We woke up early to go sky diving at 7:20AM. It was probably 40 degrees out and definitely much colder up at 12,000 feet. After speaking with some of the locals, they mentioned it was the first day of snow in Queenstown (on the mountains).
Nevertheless, the experience was pretty awesome.
The #1 attraction in New Zealand does not disappoint.
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After departing Franz Josef, we headed through Haast, then Queenstown. On the way, we stopped at the Blue Pools of Haast Past. These are glacier fed pools which give them a uniquely blue color.
We also had a lot of fun driving too 
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Rule #1 with travelling and scheduling: be flexible. Our first day of trying to get a helicopter ride up to the Franz Josef glacier got cancelled due to inclement weather. The next day didn’t look great either until the last fly up (which we managed to get in!). Franz Josef is one of three glaciers that lead into a rain forest.
Heli hiking Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand
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A full day of slaying rainbow trout in Lake Taupo on the north island.
Departed the Wellington harbor over to the South Island. Once there, the drive passed through numerous vineyards and herds of sheep. See if you can count the number of sheep on the second to last picture
First off, Internet access is sparse here. This trip is completely different than the time we went to Europe and we could get Internet anywhere, even on the trains. And when you do find Internet access, it will cost you an arm and a leg for each hour or MB transferred. That aside, New Zealand is amazing. It is hard to take a bad photo of the countryside, and we’re only on the north island! These photos are from LAX to Auckland to Mt. Maunganui to Orakei Karako thermal springs.
Thermal Springs on the North Island.
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Thermal Springs (bubbling mud)
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Replaced the transmission fluid today with some Eneos 75W-90. The shifting is smooth as butter now! Draining and refilling took a few hours, and you do need some sockets that may not be in your normal box of tools, specifically 24mm and 27mm with a big socket wrench (long).
Basic steps are:
Helped my parents install a new sink (Kohler K-3361-4 Double Basin Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink from the Staccato Series) w/reverse osmosis system and also recaulked the stand-in shower. Next up, new under cabinet range hood!
