Kickin' with the Kiwis

I know, I know, I've dropped off the face off the blogging planet.  In addition to being quite busy, we've been having some serious technical difficulties around here.  Our laptop totally froze up and needed to be completely refomatted, and then our desktop got a virus.  Luckily I do routine backups, so we didn't loose anything important.  BUT it just made doing anything on the computer quite frustrating.  We're back up and running now, though.

In other, more exciting, news Toren just returned home from a 10-day business trip to New Zealand.  He said it was absolutely beautiful.  They started out in the South island, which is more rustic and rural than the North.  They traveled first through the Fjordland National Park, which is the home to the Southern Alps.

Toward the end of the Fjordland they took a cruise around the Milford Sound.  It might look familiar for the LOTR fans out there.  This is the spot where the elves, Gandalf, and Frodo sailed off in the end of The Return of the King.

Before heading to the more populated North island, they visited the Franz Joseph Glacier.  It's one of only two glaciers that flows into a temerate rainforest.  The glacier water was so pure that (as you can see) Toren took a sip.

The majority of New Zealanders live on the North island, but it's much less majestic.  Toren didn't take too many pictures.  They stayed in Wellington (the capital city), which has a very European style. 

He brought me back a pair of earrings and a necklace made with genuine New Zealand jade and he brough Austin back a stuff animal kiwi bird.  He had a great time, but, of course, he would have had a better time if we'd been with him.

More later on how Austin and I stayed busy while Toren was gone.