We entered the new year one day before most of you that are reading this which was a weird experience. Carla and I had a wonderful New Years. We spent New Years Eve on the beach soaking up the New Zealand summer sun! We went swimming in the ocean which felt great, and then had some ice cream after :) And all of this while it was snowing back home in Reno... Crazy! We also had a really nice relaxed night and were able to watch the very impressive Auckland fireworks from our balcony. It was a spectacular view!
The other story we have for you includes some great pictures! We climbed to the top of Rangitoto!! Rangitoto is an inactive volcano and a natural reserve. It is a beautiful island where you have to make sure you don't bring any insects or rodents or even seeds on the bottom of your shoes. They are really trying to make sure the island stays as natural and undisturbed as possible. So when you're on the island you really are in such a pure natural environment. Oh and I forgot to mention, there are NO shops or restaurants or hotels on this island... 100% natural!
So here is a picture of it from our ferry ride. We climb to that peak you see there.
So we get onto the island and they have these nice little paths at first so you know where to go to see some very impressive views. See how its all black volcanic rock! Its such a nice contrast to the gorgeous green plants.
Carla took this picture of me because I was just saying how the path looked like it was going to lead right up to the Snuggly Duckling with the trees and the rock stairs. And if you don't know what I'm talking about with the "Snuggly Duckling" go see Disney's new movie Tangled. It is AMAZING!!! A mentor of mine and a couple friends worked on that movie and I was so proud of the work they did. A huge step for Disney and for animation! Ok ok, that was my animation talk for this post... back to New Zealand!
Look at how absolutely green some of these leaves are!
It was such a beautiful day and Carla and I had such an incredible time getting out of the city.
I know.
This picture below is at the top, and this is actually a portion of the crater rim. A better picture on the whole crater in just a minute :) Oh, little side note... See how about in the middle of this picture there is that one lone palm tree. Doesn't that just remind you of like the switch that will open a evil underground volcanic lair to one of James Bond's enemies? No?... just me?... moving on.
This is the view from the top. It was just amazing! We are up on the top of this volcanic island and the views are so beautiful! You can see the ocean and other islands, as well as downtown Auckland if you look another direction.
Carla looking very pretty at the top :)
And here is the crater! Its just so amazing to know that at one time this was full of bubbling lava and now it is full of life. Just one of God's many beautiful masterpieces.
And myself at the top :)
Here's the two of us at the top of Rangitoto! We were fortunate enough to have a kind Scottish man take our photo :)
On the way back down we found some trails leading to some lava rock caves! So we went to check those out and on the way we found this HUGE fern... theres tiny little Carla next to it!
There is one of the ferns all rolled up. That's what they look like while they're growing. And NZ actually takes pride in their ferns and you will see this rolled up design on a lot of products in NZ.
The trails got a little tougher, but they also got much more beautiful.
We found the entrance to one of the caves. But it was just a little one.
But then we found a big cave. It was kind of scary looking in there because its actually quite a big cave and its pitch black in there. But we had to go in! How can you go to a lava rock cave and not go in?
Theres Carla and the entrance behind her. Its so cool in there! But you really had to watch your step. I used the flash on my camera to get my footing at times.
Me and the look on my face means "I have no idea where this cave leads to!" But it just goes and goes and eventually comes out on another side. I don't know what it is about caves, but they are just scary... and awesome!
We had an amazing time at Rangitoto!
And now we are back down at the bottom waiting for our ferry again. The water was so bright blue and that ocean breeze was so refreshing on such a warm day! It was a very fun experience, and if any of you come and visit us, we can take you there! Its only about a half hour ferry ride away from our apartment!
And now you have seen Rangitoto! As for Carla and I, we are heading out on a road trip tomorrow! This will be our first time driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the road... so wish us luck!
On the way back down we found some trails leading to some lava rock caves! So we went to check those out and on the way we found this HUGE fern... theres tiny little Carla next to it!
There is one of the ferns all rolled up. That's what they look like while they're growing. And NZ actually takes pride in their ferns and you will see this rolled up design on a lot of products in NZ.
The trails got a little tougher, but they also got much more beautiful.
We found the entrance to one of the caves. But it was just a little one.
But then we found a big cave. It was kind of scary looking in there because its actually quite a big cave and its pitch black in there. But we had to go in! How can you go to a lava rock cave and not go in?
Theres Carla and the entrance behind her. Its so cool in there! But you really had to watch your step. I used the flash on my camera to get my footing at times.
Me and the look on my face means "I have no idea where this cave leads to!" But it just goes and goes and eventually comes out on another side. I don't know what it is about caves, but they are just scary... and awesome!
We had an amazing time at Rangitoto!
And now we are back down at the bottom waiting for our ferry again. The water was so bright blue and that ocean breeze was so refreshing on such a warm day! It was a very fun experience, and if any of you come and visit us, we can take you there! Its only about a half hour ferry ride away from our apartment!
And now you have seen Rangitoto! As for Carla and I, we are heading out on a road trip tomorrow! This will be our first time driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the road... so wish us luck!
We are driving down to Rotorua for some Zorbing (rolling down a hill in a giant inflatable ball) and some mineral baths at one of their thermal pools. Rotorua is famous for its volcanic pools. The natives believe the water to be "healing waters". So we are very excited for that experience! From there we are heading down to Wellington where an AnimationMentor friend and his fiance are living. They are being so incredible and are letting us stay with them! So we will get to experience Wellington and get to hang out with some great people!
We will be back on Thursday and will have lots of fun and crazy pictures I'm sure! So wish us luck on the other side of the road and we'll be sure to watch out for sheep crossing... yeah it happens :)
Love,
Matty and Carla
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