Dave's Adventures in New Zealand

I'm back in San Francisco after a fantastic couple of weeks exploring New Zealand (Aotearoa in Maori). We spent all our time on the South Island - as there were so many things we wanted to do there, and so we could visit with Lobo and his family in their new home in Nelson. (Check out Lobo's New Zealand blog for updates on their experiences in NZ). Overall, we found the "kiwis" (New Zealanders) to be incredibly friendly, welcoming and helpful folks... very informal, passionate about their beautiful country, honest and playful. The South Island is incredibly diverse in terms of landscapes and eco-systems - and much of it is protected as parklands and wilderness. Some highlights of our travels included:

• Visiting Lobo, Mari, Maya and PJ in Nelson...playing with the girls and sharing a "gourmet" fish and chips dinner on the waterfront.
• Snorkeling in the open ocean off of Kaikoura with a pod of 200+ Dusky Dolphins. Amazing to experience the curiosity and playfulness (or so it seemed to us) of these beautiful animals in their own environment.
• Sea-kayaking along the north coast in Abel Tasman National Park. Beautiful unspoiled coastline with thriving (now protected) colonies of fur seals, rays, dolpins, etc.
• "Tramping" the Milford Track in Fiordland National Park. This famous walk lived up to it's hype...lush rainforests, amazing glacier-carved valleys, huge waterfalls - and very cheeky (sociable) "alpine" parrots (Keas).

... and now it's great to be back home in San Francisco, and back online working with the team on the next CiviCRM release. We're looking forward to a productive (and fun) 2007 with help from our great community of users and developers.