The Long Journey to the Land of the Kiwi's..

The trip started at 8am at the Carlson abode... geared up with our rolling suitcases (yes, you heard that correct we're 27... not 21... no big backpacks this time high class all the way!) and our day packs. We said our goodbyes to the fam and of course little marley moo (he was so upset that Melanie was leaving that he jumped in the car to come with us). As Rob bid us fairwell and kissed Alison goodbye with a threat to be good (hee hee)... we rushed into the terminal to beat the lines and find out that the airport is completely deserted!!

After 22 hours of air travel plus 8 hrs of layovers, we finally arrived in Queenstown, New Zealand!!! Good on us (a new phrase that we learned today that means no worries... kind of strange, but we are on the other side of the planet!). Our adventure started with learning how to drive on the left side of the road... and the right side of the car! By this point in time we have put Beyonce to shame because we keep yelling / singing "to the left, to the left... " in order to avoid a head on collision. A bit scary at first... but we're getting the hang of it. Alison got to be the test pilot after winning a coin toss to chose the first driver.

The drive to The Coronation Lodge was a piece of cake thank god we made it in one piece! Since our room was not ready so we dropped off our bags at the front desk. We realized that after we stepped back outside we needed to use the restroom. WELL, they don't have a public one... but there was a room that was open and looked as though it was about to cleaned by the maid. Melanie told Alison to be on the lookout while she snuck in really quickly. As Melanie was about to walk back out of the bathroom she heard someone in the room and when she peeked out the door there was someone there and it WASN'T Alison... it was the hotel guest unpacking her luggage!! Luckily the woman was facing the window and Melanie, in Pink Panther style, managed to escape unnoticed. Alison of course, was oblivious to the entire situation as she was down the hall looking at a wall of brochures. Melanie grabbed Alison, and we ran out in hysterics!

We walked into town to some of the most breathe taking views. The only comparison might be the rolling hills of Switzerland which Alison has seen first hand (pictures to come). As it was only 11am, we grabbed a bite to eat on the water at The 19th Restaurant... tasted our first fresh New Zealand monkfish and some local St. Claire "Savy" (the kiwi lingo for Savuignon Blanc... and one of our favorite words so far!), took a hike through the gardens, had a photo shoot on the water with some of our new Asian friends, and took a scenic drive through the mountains. Off to shower, grab some dinner, and listen to some local live music. Then it is off to bed to get some rest for our big adventure tomorrow...