From Way Down Under to Down Under...

Lindsay and I are now in Australia! We would have thought Australia was 'down under' before we went to New Zealand's South Island - wow - we were "really" down under the rest of the world. We went below 45 degrees latitude in the Southern Hemisphere, possibly the lowest latitude we will ever be in our lives. And ya know what? People that live here are friendly, nice, and love their country.

The South Island was absolutely beautiful! Where most of the scenes from Lord of the Rings came from, we enjoyed God's amazing ability to create landscapes that are breathtaking. One of the most amazing was the Milford Sound - up for vote as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world (a new contest that ends in July of this year. In fact, you can vote on your favorite places around the world on www.7naturalwonders.com) With the massive Fiords shooting up 1 1/2 km on average out of the Milford Sound, it was impressive.

For the last 8 days, Lindsay and I slept in a Campervan. Besides our front light going out (towards the end of our trip), the break pads that need to be replaced (also occurred during our trip), the leaky roof, the driving on the left side of the road in rain most of the time... in a standard! with the gear shift on the opposite side that I/we are used to, and the frightening shock Lindsay got one night from our electric heater, it wasn't really a bad way to go! :) Actually, seeing all the country side and having a nice little space of our own was nice, we didn't have to unpack for 8 days. Yeah!! BUT - that all being said, it is very nice to have a little space in a room of our own here in Australia.

This morning we leave to embark on a 3 night 2 day dive trip where we will live aboard a ship with other divers and go on various dives around the outer Great Barrier Reef. What a thrill - and a lifelong goal of mine! Lindsay and I were officially certified as divers when we were in Honolulu, on the way here.

Much more to say... so little time, but we are very excited about the opportunity in front of us to see and visit many of our neighbors under the sea.

Until next time!

God bless,

The Horton Divers