Happy 4th of July!

We're in New Zealand, so no fireworks :(

But we had a very scenic drive from Christchurch (where we landed) to Queenstown (where we're skiing).  It was about 7 hours driving toward the Southern Alps through foothills and sheep/cattle country.  Also, Lord of the Rings country.  We may have driven past Mordor....

Leaving Christchurch...

Heather, me, and Katie

View of the mountains as we drive (convoy!)

I call this one 'Mountains With Lake'

'Lake With Mountains'

'Foothills of Twizel'

'The Sun Also Sets'

'Shiny!'

We, finally arrived in Queenstown, which seems really fun.  We're all looking forward to skiing in the morning.  (Conditions look okay, despite no recent snow.)  But for now, we're all just enjoying the awesome "holiday house" we're staying in, Dart Haven.

I still have to catch up on the end of our trip to the coast, too:

After leaving Bimbi Park, we stopped for a delicious brunch in a coastal town called Lorne -- in Australia, it's standard to have your eggs with buttered toast, bacon, and roasted tomatoes, among other things.  I LOVE the roasted tomatoes because they are delicious. Why don't we do this in America?  I have no pictures from the restaurant, but I do have one of a breakfast my Aunt made, which was probably even better.  Also, everyone is constantly having hot tea or some other "hot drink".  Awesome.

Following along the Great Ocean Road, we stopped at Aireys Inlet to see Split Point Lighthouse.  We also stopped at Barwon Heads, where my aunt, uncle and cousins vacation every year.  We walked around the tidal pools and found some shells and climbed up to the bluff before heading back North.  We dropped Cam in Geelong and then drove back up to Melbourne to catch Jack before he left for his formal.

Cam is leaning on a lighthouse

I hold it delicately from the roof

View of the coastline from Aireys Inlet

Searching (unsuccessfully) for crabs and stuff

Doesn't Jack look sharp and fresh?  I think he's a very pretty lady... :)