Author: Tiff and Greg

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Queensland Grog files

Flag_of_Queensland.svg

Queensland, AU

 Greg has a long-standing belief that tropical climates produce some of the best wine.  His logic comes from visiting wineries in Florida.

Yes, Florida has wineries.  We’ll get to that later.

The short of it is that the environment does not lend itself well to heavy wines.  The climate of the tropics in general inspires beverages that are a little lighter, a little sweeter with fruit flavors often at the forefront and best served well-chilled.

wine coozyWhere, yes, you can actually make use of a personal wineglass cozy.

So the tropics pretty much inspire the exact kinds of wine we enjoy and the single winery we found up here did not disappoint.

Continue reading “Queensland Grog files”

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Taking the Long Way Around

Tiffany:

So it’s that time again for Greg to take the mic for his birthday message:

 

Greg:

2 years ago today I wrote you  from a remote island in the middle of French Polynesia in between diving lessons.

Last year my birthday found us still in the Pacific, but at least now having sailed on to a different island and learning to surf.

Even now both Tiffany and I find ourselves looking at maps of the world attempting to wrap our minds around some of the things we’ve done.  Did we really sail to Tahiti?  Did I actually have a role in sci-fi movie?  Have we really created almost 200 integrated video blog posts?  Seriously, we managed to find wine made from bananas?  We can play Jingle Bells on the ukulele?  And did it took us 20 minutes of bashing a coconut before we realized the machete was dull?

Did I actually convince my wife that creating from scratch and wearing a genuine coconut bikini was:

1) Something worth doing and

2) Important to document videographically?

This picture encapsulates awesome.

Odd as it sounds, even to us now, the answer to those questions and so many other amazing adventures is “Yes.”

As we’ve told a few of you the good news is that we are now and at this very moment on our way home.

Continue reading “Taking the Long Way Around”

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Living in Rural New Zealand

Helensville, New Zealand

As we’ve previously noticed, the lines between rural and urban New Zealand are quite blurred.  Sheep can be found in the middle of their largest city, and when we tell New Zealanders that we lived in Helensville for a few weeks they said,

“Oh, that’s in Auckland”.

Which it’s not.  It’s about an hour drive north of Auckland into the boonies.  Helensville is a small town (by American standards) complete with a large showground for showing off their various equestrian and agricultural skills.  (Ok, we admit that San Francisco has the Cow Palace, but let me tell you it’s not the same thing.)  When you see people riding their horses FROM THEIR FARM and your water supply comes from the rain on your roof, then there’s just no way that you can consider it to be urban. Continue reading “Living in Rural New Zealand”

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Then We Got Audited…

Helensville, NZ

With Greg’s mom’s departure came the next phase of our adventure.  And, like every other part of this journey, it was not what we expected.

This time was different though because the surprise was not a good one.  What this entry should have been about were the chronicles of us finding and holding a job in New Zealand for a few months, meeting Kiwis and basically enjoying ourselves.

What the next few months ended up being about for us was getting audited by the IRS.

Continue reading “Then We Got Audited…”

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Auckland – The City of Awesome Food

Auckland, New Zealand

So ends the Great Kiwi Road Trip.  Now after all that driving, Who’s hungry!?

As we’ve already mentioned, there is a ton of amazing food in this country.  European food, Asian food, and of course all types of seafood.  One of the local specialties is the New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels.  We found a place downtown called Squid Row where we could get a kilo of these awesome things for NZD$21.  If you see them, you should try some.  They’re great!

Also, remember the Sky Tower?  Well if you want to have the highest tea in the southern hemisphere (because, remember, we judge things that way apparently) they put on a pretty good spread.

Continue reading “Auckland – The City of Awesome Food”

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It’s just so darn PRETTY!

Auckland, NZ

Looking out over Auckland Bay towards Mount Rangitoto.

 We don’t do this very often, but there are a number of pictures that we’ve taken around Auckland that just don’t have much of a story to them, but are still pretty cool.  Here they are for your viewing pleasure!

Continue reading “It’s just so darn PRETTY!”

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Kiwis (The birds, not the people)

From Tortoise orgies to custom made giraffe barns, the Great Kiwi Roadtrip makes it’s way to the Auckland Zoo!

One of the things that we absolutely had to see in New Zealand was an actual live kiwi

(Finally: the bird, not to be confused with the people by the same name)

Being as we were road tripping the length of the country these birds call home, we thought this was going to be relatively easy.  Turns out that it’s not…

Continue reading “Kiwis (The birds, not the people)”

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Storming the Hedges

Dunedin, NZ

The Kiwi Roadtrip continues!

At long last we finally come to it.  Our grail, our Mecca, our El Dorado, our own little land of Canaan in New Zealand, if you will. (yeah, we’re still reading the Bible.)

The culmination of our quest, the living beating heart of our journey (well this part anyway), the Vegas of our Great Kiwi Roadtrip…

 

Castle Kiwi

(Aka Larnach Castle)

There remained but one final obstacle to overcome, one last trial to endure before the castle would indeed be ours as the very land itself conspired to bar our path… Continue reading “Storming the Hedges”

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NZ South Island Grog Files

New Zealand – South Island

Breweries

Monteith’s

Type: Brewery

Rating: 4 sheets to the wind

Website: http://www.monteiths.co.nz/

Notes: When called back to a bachelor party in Las Vegas for his own former best man, Greg could have brought his choice of any variety of drinks…but he chose Monteith’s original ale.  A beer deemed “delicious” by the at-that-time bachelor & assorted cadre of miscreants.  Continue reading “NZ South Island Grog Files”

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NZ North Island Grog Files

New Zealand – North Island

Soft Drinks

L & P

Type: Soft Drink

Rating: 3 sheets to the wind

Website: http://www.cokecareers.co.nz/products
(yeah, Coke bought ‘em.  That’s globozation for ya.)

Notes: It would be wrong to have a page about the drinks of New Zealand and not mention Lemon & Paeroa.  It’s the New Zealand soft drink and we’re really not sure why it hasn’t become a world-wide sensation!  Like you’ll see in other places on this page, New Zealand does not save their best efforts for “the good stuff” because even their widely distributed common drinks are just excellent.  Continue reading “NZ North Island Grog Files”

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