http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip Dutch guy and his fun-loving wife quit the "old 9 to 5" to see a bit o'the world Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:09:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Unbelievable that a year has passed by so quickly. It seems like only yesterday we left Tampa to begin our adventure. Thanks to everyone that commented on our blog. We enjoyed hearing from you. We received over 100 comments from people all over the world! Our lives have been so enriched ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip/journeys-end.html After 2 days in Boulder, our next stop is Rocky Mountain National Park. As you can see from the photos it is beautiful here and we are enjoying viewing the wildlife. Elk and Big Horn Sheep wander the park. It has been really cold here and snow is in the ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip/estes-park-colorado.html We spent the last few days in Auckland enjoying the waterfront and doing some shopping. The exchange rate in New Zealand was fantastic (one of the few times this trip) and we took advantage of it by buying some warm clothes for our Colorado stop in one of the many ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip/boulder-colorado.html The weather in Auckland has been perfect this week and I finally made it out onto the water. A beautiful breeze made the two hour sail on the NZ 41 the ultimate treat. Both the NZ 40 and NZ 41 are true America Cup racers and were used for ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip/sailing-new-zealand.html We are spending the last week of our overseas adventure in Auckland, the City of Sails. It is the largest city in New Zealand where 30% of the country's population resides. It has a lot in common with Sydney Australia, beautiful waterfront and surroundings, but cannot touch the charm of ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip/auckland-new-zealand.html We went to a Rugby Union game of the local professional team "The Canterbury Crusaders". It is certainly a unique and exciting game... when a player is down and bleeding, they continue playing! Even while the trainer is tending to the injured player on the field! There are no ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip/rugby.html We spent the night in Arthur's Pass on our way back to Christchurch. It is a township with a population of 54 and a stopover for people wanting to explore Arthur's Pass National Park and the Southern Alps. We spent the day hiking up to the waterfalls. The views here ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip/arthurs-pass-new-zealand.html Continuing south we stopped at Shantytown-- 30 historic buildings  recreate a 19th Century pioneer town, inspired by the West Coast gold rushes of the 1860s. It is like stepping back in time, with the old time shops displaying their relics from days gone by.  We rode an old time steam ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip/shanty-town-new-zealand.html The Pancake Rocks are columns of limestone resembling stacks of pancakes that have been formed by centuries of tidal water washing over them. At high tide with a heavy swell running, seawater is forced upwards through blow holes. An amazing sight which is backdropped by the rough surf of the ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip/pancake-rocks-new-zealand.html We visited Abel Tasman National Park named after the Dutch explorer who arrived in this area in 1642. We spent two days hiking in this beautiful area which lies in the northern portion of the South Island. There is something for everyone here--camping, hiking and kayaking for all levels and ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/worldtrip/abel-tasman-national-park-new-zealand.html