Time for some pictures.

Now that I have good internet (NO MORE DIAL UP!) I can actually post some pictures. So this blog posting is going to be heaps of pictures and limited text. ENJOY!

This one to the right is of the trees I planted four years ago on the Buckley's farm. I was really hoping they'd have grown a little bit more (and was kind of hoping for sequoia sized trees) but oh well. Slowly but surely they are growing!














This one is the sunset from Taranaki. An absolutely stunning spot on the western coast of the north island.

Its truly an amazing spot where the mountain meets the sea. Quite breath taking and actually kind of reminds me of seattle.








Next, to the left, we have the taranaki waterfalls. Funnily, these are not actually in Taranaki, but rather they are in Whakapapa Village, at Mt. Ruapehu. (By the way, the "wh" is pronounced with a "ph" sound, just a little Maori instruction for you all).













To the right, below, is the Whakapapa ski field. Technically you can ski most any where. The one "weird" thing most of you americans will see how there are NO TREES. I found this strangely suprising.




















This one to the left shows the "pinnacles" which normally is open. However, you couldn't quite traverse far enough to get over there. Down below the pinnacle is the "valley" where the infamous t-bar from my previous post is located.



Below, to the right we have Mt. Ruapehu National park & the second volcano. This one is just a bit shorter than Rupauhu itself but is quite amazing in its own right. It's interesting to me how it looks like a stereotypical "cone shaped" volcano.














And I believe this to be the most appropriate final picture. The moon over Whakapapa village on my final night in the mountains. Hope you all enjoyed the pics!