More about our Tranzalpine train ride

One of the highlights of this train ride for Trey was trying to take pictures of the quickly passing scenery. On the west bound leg of the trip we both sat inside the train the whole trip struggling to get good pictures due to our own reflections on the train window. Some of these pictures turned out very good because they catch both the scenery and our images as we gaze outside, but most of them turned out bad. On the start of the eastward bound leg we both moved to the “open air car” so that we could take in the views and take pictures without the obstruction of windows and reflections. The open air train car was mainly a flat platform with a 4 foot high railing around it and a 7 foot high roof above. This left the space from 4-7 feet completely obstruction free. It was amazing how much better the view was from this car. After about 1.5 hours Jocelyn headed in so that she could sit down for a bit but Trey stayed outside most of the ride back to take pictures. It was probably a good thing that Jocelyn headed in because the last part of the trip the ride in this open air car got a little bit rough. This was because the train had picked up speed since we were now traveling downhill and that we were behind schedule due to a small electrical fire earlier in the trip. Also this leg followed the twisting path of the Waimakariri river, darting in and out of tunnels (16 in all) and over 5 viaducts, the tallest one 73 meters (240 feet) above the river below. This created quite a problem for taking pictures. First of all to keep the camera steady during the twists and turns required using both hands, meaning no free hand to hold on to the railing. Secondly every time you entered a tunnel you had to duck for covers to avoid the soot flying off of the tunnel walls and the water dripping from the tunnel ceiling. At the end of each tunnel you emerge to see yet another breathtaking view, but you had to act fast to take pictures because during this stretch there is only a few seconds before entering the next tunnel. It really made me appreciate how quickly point and shoot digital cameras can adjust the focus and exposure time to obtain a good image. There were a couple shots I was sure were going to turn out to be of the inside of the tunnel wall but the camera proved quicker than I thought and captured the desired scenery. I hope you enjoy the pictures we took and put into this video.

Our journey across the country on the Tranzalpine train

Jocelyn had a great first week at hairyLemon. They people were so friendly and welcomed her with open arms. To thank them for a great first week Jocelyn made lemon flavored cupcakes for the team! They were very appreciative. She also learned that there are two Kiwis in the office who are New England sports fans they have Red Sox and Patriots screen savers on their computers at work. Also, one of the directors is obsessed with Bruce Springsteen who grew up not far from where Jocelyn grew up. Random.

This weekend we went on the Tranzalpine train which goes clear across the country. It leaves right from Christchurch so it was just a quick 10 minute drive from our flat. It is 9 hours round trip and we spent an hour in Greymouth on the west coast. The train ride is the most scenic in the world and is the easiest way to get across the coast since there are so many mountains. The views are unparalleled and we still cannot believe we LIVE here!

The train is comfy and has decent restrooms and plenty of food/wine. Before we left the announcer shared a few nuggets of information and humor before we left the station- "Be sure you are sitting in the proper seats. We will be making a few stops and picking up more passengers. If you are in the incorrect seat, in a few stops you may find someone sitting on your lap which could be a pleasant or unpleasant experience...depending..." LOL :) Oh Kiwi humor!

On the train we enjoyed Devonshire tea (scones with butter, jam, cream and English breakfast tea). The ride was incredible and we were fortunate that even though we are currently in Spring, last week was chilly and dumped a bit more snow on the mountain tops making for a very picturesque scene as we drove through.

Greymouth is a quaint little town with shops and cafes. We were only there for an hour and treated ourselves to a fried fish lunch and some wine. Mmmm. The weather was perfect - not too chilly to take advantage of the open air cars where you could see the scenes without the pane of glass in your way. Small world - while we were out in the open air car we met a man who was visiting NZ from Boston!! Go figure!

The scenery in NZ is so incredible and in a way quite humbling. There is no way you cannot appreciate life and just how beautiful this world is while looking at such amazing things created by God. It is hard to not feel just absolutely joyful.

The rest of the weekend it was movies for Joc and the girls (Babs, Debi and Emma) and their male counterparts (Trey, Gordie, Scott and Richard) played poker. Eventually they all met up and blended parties. We look forward to spending a lot more time with the group and it is really nice to have a group of friends who are couples.

Sunday we went to the Vegetarian Expo in Hagley Park at the Horticultural Center. We met up with Debi and tried so many amazing treats (even though Jocelyn was a little scared!) We feasted on vegetable curry, vegan chocolate cake and a health drink made by one of Jocelyn's coworkers with greens, banana, apple and pear. It is something that Jocelyn wants to learn how to make and incorporate it into her diet. It was surprisingly yummy and sooooo good for you!

Another exciting weekend. Watch our video by clicking on the link below and don't forget that this weekend we in NZ "sprung ahead". Adjust your watches accordingly! :)

We love and miss you all. Enjoy the video! This weekend off to Kaikoura for the Seafood Festival featuring wines from Marlborough County. Life is good!

Peace.

Watch our video from the Tranzalpine!!

Pics from dinner Saturday with Mark and Lily

It was our first experience on the sushi train! Woot! Woot!

More fun with friends and Jocelyn starts work!!!

Trey in front of a Christchurch restaurant called "Carnivores" - How perfect! My vegetarian husband in front of a place called, "Carnivores"! :)


We have lots to report! Last week Jocelyn went on a few interviews and finally landed a position (albeit temporarily) at a web solution company called hairyLemon. The team is awesome and a few of "the Lemons" as they are called are some of the folks we have been hanging out with since we arrived here in NZ! (Gordie, Debi and Aidan)

Established in early 2000, hairyLemon has experienced rapid growth, developing into one of Christchurch's leading web design firms and making the Deloitte/Unlimited Fast 50 list for two years running. Building on their excellent reputation as innovative website designers, they expanded their design services to include graphic design, logo design, branding and print work.

hairyLemon is a company that prides itself on fostering a family environment where coming to work is an enjoyable experience. This ethos extends to how they work with their clients, ensuring they are fully involved every step of the way. They design websites and are involved in many other outlets of social media. Of course Jocelyn had to be sure she wore her yellow cardi the first day of work to show her support for "Team Lemon." If you are interested to learn more, check them out www.hairylemon.co.nz. (copy and paste) It is an exciting place to be when so many companies are downsizing.

Clearly the technical stuff is a bit outside of Jocelyn's purview, but the team is great and at the core, as they say, they are all about working with people which is truly what Jocelyn does best - so far it feels like a good fit. The position initially is a one month contract but hopefully will be extended. Jocelyn is able to walk through Hagley Park to get to work - a straight shot! We are able to walk to work together now. When Jocelyn gets to work, Trey hops on a bus to go a few more stops. Perfect.

Jocelyn found out on her first day that Graham, one of the owners/creators of the company has quite an affection for Bruce Springsteen and even has signed memorabilia in his office. Had she known that she likely would have mentioned her birthplace on her resume, but alas, she did not require that. :)

Also, this past weekend, we went to dinner with Lily and Mark. We met at a bar called Toast in the SOL district and then went to a place called Blue Fish Sushi Train. Now, for those of you who are not familiar with a sushi train, it is basically like a conveyor belt of plates with sushi, etc. In NZ apparently spring rolls and chicken count as sushi but FINALLY we got our raw tuna and salmon. Hallelujah! The plates are all different colors and the colors correspond to price per plate. After the meal, they come around and total you up based on the plates. It was so hard to stop eating!! Trey figured out a way to buck the system where he would reach his long arm out and reach across the conveyor if he saw something come out that he wanted before others could grab it. Pretty sure that in any culture that is NOT OK.....but it was very funny! LOL

We finished our night out with a stop in to Le Plonk, a wine bar. Well, actually, on our way home we did pop in to the casino for a final drink and a few spins of the slots. No luck this time though. Oh well. No more beginner's luck.

PHOTOS!!!

http://mit.edu/cwh/www/nz/pics%20to%20publish%20for%20blog%20skiing%20gondolas/

click here or
Just copy and paste into your browser!

Christchurch Gondolas and Mt. Hutt skiing - Jocelyn with thoughts from Trey

This past weekend was action packed!! Saturday we ventured just 15 minutes out of the city centre to the Christchurch Gondolas. High atop Mt. Cavendish, perched on the rim of an extinct volcano, the Christchurch Gondola's stunning 360 degree views take in the Canterbury Plains, the Southern Alps, Lyttleton Harbour and the Pacific Ocean. The 945 metre gondola gently lifts you almost 500 metres (1500 feet!) above sea level. There are some hiking trails, a cafe, a restaurant - plenty to do! We chose to do one of the hiking trails. It was a much shorter hike than what we had done at Taylor's Mistake. We had such fun that we wound up buying season passes for unlimited visits there as well as the Christchurch Tram. There were some people having picnics and that is definitely something we think we will do very soon. The restaurant is only open for dinner so we also think it would be cool to go up to the top in the gondolas in the dark with all the lights and have a meal with a beautiful view! We took soooo many pictures!!

Sunday we drove about 2 hours to Mt. Hutt ski field. It is only 70 miles from Christchurch but we were on the unpaved and very windy access road to the field for about 45 minutes of that. You have to drive very slow because, well, it is on the side of a mountain! I cannot see driving up that when it is snow covered - I think they require all cars to use chains in those conditions.

We arrived about 9am just as it opened. Though Trey is an experienced skier, this was my first time skiing ever!!! I was nervous, but the scary drive distracted me from my skiing nerves!! LOL We bought our passes for the day and I signed up for 2 beginner lessons - 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. We got our rented gear (skis, boots, poles) and it was the PERFECT temperature - about 50 degrees F. Trey wanted my first experience skiing to be pleasant and not freezing cold. At times I was even too warm! We were smart and dressed in layers though so we could remove layers when necessary.

I was the first one to fall down in my morning lesson. Not a huge surprise. It was all adults (thankfully - I was afraid it would be me and a bunch of kids!) LOL There was another woman from the US (her parents both moved here to teach at the University of Canterbury), a woman from Brazil, a woman from Japan and a man from India who had never seen snow before!! He was probably the most excited but also easily the worst skier! :) Poor guy. i may have been the first to fall, but for the rest of the day, he practically made an art of it! Our instructor was from Japan and though his English was.....not the best.....he was very expressive and animated which made his teaching actually quite fun! After lunch he actually gave us individual pointers which was extremely helpful. I only fell a few more times after that. The times I fell was mostly when I started going faster and it spooked me. I realized this and then started talking to myself just saying, "It's going to be ok" and it worked! Mind over matter! I cannot wait to go again. You could see Christchurch and the ocean from the bunny hill I was on and even more from the heights Trey climbed to. Truly stunning.

(Trey) Skiing in New Zealand is a little different than skiing in the U.S. The differences started off right away with the drive up to the mountain. The access rode is a 10 mile long gravel road that twists and turns its way up the mountain and of course it does not have any guardrails. The next major difference is that there are no trees. This makes it very hard to figure out what run you are skiing on. The boundaries are many times just large rock formations sticking up out of the snow. Another major difference is that there are no lines. The longest I had to wait to get on a lift was 5 minutes and this was a warm sunny weekend day. I think the access road scares many of the casual skiers away. Overall the skiing was good and there was a large variety of ski runs. Another interesting thing is that they had some runs that did not end at a ski-lift so they had a bus that drives around to pick you up. Also if want to be a little more adventurous you can go heliskiing with the helicopter leaving right from the parking lot. And of course being in New Zealand they also offered bungee jumping off the edge of the parking lot as well. This is definitely a place Jocelyn and I will go to again next ski season.

We skied until 4pm when the mountain closed.

We were both so tired but had an amazing time! It is Trey's fault for finding Jocelyn yet another expensive hobby!

We will link to a site with photos in the next day or so. There are lots of photos and even a few videos!!! The videos from Mt. Hutt are primarily from driving down the mountain so it is a little bumpy but if you can take it, it is definitely worth watching!! No critiques from Jocelyn's "Hollywood" sister please!!!! :) I am no Spielberg.

Museum and the Casino

Jocelyn on Worcester Street with the museum in the distance


Trey at the Antarctic Exhibit


Paua shell half polished and half unpolished


Fred and Myrtle's paua shell living room


Maori wood carving








This weekend was certainly exciting. Saturday we went to the Canterbury Museum.

The museum started by detailing the history of New Zealand starting when the ancient ancestors of the Maori people arrived in the 15th century. Arriving by boat these people found New Zealand covered by forest, with an abundance of large Moa birds. These birds were flightless and could grow to be as tall as 12 feet. They proved easy to hunt and supported these early people’s hunter and gathering lifestyle. The next few hundred years were peaceful times until the Moa bird’s population declined due to over-hunting and the destruction of their habitat. The next time period was a time of small wars where the Maori people fought for the fertile lands near rivers mouths. This time was also marked by an increased interest in decorative artwork in the Maori culture. This included both stone work and wood carvings as are seen in some of our pictures. In addition to the ancient history we also saw exhibits on Antarctica and an art exhibit on transgender culture. Also, there is an exhibit called Fred and Myrtle's Paua House http://www.newzealand.org.nz/fred_and_myrtle.htm. Fred and Murtle were a couple from Bluff, NZ who collected paua shells and decorated their entire sitting room with them!! (see photos) They have become a part of Kiwi pop culture, also known as Kiwiana because they turned their home into a tourist attraction where they showed people around 7 days a week! Once they passed away, the museum recreated their home decorated with paua shells. It was even crazier in person! We were going through the museum very slowly so we decided to save the rest for another time since we were getting hungry.

After the museum we went to grab a bite to eat at a local hangout called Dux De Lux. We had been there before when we met Jay and Vanessa. We had some nachos and buffalo chips. These were both interesting considering the nachos were made with nacho flavored chips and the buffalo chips were just French fries with sour cream and salsa on the side. They really like their flavored chips here. I imagine that when the Kiwis come to America and order something Buffalo flavored they get a BIG spicy surprise!!

Sunday we did our regular grocery shopping and picked up some really neat items for recipes. Since we now know that Jocelyn enjoys yellow curry, we picked up some things to make that. We also picked up some seafood marinara mix (just fresh mussels, salmon, squid, and prawns) and some paella rice to make seafood paella. Mmmm. The paella turned out great! We are really enjoying doing all this cooking with such fresh ingredients. When we finally buy a house a large kitchen will be a MUST!

After grocery shopping we checked out the outdoor weekend market on Worcester Street. It is a bunch of local artisans and designers who sell their goods. There are clothes, food, wood carvings, jade, traditional Maori items and wool to name a few things. I think we know where Christmas presents are coming from THIS year people!!! 

Next we moved on to check out the Christchurch Casino since it is only 2 blocks from our place but we had not yet been. Now, neither of us are big gamblers as many of you know. Trey and I decided before we went in that we had $20 each to gamble, we would have dinner and go home. We were both very okay with that. The casino is not huge compared to Vegas or AC of course but it is a nice little place with a few restaurants/bars – 2 stories of fun just 2 blocks away. We signed up for the Player’s Club which gives us discounts on food, beverage (alcoholic and non) and we can earn points by how much money we spend. Since it is so close and the membership was free, we both did it.

Jocelyn found a slot machine she liked called “Canary Islands.” First machine=no love. Second machine=no love. Then she went to another machine that she said she, “…..had a feeling about…” After only 5 spins on this NICKEL MACHINE it went crazy…..she won $180!! Because we are not big gamblers, at that point, she cashed out and we went to have dinner at one of the restaurants in the casino. The cashier handed us $212 and we went to dinner. They were having a deal called, “Steak and Steiny” (Steinlager beer) for $10! Jocelyn got it and said it was not too bad. Trey got some Asian noodles with seafood. What a deal…..AND we got points on our Player’s Club cards as well as a 10% discount on food and drink!

Jocelyn noticed that the waitress had sat us at table 13. She took that as a sign and told Trey she was taking the $12 and going back to the same machine. If she lost it, she lost it, but she “had a feeling.” After dinner we went back to the machine with $12 in hand and once again after only a few spins…..another $100!!! Jocelyn left the casino with $330!! We only played about $30 between us and had a super cheap meal. Jocelyn is hoping that beginner luck does not contribute to her losing motivation to look for a job and become a professional gambler! LOL  Just kidding.

We came home and decided that it was time to book our trip to Sydney – after all – we were having such luck. We wound up finding an awesome deal online for $1300 total for 5 nights/6 days in Sydney at the Medina Grand Harbourside. http://www.medina.com.au/medina-grand-harbourside/hotel
We will be going November 12-17th and will be flying Virgin Pacific which is also supposed to be very good. The activities we are hoping to do are: See the Sydney Opera House, Eat at the Sydney Tower with 360 views of the city – a 70 minute panoramic journey with uninterrupted 360 degree views while you dine, Surf on Bondi Beach, do the Sydney BridgeClimb to the top of the world-famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, 134m above Sydney Harbour, Sydney Harbour Cruises or Sydney Cycle Tours to see all the sights. We are hoping to really maximize our time there. We are staying right in the center of the nightlife too so hopefully we won’t be too tired from our days to enjoy that as well.

Today Jocelyn went to get her nails done again by her favorite nail guy, Harry. He did some crazy awesome design on each nail! It is black with white stripes like a zebra with glitter overtop. Harry and Jocelyn are a perfect match!  He didn’t win the Korean Nail Olympics for nothing!!! Ha!

Jocelyn is still plugging away on jobs but nothing yet. She is attending a FINZ (Fundraising Institute of New Zealand) lunch seminar next week and is also attending a fundraising/volunteer evening for the Children’s Cancer Foundation here so we will see where that takes her. Cross fingers.

This weekend we are going to check out the tram that runs through town and also maybe the Christchurch Gondola if the weather is nice. Sunday is Mt. Hutt for skiing!!! YAY!

Who knew Jocelyn likes curry????

Life is moving on well here in NZ. Hope you all enjoyed our pics from our hike in the Port Hills last weekend. We are planning to go back in a few weeks to give it another go on a different hill! September is here and so that means winter is officially over as far as the Kiwis are concerned and we are moving into spring! We officially paid our new apartment deposit in full so we will move in October 10! Our new address will be:
3/15 Peterborough Street
Christchurch 8013
New Zealand

It will be nice to be in a place that feels like home.

So last night we went to SOL Square (South of Lichfield) where there is the alley of bars that we mentioned a few posts ago. We had a drink at a place called Minx which is this funky all red/pink bar with pod shaped bar stools. Next we had a drink at a far different place called Cartel which is a lot more quirky with couches and large candelabras. Both places could definitely be new haunts for us. The bartender at Cartel told us about a restaurant we should check out for dinner on High Street, just up the road so we took her up on it.

The restaurant is called Chin Wag Eathai.
http://www.chinwageathai.co.nz/
It is Asian fusion food with mostly Thai influence. At first Jocelyn was a little reluctant but we both ended up being REALLY happy with our food. The ambiance was awesome and dimly lit. Jocelyn ordered a mandarin and chamomile margarita with a chili powder rimmed glass and raw yellow fin tuna with mandarin, coconut, mint, parsley and citrus juices. Trey ordered yellow curry with pumpkin, eggplant , cashews and mushrooms. All dishes come with sticky rice to share. Jocelyn was very hesitant about the curry having tried it before and not liking it. But, she gave it a go....and boy was she glad!! The yellow curry was not so spicy and because of the pumpkin had a nice sweetness to it. She has decided that she will order that from now on! LOL As Trey said, from now on he will just get Jocelyn yellow curry from Chin Wag and take her to a petting zoo for all special occasions (see if you get the full reference from a few postings ago!)

This weekend we plan to check out the Canterbury Arts Museum and go to the casino which is right around the corner from our place. We are not big gamblers so we plan to gamble $20 each. I know. We are lame. :) Also, we plan to book our trip to Sydney Australia this weekend. We hope to go for 4-5 days in November. Our first trip across the Tasman! We are excited.

Still hard to believe we have only been here for a few weeks. We are missing some comforts of home, but all in all it has been a relatively easy transition.

Next week we plan to also go out for dinner with new friends Lily and Mark. We want them to take us out for sushi since we have not had that yet. Strange thing: sushi here is a little different. You can get chicken sushi (don't worry - it is cooked) and tuna, but the tuna is tuna salad!!! Weird. We want our raw salmon, tuna and eel damnit!! :) We'll see if Mark and Lily can make that happen :)

Now Jocelyn is off to her Project Runway "date" with Cynthia. Each Friday Jocelyn and Cynthia skype and Cynthia leaves her laptop in front of the tv so they can both watch it together! LOVE SKYPE!