Clarification

We are writing this post ahead of schedule due to some apparent confusion about our whereabouts. Craig and I have had a lot of requests recently regarding our location. As you all (hopefully) know, we are in New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa, the Maori term meaning "land of the long white cloud." We live in an apartment (for now) in North Dunedin. Dunedin is a city located on the south east coast of the south island (see circle on map) of New Zealand (there are 2 islands, North and South). Now for details about New Zealand. NZ is located southeast of Australia, below the equator, at the 45th parallel (about halfway between the equator and the South Pole). It's the second most southern country in the world. NZ is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea (North). The water separating the 2 islands of NZ is the Cook Strait.
The terrain is varied from hilly to mountainous with flat areas only in between. It's surprisingly not that forested, almost desert like in some areas. And then you have the beaches which are never too far away.
Because it is on the opposite side of the equator as the USA, NZ's seasons are opposite. So, when it's Fall in the states, it's spring here. And when it's summer here, you guys are enjoying snow and cold!
There are no snakes here and all animals except birds and fish are not native to NZ. They were brought here by immigrants, even the sheep, which, by the way, far outnumber people here. There are spiders, and one, the katipo, is venomous and nearly extinct.
So, that's all for tonight's lesson. Hope this clears things up for some of you!





Oh, while we're at it, a lot of you have been wanting to know wedding details :) The wedding will be July 31, 2010 (less than 2 years, yay!) in Elliottville, NY at Holiday Valley. It's a ski resort and the ceremony will be outside with the reception inside Yodeler Lodge. It's really pretty there and we think it will be a lot of fun!

On Monday night, Craig and I decided to do the Hidden Waterfall hike, now that we knew where it was (see last post) and it was still warm enough for shorts! We found the waterfall and it was awesome. It was nestled in a ravine, surrounded by moss and ferns. Really green and lush. Also, on the hike we found glow worms, which are only found in NZ. We waited until dark and could see them on the sides of the creek bed. Pretty cool and well worth the hike in. We're definitely going back there for more exploring!



Hope you're all having a great week. Check back in a few days for pics of this weekend's ski adventure!