the park's lounge, and running through the rain, Jacob and I headed to bed for what we hoped would be a good night's sleep.

Fast forward to about 4:30 am...

"WHAT THE F*** IS THAT!!!"

This was, I admit, a direct quote when I was startled awake by our campervan violently shaking back and forth. I was SURE that some guys were outside screwing with the tourists by surrounding and shaking the van. Jacob, ever the thinker (even in the middle of the night) said, "I think it's an earthquake". I still made him look outside to make sure there weren't big rugby-sized guys out there. We laid there for the next couple of hours feeling the aftershocks, me wishing they would stop, Jacob probably thinking they were pretty cool.

The next morning we were packing up getting ready to head out to go swim with the dolphins in the bay (something I had booked before we left and was REALLY excited about), when the camp host came down to check in with us and let us know that the earthquake had been (at that time) classified as a 7.4 (it was later dropped to a 7.1) and that there had been a lot of damage in Christchurch and surrounding villages.

We hadn't realized that the quake had been that bad. Neither Jacob nor myself had been in an earthquake before, and we WERE in a bed with shock absorbers. However, the moment I heard it was a 7.4 I thought "oh crap... my mom will hear about this one, I better send her a message so she doesn't freak out." We sent our families texts to let them know we were alive and ok* and headed out to check in at the wharf. We kinda figured that the excursion would be cancelled at this point, but thought we should check in before we left town.

There was a fair bit of damage in the village, but nothing in comparison to what Christchurch experienced. The wharf was messed up, a couple of the historic building had some structural damage, and there was no power so everything was closed (thank goodness we had food in the camper), but otherwise Akaroa was still kicking. People were out everywhere on the streets accessing the damage and talking about their experiences the night before.

This photo was taken the day before-- after the earthquake a couple of the monument's turrets had crumbled down.

The damaged wharf

As predicted, our dolphin excursion was canceled, so Jacob and I got an early start out of town, listening to news on the radio about the damage in Christchurch, and talking about how this honeymoon was going to be one to remember!



*The text message we sent our parents never actually made it... which meant that we had MANY concerned e-mails and voicemails by the time we got internet access later that day.

Back Packer!!!

1500 miles... that's about how far Jacob and I traveled over the course of our 12 days on the south island of New Zealand (I'm not counting the CRAZY travel actually getting to and (particularly) from New Zealand (about 31 hours to, and 39 hours home!))... and all from our trusty little campervan!

Our Back Packer!

Day Layout

Our Kitchen

Night Layout (I love this photo... he was SOO happy to not be driving anymore! lol)

The camper was fantastic (I kinda want one now!) It came equipped with astove, microwave, fridge, queen-sized bed, dishes, linens, etc. And Jacob did an awesome job with all the driving. Since the van was a manual, I can't drive a stick, he did all the driving. And, taking into account that he doesn't drive a stick on a regular basis, had to drive on the opposite side of the road, AND had to shift gears with his left hand, he rocked it. =)


I am so happy that we chose to rent a camper rather than a car. Not only did we spend less on the camper than we would have on a car plus costs of accommodations, it gave us great flexibility in our travels. We were able to stock up on food at a local grocery store and didn't NEED to go out to eat all the time (we averaged about one meal a day). If we got hungry, and were in the middle of nowhere, we could just pull over, hop in the back and make a sandwich.

There were also a TON of places to camp throughout the island. They were (for the most part) quite well marked, clean and well maintained... also, quite cheap (we averaged about $30NZ per night, about $22 US... for a POWERED site!). I also loved that they were called "Holiday Parks" rather than campgrounds or RV parks. =)

Over the course of our 12 days, we had seven different "destinations". I think that what I'll do is go through each destination one by one in later posts (with all the crazy stores that ensued!), but for now, I'll leave you with a mapped out preview of what's to come! =)






View Larger Map

In Limbo

I don't know what my name is.

Well... I do... sort of. Legally I share my last name with Jacob, however not all of my documents have been changed to reflect this. And all of my work logins, e-mails, etc. are still my old name. I'm kind of feeling this weird internal conflict... and it takes a LOT of brain power to sign my name as I have to think about which name I need to sign for which situation.

***

I waited to start the name change process until after we got back from the honeymoon, as I knew that I wouldn't be able to get an updated passport in time for our international journey. So, last week I hit the Social Security Administration and the DMV to start the process. It was a pain... the DMV more than the SSA... but a pain none the less*

Awhile ago I won a giveaway for MissNowMrs, a web service that allows you to fill in all of your info and then they auto-populate "all" the forms that you'll need to change your name with various organizations. After going through the process, I wasn't overly excited about it... and was kind of glad that I didn't blow the $30 and actually pay for it myself. I mean, it wasn't BAD, but you had to enter the same information over and over again for each form, so I really didn't feel like it saved you any time, and so far the places that I've tried to turn the forms into have just give me a new form to fill out anyway. On a positive note, the service was helpful in assisting me with identifying all the various places where I may need to send letters/copies of my certified marriage certificate, but I'm sure most wedding books/websites will have similar lists available. So, in the end, I suggest just skipping it and doing the leg work... as you're going to need to do it anyhow.

My next step is the bank and then ordering new checks, then my passport--which means I have to worry about taking another good picture**. This whole thing is quite the process! I would love to hear others' name change horror stores! =)


* I stood in line for an hour (physically in line... no number draw) only to find out that I didn't have proof of my SSN and had to go home to get it. Why do I need this? They are just replacing my card? I had my DL and my passport and I am IN THE SYSTEM... but no, they needed my social security card. So, I had to run home, get that, and then go BACK to the DMV. At least I had a "pass" to get to the front of the line!

**After trying SOO hard to look presentable for my new driver's license photo, which I was going to have to live with for the next 8 years, I turned out looking stoned. Bah.

Gettin' Our Hair Did!

and nails, and makeup!

Recaps are going to be a little all-over-the-place I have a feeling. I'm going to go back to the wedding day... and then probably to the honeymoon as I'm waiting for the pro shots to come back... so... bear with me! =)

PICTURE HEAVY POST!

On the big day my three bridesmaids, mom, soon-to-be-mom-in-law, Jacob's aunt and I all headed to a spa in Newport, Oregon to get beautiful. =) As the wedding was three hours away from my home, and I'm a low-budget bride, I was unable to do any hair or make up trials, but I did bring a lot of photos. And, for the most part, I think everything turned out pretty well!

I gave the girls the option of getting any services. I honestly didn't care what they did with their hair or how they did their makeup. However, they ALL chose to get their hair done, as did my mom and Jacob's aunt (who helped the girls with their make up Mary Kay style), and Jacob's mom got a mani/pedi.

Now here's the eye candy. =)

Getting ready to head into Earth Bound Beauty Day Spa

Jessica getting all done up!

Soon-to-be-Mom-in-law sipping a beverage while being pampered.

Don't you just love the hair?? =)

I think I like THIS style a little better =)

With a mimosa in hand! (Complimentary at the salon... was kind of a selling point for me! lol)

I have eye lashes that will NOT curl. After trying several ways, with several different methods, we finally just gave up! lol

Weirdest feeling EVER!

All done!

Holly!


Jessica!

Jessica finishing up her manicure while waiting for the rest of the girls to get done.

I was up first, so I was done first... and could enjoy a mimosa while I relaxed a bit!
(Though, I was, at this point, still feeling a little ill from the bachelorette party two days before! lol)

Holly again.... so much hair! I really don't know how they managed to fit it all up in the 'do that they did!

Josie!

Holly and my mom, all done up!

Me and my girls!

After we got beautiful we stopped in quickly at Subway to grab some lunch (felt kinda weird going in to a fast food joint looking so gorgeous lol) and then headed back to our beach house to get dressed and finish getting ready before the pro photos started!

We Have A Winner!

Jacob and I are back from the honeymoon... it was exhausting, but fantastic. We were "in transit" "yesterday" for almost 40 hours... I will have a LOT more to say/show in a later post, but, for now I just wanted to give a quick "hi", let you know I'm still alive, and post the winner* for my brochure giveaway!


Congratulations Nicole-Lynn! You should be receiving an e-mail from U-Printing soon! Can't wait for you to show us all the final product!


*The winner was chosen using the highly technical approach of randomly asking Jacob to "pick a number" =)

It's Been Interesting....

Some of you may have heard about the EARTHQUAKE in Christchurch, New Zealand a couple days back... if you remember, Jacob and I are currently on our honeymoon... in New Zealand.

We were woken at about 4:30 AM to our campervan shaking. I shouted a few choice words, as I had NO idea what was going on. My first thought was that a couple of really big guys were trying to give the tourists a scare. But then Jacob said, "I think it's an earthquake".

Sure enough, it was a 7.1 quake. Ended up knocking out all the power in the village that we were staying in (Akaroa.. about 85 k from Christchurch), and doing some structural damage in the area, but we were unharmed... just a little shaken up. We have continued to feel after shocks off and on since then.

Since the quake we moved farther south down the coast line. Last night we stayed in Dunedine. It was REALLY windy... was shaking our campervan all over again. I joked to Jacob that we could be feeling after shocks from the quake and it would feel the same. We managed to fall asleep and it had quieted down by morning. However, when we turned on the radio on our way out of town today the news informed us that the winds last night were HURRICANE force at 172 kmph. We were thankful that we didn't choose to stay out on Otago Penninsula (which we'd thought about) as several of the roads were closed this morning and we would have been stranded.

Today we decided to drive out to Milford Sound to see the fjordlands before heading to Lake Wanaka tomorrow. Five hours later, we find ourselves at an internet cafe in Te Anau as the road out to the sound is CLOSED... and has been for the last two days due to SNOW. lol We just can't catch a break! The next road closure update is supposed to happen in about 30 minutes, so, we're hanging out, catching up on e-mail, and wasting some time before we decide what our next move is.

It's been interesting....




(But I do have a bunch of great photos! =) )