Julie and Mark Down Under: Aotearoa - The Land of the Long White Cloud

......Maori (indigenous Polynesian language) for New Zealand.

We have just returned from a ski holiday on New Zealand's South Island. Ski holiday might be a bit of a stretch since the Mt. Hutt ski area we had targeted has seen very little snow since the start of the season in early June. This is not to say that we did not have a magnificent time in NZ. The movie, Lord of the Rings, does not do this place justice.

For those of you unfamiliar with the country, here is a quick geography lesson: NZ is made up of two main islands, the North and South Island, and several ancillary islands. Auckland, the largest city, and the capital of NZ, Wellington, are both on the North Island while the "Southern Alps" and Christchurch are just across the strait on the South Island. Most outdoor activities and skiing are on the South Island, and we stayed in a town named Methven about an hour and a half outside of Christchurch.

Here are a few other facts that you might not have known: New Zealanders are referred to as "Kiwis" not because of the fruit but for the national bird, the Kiwi. Oh, and there are no snakes on the islands, so NZ is Julie's new favorite country! Sheep outnumber people, so shepherds still really do exist!

Here are a few highlights of the trip:

* Deciding to instead enjoy some "summer" activities on one day, we hired (that means rented here) horses from a nearby farm. No, Mark has not grown a beard, and no, that is not Kenny Rogers. That's Bruce, the horse guy. Julie's horse, Speedy Cavalier, was a bit of a horse's ass literally speaking. Halfway through the ride, he decided to kick Bruce's horse, Goliath, IN the ass. This created a bit of scare that Julie might end up on the ground, but all was well.

Mark's horse's name was Ernie and reminded him of his childhood horse, Star, who liked to shuffle the ground with her hoof to let you know she was ready to lie down in water with or without you. Luckily Ernie waited to take his roll until we were back at the stables.

* The snow did finally drop in buckets on the one day we made the drive up to Mt. Hutt. The ski area was much different than those we see in the U.S., as it is necessary to drive 14km up an unpaved, somewhat two-lane road with no guardrail. While scary the drive allows you to take in the beautiful mountains and countryside below (or at least the passenger can). Additionally, Mt. Hutt has no resorts or apres-ski activities. You are pretty much just offered a coffee bar and a lot of smoking Japanese skiers.

Mark is a great skier and was able to enjoy the few runs that were open. Julie fumbled down the green slope two times and, in her typical manner, made time for a coffee a rest. Skiing is stressful!

* You would think of "jet boating" as the activity of taking a fast boat ride across a flat lake. Exhilarating, yet probably a little boring after 15 minutes. The Kiwis' idea of a jet boat ride is a 32-km adventure up a whitewater gorge, and they will not be satisfied unless you have to shut your eyes out of fear at least twice. Mark was in fact a little embarrassed that Julie actually did close her eyes like her mom, Sue, in the passenger seat of car for a lot of the ride.

Imagine traveling along at 40-kmph feeling the rocks below you and with a driver who has no qualms about heading straight for a rock just to get a better jump on the rapid. That is a Kiwi's idea of jet boating, and here is a view from the front of the boat.

* After your heart is really pumping from the jet boat ride, they let you out for 5km walk back through the Rakaia Gorge. Lots of beautiful views of Mt. Hutt and the surrounding mountains, sheep, cows, and horses.

* The trip wasn't all pleasure. We had to get down to business and support our national Aussie Rugby team, the Wallabies, in the annual Rugby Tri-Nation Series between NZ, Australia, and South Africa.

The sport is absolutely huge in NZ but much larger in the eastern and northern parts of Australia than in the Melbourne area. The All Blacks, the name of the national NZ team, are world-renowned for their pre-game Maori dance, the haka. It is pretty intimidating, but of course our Aussie Wallabies are not girls. Even if a bit smaller, the Wallabies went on to win 20-15.

We were one of only two groups in the bar pulling for the Aussies, but our picked score in the pool almost allowed us to take all of their money. No luck, though.