Yes, We Made It!!

Parting Shot... do we look excited or what?

Hey everybody! We've done gone now.....
We are in NZ now and staying with a lovely couple (Wayne and Kathy) at Alabar Ranch about 45 minutes from Auckland. Alabar is a breeding center for horses on about 300 beautiful acres with views across the water of Auckland and the surrounding areas.
(Thank you for the connection, Tom!)

What a view! Our bedroom the first night in NZ.

Wayne and Kathy made a not-so-frequent trip into the city to meet us at the airport. The drive out to Alabar was nice but strange since everyone was driving on the wrong side of the road. I guess the US is one of the few countries that people drive on the right side. (Does that make us the weird ones?)

Walking on shells- The beach at Alabar Ranch

In the eve, Jen and I took a walk down to the beach, going through a few paddocks on the way. Curious mares would come close to check us out (which spooked Jen a-time-or-two).
It's breeding season here and there are lots of foals sticking close to there mothers. Two more were born last night.

Jen with a friendly mare

We slept hard last night after being graciously hosted and well fed. I wouldn't mind staying right here for a long time but we're off to see the wizard (I mean "The World"), so we'd better embrace the "on the road" idea.
This morning we were shown the breeding process- Collecting the sperm from the stallions; into the lab for analysis, processing, and shipping; and also the artificial insemination of the mares. Wild!
This afternoon we'll say goodbye and catch a train back into Auckland.

Pukekohe East, New Zealand