A blog entry from Anthony and Marina!!

Lucky us!  Our amazing travel guides Anthony and Marina asked to write a blog post for us!  See you girls on Monday for our last stateside meeting!!

December 23, 2013

Hello everybody, season’s greetings from New Zealand! We’re basking in the summer sun, getting ready for a traditional Christmas Day at the beach, and looking forward to the arrival of the HH Kiwi’s in less than 3 weeks. Thanks so much to everyone for signing up; it will be great to meet you and share a special adventure together.

A little about ourselves… My name’s Anthony Norris, I was born and raised in New Zealand and have worked all my life as an outdoor educator and adventure travel guide. I founded Tamarillo Active Travel in 1998.

My wife Marina Mantovani is from Ferrara, Italy. We met in Fiji in 1999. We love our life together organising and leading trips in Fiji, New Zealand, Italy and Australia. This is sort of what we look like:

For the South Island part of the NZ Winterim our great friend and fellow guide Nick Morrison is joining us to help with the driving, kayaking, horse-riding, biking and hiking. This is Nick:

Contact details: If any of your friends or family would like to get a message to you while you’re in New Zealand, they are welcome to email us at info@tamarillo.co.nz or phone or text us on the following numbers: Anthony: +64 21 752 855. Marina: +64 21 132 0402. (NZ-time is 19 hours ahead of central-time in the USA).

To all the family and friends staying back in the USA, we promise we’ll take great care of your daughters and do our very best to give them an amazing experience. To all the HH Kiwi’s, get ready for an action-packed adventure in our beautiful country! See you soon,

Anthony & Marina;

Tamarillo Active Travel.

www.tamarillo.co.nz

New Zealand Winterim: day-by-day program summary:

Friday, January 10^th: 8am: Flight arrival into Auckland International Airport; transfer to the local flight. 11.45am: arrival at Wellington. (That’s where Marina and I will be waiting to meet you). Drive to the accommodation in Paekakariki, a small beach-side town 30 minutes outside Wellington. Program briefing and time to rest, hike and swim in the ocean, before a sunset stroll along the beachfront to a special ‘Welcome to NZ’ celebration dinner at the Fisherman’s Table restaurant. Accommodation: Paekakariki Holiday Park, Wellington. www.paekakarikiholidaypark.co.nz

Saturday, January 11^th: The day will begin with an optional walk or light jog along the beach, finishing with a swim. After breakfast we’ll drive into Wellington city. At the National Museum a 90-minute private tour will be followed by a period of free time for students to return to sections of the museum that particularly interest them. After a picnic lunch in the museum’s garden students we’ll walk through Wellington taking in the sights, with our guides sharing some special, favourite places, and a few treats along the way. After the three-hour walk we’ll head back to Paekakariki, and another chance for a swim, followed by dinner, and a NZ movie. Accommodation: 2^nd night at Paekakariki Holiday Park.

Sunday, January 12^th: Another optional walk or light jog along the beach finishing with a swim before breakfast, followed by a 15-minute boat-trip across to Kapiti Island, one of NZ’s most important wildlife sanctuaries. During our day-trip to the island we’ll have the chance to hike through the forest and along the shore, to see and listen to the bird-calls, and to learn about NZ’s unique ecological history. Under the direction of the island’s resident Ranger the group will contribute to the work of conserving and nurturing the island’s wildlife and forests. Accommodation: 3^rd night at Paekakariki Holiday Park.

Monday, January 13^th: Another optional walk or light jog along the beach finishing with a swim before breakfast, followed by a 30-minute drive to the small town of Otaki. Here the group will receive a formal, traditional welcome to a Maori community centre. During the two-night stay here the HH Kiwi’s will learn about NZ’s indigenous Maori culture - history, traditions, songs, games, sports, arts, crafts, and language. Each evening the students will gather in the meeting-house to hear traditional Maori legends and songs. Accommodation: Maori community centre, Otaki.

Tuesday, January 14^th: The Maori cultural studies continue with visits to important sites around Otaki; guest speakers and the chance to learn traditional weaving, sports and action-songs. The group will have the chance to gather clams, watercress, eels and other wild foods and traditional delicacies to gift to local elderly people, and to assist in the preparation of a hangi, a meal cooked in woven baskets sitting on hot stones, buried in the ground. The day will conclude with a shared meal with local people, performances of Maori songs and dances by both locals and visitors, and a farewell ceremony from the Maori community. Accommodation: 2^nd night in the Maori community centre, Otaki.

Wednesday, January 15^th: A 3-hour ferry ride takes us across the Cook Strait to NZ’s South Island, followed by a 2 hour drive to the town of Kaikoura. Here our focus will be on the region’s unique marine environment. Just offshore, two sea-currents converge in the 2km-deep Kaikoura Canyon which attracts an amazing array of marine life including many dolphins and whales. We’ll hike to the Peninsula look-out for the spectacular view from the mountains to the sea, then to the Marine Education Centre. The founder of the centre, Megan Bosch, will speak on the uniqueness of the surrounding environment, and her work as a marine biologist. After dinner we’ll sit around a camp-fire on the beach, toasting marshmallows, listening out and watching for penguins coming in to shore, and watching for shooting stars in the clear skies overhead. Accommodation: Bay Cottages, Kaikoura. www.baycottages.co.nz

Thursday, January 16^th: After breakfast, under the direction of Megan from the Marine Education Centre, we’ll assist with the local community’s efforts to protect and nurture a colony of rare New Zealand fur seals and Little Blue penguins. In the afternoon, while some of the group head off-shore on a swimming-with-dolphins excursion, Marina will lead a bike-ride around Kaikoura. Accommodation: 2^nd night at Bay Cottages, Kaikoura.

Friday, January 17^th: Today we drive from the east coast of the South Island to the west coast, across the majestic Southern Alps. We’ll hike amidst the beautiful forest, alpine meadows and mountain peaks, and either swim in a cool, clear river or soak in some natural hot pools. We’ll hike the Cape Foulwind walkway, a trail offering magnificent ocean views and a close-up encounter of a large colony of native NZ fur seals. From our accommodation we’ll walk through the rainforest to the beach to see penguins coming ashore at dusk. Accommodation: Te Nikau Retreat, Punakaiki. www.tenikauretreat.co.nz

Saturday, January 18^th: During the morning half the group will head out on a guided horse-trek through the rainforest and along the beach, while the others kayak through the spectacular canyons of the Pororari River. (Both excursions are suitable for beginners). After lunch the two groups will swap activities for the afternoon. Accommodation: 2^nd night at Te Nikau Retreat, Punakaiki.

Sunday, January 19^th: Our journey continues south along the West Coast highway, voted one of the world’s ten most scenic road-trips by Lonely Planet guidebook readers. By lunchtime we’ll be the tiny coastal settlement of Okarito. We’ll kayak across the lagoon and up into the tranquil waterways amongst the rainforest. Others may prefer to hike the Three Mile Lagoon trail. After dinner we’ll light a fire on the beach, drink hot chocolate and watch the sun set on NZ’s highest mountains. Accommodation: Okarito School-house hostel - www.okarito.net/page/schoolhouse.html - and Fernbird Retreat. http://tinyurl.com/n93qxtq

Monday, January 20^th: Before departing Okarito we’ll visit the home and gallery of one of NZ’s greatest landscape photographers Andris Apse. Around mid-morning we’ll head off on a short hike to view the huge Franz Josef glacier that descends from high in the Southern Alps down into the rainforest, then we’ll continue our drive south along the West Coast highway stopping for short walks to scenic viewpoints along the way, before reaching our accommodation in the resort town of Lake Wanaka. Accommodation: YHA hostel, Lake Wanaka. http://tinyurl.com/l8d76k9

Tuesday, January 21^st: The guides will lead a half-day bike ride along trails around Lake Wanaka. Following lunch we’ll drive to Queenstown, known as NZ’s adventure capital. We’ll take a ski-lift up a mountainside to enjoy a fun session of downhill racing along the luge track. Bikes will be available at our accommodation over the next two days, with many great trails to ride. Accommodation: Poplar Lodge, Arrowtown. www.poplarlodge.co.nz

Wednesday, January 22^nd: While half the group bike along a river-side trail to a local bridge to watch bungy-jumpers take the plunge the other half of the group will enjoy a walk and a swim in the pristine waters of Lake Hayes. (Both groups will meet at the bungy-jump site before swapping over activities). Free afternoon to enjoy Queenstown, to shop for gifts to take home, or take one of the many optional excursions available, such as a ‘Lord of the Rings’ film-location tour, a jet-boat ride, a horse-trek, a scenic flight, etc. The day ends with a special ‘Farewell to New Zealand’ dinner in the private room of an Arrowtown restaurant. Accommodation: 2^nd night at Poplar Lodge, Arrowtown.

Thursday, January 23^rd: A free morning in historic Arrowtown, with time to bike, hike or enjoy one last NZ summer swim. Homeward bound: 2.30pm: departure of flight to Auckland. 7.15pm: departure of flight to Los Angeles.