Friday, February 27, 2015

Moving on soon

What prompted this? Beth and I don't like living in Auckland. Yes, we have been having fun living here, but its just another big city to us. We left Minneapolis for a reason.We enjoyed our time in Tauranga and Thames. We are looking to relocate to a place that allows us to really enjoy the country everyday with little fanfare.

2 weeks ago, I was offered roles in both Christchurch and Tauranga, but I turned them down. Why? My employer and I are coming to a new working agreement. So Beth and I are looking at houses around the country as we will be working remotely for our respective employers. We'll still have to come to Auckland throughout the year, but we'll get to get back to living spitting distance to the outdoor life.

We are looking at Taupo as our destination. Why Taupo? There is of course Lake Taupo. Ironman New Zealand, which Beth may enter and I must take a second crack at it. Heaps of mountain biking including Craters of the Moon and W2K trail. A lot of trail running. Its close to Rotorua for more mountain biking. Oxfam Tailwalker. Great Lake Relay. Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge and Huka Challenge. Short drive away from Ruapehu/Tongario/Ngauruhoe which is home of hiking and snowboarding. Its also a short drive to Auckland and Tauranga. We have been looking at TradeMe for houses for rent and there have been a few cool ones. Just have to get down there and look at securing a new lodging!

We are also in the process of planning our trip back to the US. We'll be there for part of July and August. We are starting to form plans on what cities to hit and people to see. It will be 2.5 years since my last visit and I've got some catching up to do. Things I want to do: sail with my brother  and family, get in a long bike ride on my Surly possibly to Duluth, play paintball with the guys/gals of Damage Inc, see friends and family, see Otis and his twins, see Lena and her twins, do some climbing, do some warm water dives, and maybe save the world. Or I could just go eat my way around the World instead.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Dive Into Adventure with Air New Zealand and DOC



So here is the promotional video that was made for the trip that Beth won back in December. We made mention of this in the 2014 Year in Review post. The editing and footage is pretty awesome. Courtesy of Karl from Monster Valley. Watching the video reminds me how awesome this place is and that I want to go diving. I would like to say we aren't on a never ending holiday, but I do get out and enjoy the country as much as possible. May take this show on the road. We'll let you know in the coming weeks.