1) SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - This is what a TV room in Australia looks like when the TV is tuned to the Superbowl. Had a cricket match been on, the room would have been packed with rabid fans. I caught the first quarter of the game before my flight to Auckland New Zealand.

2) AUCKLAND - Ben shows his grandmother photos of his recent trip to Thailand while partner Jasper looks on. I met both Ben and Jasper on the beaches of Thailand when they invited me to visit them in New Zealand. On my first night there, Ben's Grandmother cooked us all "a proper dinner"
which included the world-famous New Zealand dessert, Pavlova.

3) PAIHIA - I'm doing the "hongi" on a "waka"-- a tradition which comes from the Maori. The Maori are Pacific Islanders who make up the native culture on New Zealand. They traveled to New Zealand several hundreds of years ago on handmade canoes called wakas. Wakas are very sacred, so when
coming into the presence of a waka, it's customary to perform a formal greeting by pressing your noses together. This is called hongi.

4) PAIHIA - This is one of the most sacred wakas called Ngatokimtawhaorua. It is several hundred feet long and made of three huge Kauri trees. Every February 6th, native Maori take it out to sea as a ceremonial celebration of Waitangi Day in 1840, when Maori chiefs agreed to become part of the British Empire.

5) PAIHIA - This is a close up of the Ngatokimtawhaora waka. You can see the detailed carvings which tell the histories of the Maori people in the region. You can also see the rope used to bind the three trees together to make this boat.

6) PAIHIA - Welshman Jaime does the hongi with waka tour guide Rob.

7) PAIHIA - Our sea kayak tour guides treated us to fresh mussels after kayaking around the Bay of Islands. I had never had mussels before. Wow! They were awesome!

8) CAPE REINGA - Cape Reinga is the northern most tip of New Zealand's north island. It's where the warm green waters from Tasmania mix with the cooler blue waters of the Pacific. The white ripples are where the two currents are colliding.

9) CAPE REINGA - Here's "surfer dude" Scott! This was my first time surfing, and I did okay. After an hour lesson, I was able to stand up on the board... for about two seconds.

10) TE PAKI - Just southwest of Cape Reinga is a stretch of giant sand dunes. It's become a huge attraction for people who like to body board. My first attempt down was very successful -- only a slight splash near the end as I hit a patch of mud. However my second attempt was disaster. I caught
an edge, wiped out, and cascaded several feet down the hill. I had sand EVERYWHERE -- in my eyes, my hair, and yes, even in those dark hidden places.

11) TE PAKI - Here's what body-boarding looks like.

12) WAITANGI - My friend Kerstin recommended that we hitch a ride to make it back in time to catch our bus. Dozens of cars passed by while she stood in front, however the instant I took the lead, thumbin' position, we got a ride!

13) ROTORUA - Maori women and men display a traditional song and dance at a traditional Maori feast called a hongi. The feast consisted of meats and veggies cooked in a covered earth oven heated by white hot stones.

14) ROTORUA - The center of New Zealand's north island is the heart of the Maori culture. While at the hongi feast, I was selected as the "chief" of all the visitors. It was largely a ceremonial position, however I had to meet and accept a peace offering from Maori warriors before any visitors
were allowed onto the property.

15) WAITOMO - Tour guide Hohepa helps Jola as she starts her hundred foot descent into the Rua Kuri (or "two dog") Cave. While underground, we explored underground rivers, waterfalls, and "glow worms for nearly four hours.

16) NORTH ISLAND - Sea kayaks await rowers on the beaches of Waitangi.