An American Abroad: 365 Days and Counting

I cannot believe it has been a year now since Luke and I arrived in New Zealand! And what a year its been! In the last 365 days I have done more than I ever imaged I could have done in a lifetime! Some of things I have enjoyed this year have included:

Jumping out of a plane
Walking on a Glacier
Flying over Queenstown on a hang-glider
Experiencing more earthquakes than I ever really needed
Hiking through 5 National Parks
Seeing dolphins, whales, penguins and seals in their natural habitat
Touring breweries, wineries and drinking in just a few pubs

I could carry on listing things for days. We have explored so many cities, seen so many angles of the oceans that surround New Zealand, and hiked up some of the steepest hills just to catch a glimpse of these views. I feel so lucky to have experienced all of these things and may it long continue!

We've had a nice celebratory weekend not only to commemorate our year in New Zealand, but also to say goodbye to the Nelson/Mapua area that we are leaving tomorrow. On Thursday, Luke coached his team for the last time and to thank him they gave him a gift certificate to a local restaurant, Wharfside. We decided to split it up and use it for two meals, a lovely Eggs Benedict breakfast one day and a full on lunch then next. To top off our last day here, the Price's took us to Woollaston Winery for a wine tasting and some lunch.

It's always a little bit sad (at least for me) to leave somewhere that you have spent an extended period of time. For almost four months we have called Mapua home, so to be leaving now, though it is exciting to be moving onto new adventures, is a little bit sad. The things we will miss most about this area are the incredibly kind people and the incredibly beautiful weather!