Moonlit Bay

Taken from the Aroha Island Ecological Centre in New Zealand.

Mataka Station

Image living here. You could! For millions of dollars and a your signature on a very strict contract, you could live in this gorgeous part of New Zealand!

Yes, believe it or not, this is a "subdivision." It is called Mataka Station and has significant historical and natural significance. The Europeans first met the indiginous Maori near this site. It was commonly used by the Maori and is a fantastic archaeological site. It is also a rich habitat for the country's official bird: the Kiwi. So why isn't it a National Park? Apparently, the Dept. of Conservation didn't want to pay the 14 million dollars to purchase the land. I don't know why.

Now homes are being built on this site. However, there are some VERY strict regulations for the residents. Homeowners are not allowed to own dogs are cats because they threaten the Kiwi. The residents must pay an annual sum to plant native species and help preserve the natural resources. The residents also sign strict contracts that prohibit them from harming any of the natural resources and restrict what kinds of houses they can build. This subdivision is an example of the private sector marketing conservation with scenic views to maximize profit. They have actually done a pretty fair job of protecting and increasing habitat. One could argue they do a better job of managing and protecting land than a government agency/ministry.

Of course, there is no good public access. They do allow ecologists and archaeologists on the land with permits. ...but it is basically preserved for the native species and the rich. Is this a good or bad thing???

Bay of Islands

New Zealand: Sheep and Green Hills

New Zealand has approximately 43.1 million sheep. That means there about 12 sheep for every one human that lives in New Zealand. When you drive through the country, you see a lot of scenes like this...dotted with sheep. To be fair, there are a lot of cows as well.

You may have to click on the picture to see the sheep clearly.

This picture was taken on the North Island in the Far North District.

Colorful Sydney

Summertime! Down under in the southern hemisphere, February is summer...and it was hot in Sydney. Sarah and I both got nice sunburns. We had a day to spend in Sydney due to the fact that our flight to New Zealand was two days after we arrived in Australia from Hawaii.

The city is quite lively and colorful. Lots to see and do. It was kind of a shame that Sarah and I were both exhausted by the time we got there. However, we forced ourselves to play tourist, rode some ferries, and saw the sights. Good times.

We are now actually in Auckland, New Zealand, but we have been too busy to even take one picture of the country...

(My favorite part about the southern hemishere is that the moon is "upside down.")

Snow Cones!

We went up to the top of Mauna Kea on Tuesday to get a first hand look at the snow. Mauna Kea is 13,796 feet high (from sea level). The mountain was a perfect place to go sledding with body boards...lots o' fun. However, the oxygen was a little thin at that elevation, so hiking up the hills was exhausting after a while.

Snow in Hawaii

This picture of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i was taken on the roof of Sarah's family's house. This is a rare clear view of the mountain with snow.

Married!