Deep Thoughts by Susie

Things that I can’t get my head around:

1] NZ claims a 99% literacy rate. I know it’s a small country, but how do they do that??
2] The bays and wharfs DO NOT SMELL LIKE FISH. How is this possible?
3] Wellington boasts of having more restaurants/cafes per head than Manhattan, and evidently the number crunching stacks up. I think that’s one thing that is really apparent here, that although it is not a large city – all that it offers is really kind of shocking. And the café culture is almost out of control – and I happen to like cafés.
4] Everyone wears black! – but not necessarily in the Goth way. How did I not know this before???
5] Why can't Sonya find any dill pickles???? They just do them here. Go figure. Also, no pickled banana peppers - in fact, no one knows what they are.
6] People are not pretentious, even on the campuses, and seem rather approachable. In fact, Parliament is only a minute walk away from where we live, and no one seems to mind when we walk through the parking lot to go grocery shopping.
7] People are hearty here. I mean, young kids throw themselves into freezing water and parents seem to encourage the behavior.


What makes more sense to me now than it did several weeks ago is the saying: Look right or die! [when you’re crossing the street]

Holiday Greetings from New Zealand....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!!!! We hope you enjoy......

If you have any trouble viewing the youtube video above, paste the following link into your browser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRMM3y9zoco

Napier, New Zealand

I would have posted this sooner, but I have been busy sunning on the Parliament grounds. The Prime Minister probably thinks I am stalking her, but it is my favorite place to read and listen to Christmas music. We are expecting rain tomorrow, so cramming in as much sun as possible was the wise choice for the day.

Last Friday we took a very small plane with propellers to Napier, which is on the east coast of the North Island. In 1931 the devastating earthquake took place (officially 7.8 on the Richter scale) and the city today is very much the art deco city that was rebuilt in 1932.

Mary Jane picked us up at the tiny Napier airport on Friday afternoon. MJ is a nurse practitioner in NZ, one of about 25...I had originally thought that there were a couple of pediatric NP's here, but it turns out I was mistaken. MJ had arranged for me to talk to a nice lady interested in becoming an NP here about how we practice in the US and how she could go about getting the experience she needs....the system here is so different from the US that finding a solution to her dilemmas was not easy! Becoming an NP here is very different than in the states and learning this process has been very interesting for me.

I first contacted MJ several months ago, as I found her name on the Vanderbilt School of Nursing alumni list while I was hunting for any nursing contacts in New Zealand. We emailed back and forth, and so by the time we arrived, I felt like I knew her. She graduated from VUSN a couple of years before I did, and then she and her husband moved back to California. A couple of years back they decided to have an adventure and move out here to NZ! We found this fascinating and very brave. She works a great deal with the Maori people and also teaches nursing. Her husband Don works for Johnson and Johnson selling hips and knees. He showed us his kit and I picked out my favorite one: ceramic on ceramic. It has great range of motion!

Their house in on Hospital Hill in Napier, and it is so beautiful! They have a lovely yard that is full of flowers and terraces. They even have a view of the water! Can't beat that. I really don't know how they garden on the hillside land of their home, but they do and it is absolutely gorgeous. Late Friday night we got in the hot tub and found the Southern Cross! The other constellations look upside down, and the seven sisters were also brightly visible that night.

Saturday was wonderful, as we took bikes around Napier to the port and then to a Bluff Lookout! Man, is it hilly! We heard how the land rose after the earthquake, lifting entire portions of the ocean to become dry land that is now city. The new land was handed over to the crown, and I wonder what lucky folks were given these new parcels! I only crashed the bike once, and it bruised my pride more than anything; I was on a boardwalk and looking up at the ocean instead of where I was going! Thankfully nothing was broken, even my record of always falling once every time I ride a bike!

There is a wonderful museum in Napier that has a movie of the accounts of several earthquake survivors. All of them were kids then and describe the chaos and sadness in very literal, child-like ways that make the movie very poignant. We spent a good deal of time in Napier wondering how they ever rebuilt the city and found the strength to move on....

Saturday night was our first NZ "barbie", or BBQ. We had chicken, sausages, veggies, mussels, salad, and fresh fruit and ice cream for dessert. Don turned on a gas heater outside as we all sat around the table, eating and drinking abundantly. Several very nice folks came over, making our total number eight....Don lit up the cool art deco fountain in their courtyard and music was wafting around with the great smells....Can you tell we had a good time? It was so much fun to get to know the New Zealanders, or the Kiwis, as they call themselves. They were so kind to us, and asked us a lot of questions about America, our families, what it was like growing up, etc... We just yapped and yapped.

Sunday we could hardly move, but amazingly we did. At least, long enough to get in the car and go to Te Mata Peak. I took a million photos of everything I could see from this venue, and it was raining pretty hard by the time we left. What really amazed me was the sheer height of the cliffs and the hang gliding platforms on the edges....From Te Mata we went to Island Beach, where the surf was too crazy for swimming. Still, folks were out and children were having a blast in the large shallow pools in front of the infamous "baches", which is short for "bachelor pads" and are summer homes used very much this time of year around Christmas break. A few crazies were in the water and making me very nervous....The rip tides are infamous here and the lifeguards posted no swimming signs....

We traveled on down the road to a honey farm, where we sampled NZ honey until we lost the ability to taste anything sweet. It was fun! Next we stopped at a trading post where the owners sold funiture and cowhides. We had a nice chat with the owner, who had extensively traveled North America. She had been to Nashville once and saw Def Leppard in concert! We laughed about this...

On to shopping for the next barbie! As it turns out, after we ate, we went to a Christmas caroling on a Lavender farm. They have it yearly and we were invited by the guests, which included a fellow nurse friend of MJ's named Ruth, her husband John, and their two boys, Alex and Sero. John has the biggest smile we've ever seen, Ruth is a really genuine person, and their sons adore them. They own a farm with a house that survived the earthquake. We went for dessert at their house after caroling.

Now... to the caroling incident. Well, it wasn't really an incident as much as a very unique event we will always remember. "Carols In the Lavender" is a yearly caroling at the lavender farm, as I said earlier. Well, it is officiated by a Reverend Deirdre, who is well known for her leading the songs with a very off-key rendition, which is sung loudly with the microphone hugged closely. We were warned, but we really weren't ready for the Reverend's keen ability to knock everyone off-tune. I was amazed to find myself at least a whole-step off-key, and this got me tickled, to put it mildly. To make matters worse, they had bussed in a bunch of elderly folks to sing, and in front of us there was a very hilarious and opinionated 90 year old. She put her fingers in her ears, her hands on her head, shook her head in wonder, and kept telling me to get up and grab the microphone. I was shaking so hard from laughter that candle wax was dripping on my pants. We had to give it to the Reverend though, because she showed enormous gumption. At the end the little old lady brought me a lolly (candy!) and teetered off. It was really precious, and the gold coins collected benefited The Christian World Service.

Monday we had to make our way back to Wellington, and it was honestly hard to say goodbye to MJ. We had had so much fun!

Tomorrow we're off!!!

Tomorrow we are taking a short plane trip to Napier, New Zealand. We will be staying with Mary Jane, who graduated from Vanderbilt School of Nursing a bit after I did and is now a Nurse Practitioner (one of the 23) here in NZ. She and her husband have a home in Napier and we will be visiting for a few days. In exchange, we will offer them GooGoo Clusters. Mmmmmm....

We will take lots of photos and I promise to post them as soon as we get back on Monday! As you can see from the above photo taken today, I am rushing around packing and stressing out....teeheehee. The only thing I am nervous about (Susie is not nervous) is a massive earthquake, like the one which destroyed Napier in the 1920's. Is it too much to ask it to wait until after I am back in Wellington? Or better yet, on another continent? Seriously, I do track all earthquake activity in NZ daily on the web. It is useful information.

To share in my neurotic obsession, go to http://www.geonet.org.nz/latest.html.

Boy this blog went awry, didn't it?

NEWS FLASH!

They could not meet our demands - so the deal is off! Actually, they were looking for photos of interesting homes in the U.S. Sonya suspected this much, but was flattered by the fact that they thought her photo HGTV-worthy!

HGTV Contacts Sonya!!!!!

Sonya received an email today from someone at HGTV who is interested in using the photo with the double chimney house! As her agent, I will see what we can negotiate! Stay tuned.....

Kayaking to a Glacier

Upon arrival at Mt. Cook Village, we checked in at the Hermitage Hotel, which is just about the only place to stay here. Of course, you could camp out, but you know we are not exactly the best camping material...Our nearby cabin (the closest thing you can get to camping without sleeping outside...) was not ready, and so we checked our bags and headed for adventure. Because this was the first clear day in two weeks, everyone was outside...there was a boat tour to the Tasman Glacier that was full, and lots of people were going up in planes and helicopters (this is quite expensive...). We headed to the Mountaineer Cafe and signed up for kayaking to the Mueller Glacier. We were the only ones to sign up for this "non-spectator" sport and so we had a guide, Jason, all to ourselves.

We hopped in his truck and headed for the campgrounds. From here we carried kayak skirts and life jackets on a hike to the glacier lake. It was absolutely beautiful; we were thanking God that there were no snakes! We had to climb up and then down again to the edge of the lake. Jason keeps kayaks hidden there, and we pulled them out. The water was again opaque, but did not have the other-worldly color of Lake Tekapo...there is really a lot of glacier flour in Mueller Lake due to being so close to the glacier and all of its sediment....there are no fish in this lake either. Occasionally we would see birds, which Jason said probably ate spiders and bugs...but we didn't see any spiders or bugs at all.

Just because it seemed like we were at the end of the earth, it was very startling to hear and see avalanches every few minutes....the glacier itself dropped rocks and ice regularly, causing ripples in the lake. If a big piece drops, Jason said that it makes a sort of tidal wave in the lake that will turn the kayaks over....Now the water was very cold, as you can imagine, and so we were prepared with all sorts of gear in case the worst happened, as hypothermia will ensue quickly if you get submerged. Susie and I shared a kayak, and followed Jason to the glacier face. He told us that every time he sees the glacier it looks rather different because of the constant melting. About sixty per cent of the glaciers are underwater, and water is what melts the glacier the fastest....You have to be careful not to go too close to the face of the glacier, as a good bit of activity goes on there sporadically. We developed a heathy respect for it quickly...

We paddled around to the back of the glacier and into a bluer part of water to the side and somewhat behind the glacier...We got out of the kayaks here and climbed up the rocks and ice to get a better view. It was awesome and magnificent. We were thirsty and drank of the water there, which was truly the best tasting and coldest water ever!!!!

All along the way I took pictures when I could, but as you can see the lens was quite spattered with water. There was a small net pocket in the front of my life jacket vest (which zips on the side) and I stuffed the camera in that....The kayak splash skirts were hilarious, and we had quite a confusing time trying to get in and out of them...Jason did not really want me to photograph him up close in that skirt!

We had to hurry on the way back to the base of the lake, since the wind was picking up and the water was getting quite choppy. We had to be careful not to go too far, since just beyond our starting off point the Level 4 rapids begin...Can't kayak that well, now can we?

This was perhaps one of the best afternoons in our lives. We were exhausted at the end of the day and after eating a great dinner, we collapsed into sleep.

Not Your Ordinary Bus Ride...

When we got up the morning of December 6th, 2006, we only expected a bit of nausea from the impending 5+hour bus trip. But as you can see from the photos, this was not you ordinary bus ride. Our driver had been doing this route for 37 years, and was quick to share information and point out all the lovely sites (not that you could miss them!). The bus was very roomy with large windows; it was not full, so I hopped from seat to seat to get the best pictures.

Our first stop in the Canterbury Plains was the small town of Geraldine. We got a great deal of pleasure from this tiny place and its small shops and cafes. It also has a cheese shop/fudge shop. Our bus driver stops here twice every day and has many friends to greet him. It is sweet.

Moving from the Canterbury Plains into McKenzie Country, the sheep were plentiful. We must have seen 5000 sheep if we saw three. They were everywhere. Man, these animals sure know how to take it easy. Even the cows were just lying on their side in the sun and lounging around. Those cute sheep with white bodies and black faces were spotted as well!

Now it really got unbelievably lovely by the time we reached the "Church of the Good Shepard" which was our next stop as we came into Lake Tekapo (we laughed and laughed because you pronounce this as though it rhymes with "peek-a-choo").
The magnificent and plentiful lupin flowers captured our attention and the camera lens...By the edge of Lake Tekapo the sight of these flowers and the tiny church made of local stone and timber made us nearly gasp.

The little break at the church was quick, but then we pulled into the tiny town of Lake Tekapo and took a longer break. The air was literally buzzing with everyone's excitement and the bus driver reminded everyone that people get left here all the time because they dilly-dally around and miss the bus. We did not make that mistake.

Past Lake Tekapo is Lake Pukeki, which has the most beautiful color and opacity. Apparently this is because of something called "glacier flour" (who knew?) that is sediment left from melting glaciers. Nothing can live in this water; fish simply can't breathe. It is beautiful to look at, however. Across Lake Pukeki we saw our first glimpses of Mount Cook, which is only visible about 40 per cent of the time....We were so lucky because it had not been visible before this day in two weeks.
We pulled in to Mt. Cook village in about an hour's time and,,,,well, tune in to the next installment for our kayaking adventure!

Off We Go to the South Island...

Tuesday December 5th we woke up early to pack for a four day tour of Christchurch and Mt. Cook...We flew on Air New Zealand and it was only a 45 minute flight. We took pictures from the airplane; you can imagine how excited we were! The picture above was taken as we were descending. Christchurch is an idyllic city that is very flat compared to Wellington. There is also much less wind. It is on the Canterbury Plains and is sandwiched between mountains and the South Pacific. We ate lunch, shopped, and rode on a boat on the Avon River. New Zealanders call this "punting", a term I had never heard before.

At the airport we noted that security was very loose compared to the states, and did not involve the taking off of shoes or keeping liquids to a minimum. We sat on the emergency exit row, and the steward kept quizzing us about the procedure and how comfortable we felt in this position...it was quite funny! This flight was quite smooth and uneventful. I was ready to use the emergency exit if need be, however!

We went to sleep rather early because we had to get up at the crack of dawn to catch a bus to Mt. Cook....

We had no idea what beauty there was to be seen in the next few days!

A Day With Yvonne

Sunday was a very very full and happy day! We went to a local church meeting at 10:30 am and met some really lovely people! There was Yvonne Chisholm, who we had previously been in touch with via email...and a number of other interesting folks. Yvonne offered to take us around Wellington in her car after morning tea, and so we set out after lunch to see the sights!

Before we move to the tour of Wellington, we will mention some of those in our morning church meeting....There was Kay, who is an industrial assistant for the NZ Council of Trade Unions. She has a love of information! We also met Ed, who is from the US and has lived here about three years. He is a volunteer fireman and loves metal music. Andrew is Kay's son and was very excited to light the candles for the meeting. An American ex-patriate named Susie was there for the first time, and we commiserated over the lack of dill pickles in Wellington. Her husband works as a nurse in a surgery center, and she works for the mayor's office. We sent extra Goo Goo clusters home with her for her sons.

Yvonne is such a kind person, with a background in teaching, guidance couseling, and policy development. She was very enthusiastic about driving around sightseeing! First we went to Wright's Hill by car, climbed a few flights of steps, and took in the view from this summit. It seems like you can see forever from here....In the distance we saw the windmill on top of Brooklyn, and Yvonne said we would go to the top of that as well. You can really get a sense of the whole city and surrounding suburbs, mountains, islands, and landmarks from this view. You can even see the expansive fence surrounding the Karori Wildlife Reserve, which keeps predators at bay...it evidently contains lots of birds.

Now it just so happens that Yvonne loves cemetaries as much as we do (she even helps to find families of some of the interred) and so we went to a very large and unbelievable cemetary. We marvelled at how it was physically possible to bury someone on the hilly terrain! I took photos so that all could see this place!

After eating lunch at the cafe in the Penthouse Cinema in Brooklyn, we drove up to the top of Brooklyn, where the famed windmill stands. It generates power from the wind and is so massive! It makes a whirring noise that was louder than what we expected. It was designed by the Danish and shuts down automatically with winds over 80 km/hr, although it supposed to be able to withstand winds up to 200 km/hour!

Finally, we drove around the coastline, and enjoyed the water and stunning views. Make sure to see the photos! If you put it on slideshow at the Flickr site, you will be able to see a plane land on the strip that juts out on the ocean...in a plane you feel lke you will land on the water!

Sadly, we had to get back by 5:30, since we had to drop off a video at "Video Tonite" to avoid overdue fees....It was such a great day. We hope to see Yvonne again!

Riding the Cable Car

All Aboard!!!

Saturday was a great day to ride the cable car to the top of the mountain by Kelburn shops and the Botanical Garden...so we hopped aboard. The cable car system was started in 1898 and completed in 1902 by the prisoners at the Terrace Gaols...isn't that the best name for a prison? Gaoooolllls. Sounds scary!

Anyway, the cable cars run every few minutes every day up and down the mountain, saving precious energy and steps. The picture above shows the view moving up the hill and Susie before she gets on the car. (If you look closely you can see Susie's reflection in the right lower quadrant of the tunnel picture...isn't it spooky cool?) It makes two or three stops before it gets to the top of the hill, and goes through a few tunnels. At the top is a great restaurant, the cable car museum, a street to the Kelburn shops, and top entrances to the Botanical Gardens....Yes, we did it all.

Of course, we had to stop at a cafe for lunch, buy a Christmas ornament for Sonya's mom, and go back for ice cream while overlooking the water views! Hours just flew by. We took a record number of photos, including another of Susie eating ice cream (she switched to chocolate)...The cable car museum had a wonderful gift shop....and some goodies were purchased for some of you reading this blog!

We ended up somehow back in the rose garden after meandering past the Sundial of Human involvement, and the Zip Line Children's playground (see photos for more details!...). We walked down back into town through the cemetary again. How funny not to need a map anymore.

Anyway, it was a lovely day full of sun and laughs.

The Twelve Days of A New Zealand Christmas

So here's a little ditty for you to sing along to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"...The translation is thoughtfully placed below.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, twelve piupiu swinging,
eleven haka lessons, ten juicy fishes, nine sacks of pipi, eight plants of puha,
seven eels a-swimming, six poi a-twirling, five big fat pigs, four huhu grubs, three
flax kits, two kumara, and a pukeko in a ponga tree.

For non-natives, see these words....

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Twelve twelve flax skirts worn by kapa haka groups,
Eleven traditional Maori dance lessons,
Ten Juicy fishes,
Nine sacks of fish having a white elongated shell, abundant in sandy and silty mud,
Eight plants of prickly sow thistle,
Seven eels a-swimming,
Six juggling balls on ropes, held in the hands and swung in various circular patterns, similar to club-twirling,
Five big fat pigs,
Four native New Zealand insects,
Three kete (woven flax kits) were brought down from the heavens by Tane-nui-a-rangi (the Sky Father) for the benefit of 
his children to use in collecting the bounty the earth mother provided in the earth and sea. In themselves, they depict Birth, Life, and Death. (Whew!)
Two sweet potatoes,
And a New Zealand Swamp Hen in a tree fern....

Yes, that is a picture of the Ponga tree fern and its fronds above.
Now, so much research leaves one exhausted!

Thanksgiving at Stafford House

Sunday was the day to celebrate Thanksgiving with lots of nice folks here at Stafford House, our apartment complex....It was delicious! As you can see from the photo above, our countertop looks much the same as home with obligatory coffee, cocoa, olive oil, and vinegar. We are also buying our weight in tomatoes (surprise!).

What did we have at our holiday bash???? Why turkey, of course. Mike the butcher cooked turkey, and we made potato salad...there was an assortment of international delights there as well. We all met in the common room downstairs while a cricket game was playing on television. Felt kind of like home, but we had to trade football for cricket. This game still eludes me.

We had a long talk with Maree, who runs this place with her husband Stewart. She is so kind and gave us great advice on day trips and such. She is from Christchurch....She told us about the town of Petone, which is a short train ride from here. She made us so excited about going that we went the very next day!
Anyway, she and her husband will be traveling soon, visiting Malaysia, Germany, Prague, and Spain! They have a six week vacation planned and it includes visiting with some of the former residents of Stafford House they have kept in touch with...so nice!

Around here, I am known as the person who vacuums a lot. I also now have in my possession the lone key for the music room downstairs...the piano is lovely and only has a few tiny flaws. There is also a billiard/pingpong room downstairs.

So...Thanksgiving was a wonderful feast around here! We thought of everyone back home on Thanksgiving Day, and feel very thankful to have so much again this year.

The Hangi

What, you may ask, is a Hangi? Well, read on. Saturday was the big day for the Hangi, held at Seatoun (pronounced See-tune) by the sea on the grounds of a traditional Maori elementary school. We were invited by Desmond and his family to this event. At the Hangi, food trays containing lamb, pork, beef, potatoes, pumpkin, and various other things are packaged and placed in the ground for cooking. To heat up the "oven", timber is burned on coals in a large hole, then the fire is put out and the food trays are wrapped in large white cloths and lowered into the ground. The whole thing is then covered with earth again. Depending of the type of wood burned, the flavor of the food varies from Hangi to Hangi...Everything is then cooked for about 6-8 hours.

What, you may ask, do you do while the food is cooking? Well, you are entertained by children, of course. They had a Seatoun Idol contest, and different groups of children danced and performed traditional Maori songs....We paid a fee per plate to benefit the school, strolled around shopping for crafts, and then sat on the lawn listening to all of the entertainment. It was so much fun, the hours rolled by.

There was also the short little hop to the beach through the archway on the school grounds! Unbelievable. The kids were all very happy and passionate about singing...The boys impressed us a great deal because they were so full of zest in the performance.

We went back to Desmond's house in the afternoon (he lives in Seatoun) and hung out with his wife Lorna and the rest of the family. It was a very very lovely day, and a uniquely wonderful experience!!!!!

Visiting Karori

Friday night we went to a party in the suburb of Karori...it is overlooking Wellington and is a short drive from campus. We had been invited to the home of Janet Holmes, one of Susie's advisors. She asked a lot of people from the Applied Linguistics school and some of the affiliated programs such as Language in the Workplace for a pot-luck. We were to bring salad. We were offered a ride by a student, who would pick us up on campus.

We arrived on campus early, so we went up to Susie's office and walked around the building; there was a good bit of it that I had yet to see. Then we unfortunately locked ourselves in the Murphy Building, which is adjacent to Von Zedlitz Hall, where Susie's office is....It was so hilarious. We could not get back into Von Zedlitz or out of any doors in Murphy. Finally I saw a red emergency phone, and Susie talked to security. Luckily, they could open the doors remotely and let us out. I felt like a hamster for a short while, then got back into the snap of things when I saw our ride outside.

The trip to Karori was a winding road uphill and through various tunnels. Janet's home is on the hillside and overlooks the city and the water. We met loads of really great people, who had interests in so many global things. Janet was gracious and a superb hostess, and chatted with everyone while running periodically to the kitchen. Her home was warm, and the people were so much fun to talk to....all of them unpretentious and genuinely interested in one another.

We had food from all over the globe, and children playing everywhere. There were kids who came to NZ speaking no English in April 2006 who seemed so fluent now it was mind-boggling. The kids told me what they liked and disliked about school. One little girl from Japan really dislikes the hats they make her wear at school, because they have flaps that cover the ears and neck for sun protection....I advised her that she would be glad of this when she was older and would have wrinkles, but she looked as if that was a million years away....We know better, don't we? Cute little Jake from England chatted with me, and said he would rather have snacks from the vending machine at school than the lunch his mum packed....typical, eh?

There was only one other American there, and she is from Texas. She lectures at the School of Applied Linguistics and loves New Zealand. She said she gave up on her hair many years ago....the wind here does not leave you with much choice...Anyway, she was quite nice.

It was really a great evening and so good to meet all of the folks at Susie's school. Her advisor is quite proud of her and loves to talk about her work. We wrapped the evening up and rode with our friend back down to town....Saturday was to be a big day!!!

Thoughts on Cricket and Other Things...

We saw part of a game of cricket on TV yesterday afternoon....yes, only part of a game because cricket games can evidently last up to five days. We went to the TV common room and flipped channels until a fellow named Mike came in and taught us a thing or two about this elusive game.

Now Mike is a butcher at the Thorndon New World Supermarket (where we spend a lot of money) and grew up in Hastings near Hawkes Bay, NZ in a family of butchers. He says he knows meat through and through. He is here in Wellington studying "Accountancy".

In cricket, men stand in the center of a field on either side of "wickets" and one player (the "pitcher") bowls the ball to the player on the other team holding the cricket paddle. The ball (which is hard!) is thrown by the bowler taking a running start and throwing it at the hitter. Now the ball must bounce. Yes, it has to bounce. Bizarre. After hitting the ball with the paddle, the hitter must run back and forth between wickets, scoring as many runs as possible. It is a high scoring game, but as I said, very bizarre. England and Australia were playing, and Mike was pulling for Australia, which he considers to be the lesser evil. It is never acceptable to root for England. Who knew?

The fellow who bowls the ball nearly dislocates the shoulder with every pitch. The follow-through and strength are amazing to watch. They wear white and these safari looking hats in the outfield, but baseball-like caps in the infield...That is a generalization but bear in mind that these are my uneducated impressions. Also there is a lack of proper hand protection. Guys in the outfield do not wear mitts or gloves, but just catch the ball with their bare hands. Ouch.

So in summary, men stand in white on a field with safari hats and zinc oxide all over the face chasing hard balls and running back and forth between wickets. Note: They evidently think baseball is boring.

This past week other than the day with Desmond, we walked to Oriental Bay and enjoyed the sun and beach....and took the Dominion Post Ferry to Eastbourne, a little town by Days Bay. I combed the beach there picking up pieces of jade. One has to wear a good deal of sunscreen here, because before you know it your nose will be red. On the ferry ride over to Eastbourne Santa was riding along to the Somes Island...this island is an old quarantine spot where one had to stay before being allowed into Wellington. Santa looked a little thin, and didn't have command of his sleigh, or have any reindeers or elves. Curious. And what exactly was Santa doing on lonely Somes Island? We will never know....

A Day With Desmond

On Monday, we were in for quite a treat...the extent of which we never would have guessed. We had been in email contact with a pastor here named Desmond Cooper, who offered to meet us for coffee Monday at 11 am. We met him at the church next door, and found an older gentleman in a black cap and jean jacket. He is short and as active as a stick of dynamite...and very excited to tell us about this wonderful city.

We headed over to Astoria, a coffee shop on Lambton Quay, and he bought us delicious java. He began to tell us of his life here in Wellington, a city he is very very passionate about....we came to learn the extent of his love for this place. He came over 37 years ago on a boat from England, a tiny six week trip. (He said he wished he was dead by the end of it...) He fell in love with the place and married, having four girls he cannot stop talking about....They all live relatively close by and fill him with alot of joy!

He began to draw us maps of Wellington and the surrounding land. Now mind you these are maps which must be viewed in context of the conversation, otherwise looking like jibberish. By the end of the conversation at Astoria, he had covered every surface of napkin on the table...and we learned a good deal!

He said, "Now we'll run and have lunch over on Cuba street, eh? I know a fannnn-tastic place."

Of course we complied. First we went to his church and took a tour, met the staff, and saw the lovely sanctuary. Leaving his car at the church, we went walking to the famed Cuba street, and had a lovely lunch at "Le Cafe"....it was nice enough to sit outside. He showed us pictures of his kids and grand-kids and foster grand-kids! We ate pizza with native sweet potato and enjoyed the weather. He had stories about nearly every building, teaching us historical tidbits about the city.

He said, "Now we'll take a drive to the Mount Victoria summit so you can see all the things I drew on the map."

Again, too nice of him and too nice an opportunity to pass up! So even though I did not have my camera (sadly), we drove up and up to the summit. It gave us the most wonderful panoramic view of what Desmond calls "toy town"... It was the coolest sight I have seen in a long time!

He said, "Now we'll take another drive...to the bays surrounding Wellington." What? More incredible views? What luck!

The drive around the shore lines was so gorgeous that it just about took our breath. We stopped and had ice cream by the beach, watching some very brave people surf. This was a few miles from Wellington city centre, out near the airport. When the planes come in they land on strips that seem to be sitting on volcanic rocks surrounded by surf. It is beautiful. (Note: When you are flying in, it appears that you will have a water landing...makes you take a moment to re-think your life.)...

We paused at the bay where the ship "Wahine" wrecked in 1968...the lives of many were lost by the rocks in a great storm.

On the way back to our place on The Terrace, Desmond invited us to a traditional Maori feast with his family on Saturday.
Of course, we will go. There will be Maori children dancing! We can't wait.

Now, you may notice how kind and warm Desmond is....he is certainly a loving pastor and active member of the community. It is wonderful to meet someone so generous and good-hearted, with energy and sense of humour to match!

Across Cook Strait to the Green-Lipped Mussels

(A distraction for Susie from her studies.....yes, she is working diligently).....

Sunday was a very adventurous day....we took the Interislander Ferry boat to the South Island. For starters, we chose to walk to the Wellington Harbour where the ferry departs. We just didn't realize how far it was....so, we were really skipping along to make it on time! For a walking city, it wasn't exactly "pedestrian friendly". Although we had read how picturesque going through the Cook Strait would be, we weren't prepared for how stunning it really was. We tried to capture the colors and textures in picture, and at times came near success. The photos from this trip will be treasured forever!

Now to Picton, home of the Green-Lipped Mussels....Yummy! These were the biggest mussels ever! (They are supposed to be good for arthritis and a number of other afflictions!) Picton was the cutest town, with a small aquarium housing quite a few sea creatures....We came right at feeding time, and saw 6 month old sharks (about the size of your hand) eating fish. The sting ray was a messy eater with tiny teeth. Tried to take a few blurry but colorful pictures of the seahorses, which are very unique, as the male is the one who "gets pregnant" and carries the young. Very interesting!

Spent the rest of the day walking along the shore and visiting shops. As it came close to boarding time to go back to Wellington, a storm started brewing....The boat was jostling a bit but we didn't get seasick. We snuck outside to get a few photos but otherwise did alot of talking and people-watching on the trip back. The children on the boat must have run around for three hours, loving all the steps and tv rooms...they were quite entertaining!

When we arrived back in Wellington a shuttle took us to the railway station close-by to the Stafford House. It was definitely quicker than walking!

The Botanical Gardens

Today we mosied over to the Botanical Gardens, which was quite a treat. Acre after acre of exotic plants were all around, and suprisingly the weather cooperated. The sun came peeking out after lunch! The wind had died down and it turned out to be a lovely day.

The most beautiful part was the rose garden....a little boy was following a duck all around the little winding paths. He was so cute with his blonde curls trying to catch up with that duck. I believe the duck was enjoying it as well. It was as if he were being walked. In the pond a baby duck was zooming around and I managed to get one picture that wasn't too blurry. He was really scooting across the water!

So summary of Botanical Gardens is (1) Lovely flowers and (2) Cute Duckies.

On a different route down to the city, through yet another park (so much green space) I discovered a cemetary. Now this is fascinating stuff! It was such a serene walk down, coupled with my macabre desire to read every headstone. It seems that everyone died young, and there were many bad years in the 1800's. Ironically, I found out that if you walk up that very hill just after dark with a flashlight to the main garden, you can see glow worms. This is another fun thing to do!

So in summary, if you walk uphill through a graveyard after dark with a torch, you can find glow worms. No I did not make this up....Only in New Zealand!

We're posting some new photos!

Exploring Te Papa

Kia Ora!

With the rain blowing in every direction, we set out to Te Papa museum, which is located down by the harbour at the end of Cable Street. No pictures really looked striking from this walk, as all turned out in about 15 shades of gray. This would represent what it looked like outside but you can turn to an all static tv channel and get the same effect.

Te Papa is Maori and is translated as "Our Place". It is evidently not without controversy because keeping treasures by the sea on an active fault line is not looked upon favorably by many. Oh well.....I learned that there is far too much seismic activity here than what I wanted to know about. Many quakes are felt (around the scale of 4) but no one seems too stressed by this information.

I found the children's exhibits to be the most fun. Lots of kids doing experiments and such. The adult section had a good deal of information on the history of NZ and the Maori people. The video snippets depicting the lives of many different people and how they connect with the land were really amazing and the most striking thing for me.

After this we walked a bit away from downtown and found ourselves in an area with many car dealerships. We were looking for the Tattoo Museum (which we never found) but stopped for fish and chips. Very fresh and delicious, but not something you should eat every day. Since we didn't need to buy a car or help construction workers, we wandered back to downtown and bought shoes.....Yes, shopping is king here. On the retail subject, there are more restaurants per capita here than New York City....Isn't that amazing?

We looked into domestic flights here to the South Island, which we plan to see in early December. Back on a plane? Are we crazy? The thought of a long train ride is even worse, so plane it is.....

Washing Day

Today was a good day. Decided it was time to do laundry, so got out the handy "idiot's guide to doing laundry" provided by the folks here at Stafford House. No, this is not a joke. They really give you this guide.

So I proceed to place Persil brand low suds detergent into the machine and tried to set it so that it would not automatically go to the dryer setting after washing, as I had a few things that needed flat-drying. I failed.

After two hour of banging and excruciatingly slow cycles I checked the machine for the zillionth time. The door was hot. I did not panic, as the book says "do not panic". Proud of that. It had indeed started drying. Had to wait about 15 minutes before the door would open. Finally got things arranged so that I could leave the apartment. I must say that Persil does not smell like Gain, but at least the clothes are clean.

Now, you may think I am a fuddy-duddy, but it just seems wrong for a washing machine to turn into a dryer. I cannot imagine how this technology works. I do not want to know.

We walked up to campus on a different street today, and it was so steep that I do not think I will do it again. Hung out in a student lounge reading on a red velvet sofa, and felt like I was on the set of Friends.

For dinner on Cuba Street, we had Rocket (a lettuce variety - who knew?) and prosciutto with pasta as well as pumpkin gnocchi. Yummy!!!! The waitress was amused when we asked her to "hold the cheese". She said she had never heard this before and suddenly I pictured her holding cheese in her arms. You gotta love the funny ways we all use language!

We had ginger beer, which is a bit like ginger ale but with fresh pieces of ginger floating around. It seems alive, like an active yeast or something....it is good and we will have it again. Cheers!

Day two: Discovering the Incline

Today was a beautiful day after the storm rolled through....The computer seems to be on edge here in New Zealand and so a good deal of time was spent trying to troubleshoot...At any rate, on this blogspot everyone can see at least a picture of the day and we can journal our travels. It seems that internet protocols differ from country to country and here the .Mac programs do not seem compatible with any internet providers....So Blogspot it is!!!!!

Walking up to Victoria University is quite an inclined trek. The campus is beautiful and is located on the next tier up on the mountainside. Above is a photo of the Victoria sign on the Kelburn campus. On the way up to the campus you can see through the thicket clear to the sea. It is so beautiful. The way down spirals and twists with flowers by the road. The wind was still gusty and will propel you along; we have to be careful on street corners! You can choose to go up and down steps on the hillside or walk by the side of the road....Will have to find all of these shortcuts.

Don't know what the chances are, but we ran into Anna on campus. Already Wellington is a small town! The folks here seem very down to earth and genuinely kind....but they will just say it like it is....This is a very unique trait to possess, and requires an inborn sense of tact. They are very likeable as a whole.

The coke machines on campus sell diet cokes (1/2 liter or a bit more) for 2.20 NZ dollars. The gas sells for more than that per liter!!! And we think we have it bad in the United States. The food seems to cost a bit more as well, and the GST (global sales tax) is 12.5%. Can't seem to get used to buying deli foods by the gram! (Still haven't bought any game.) We had to buy more groceries today to get stocked up, and we had a blast in the grocery store. They have every flavor of chip imaginable (including chicken flavor) and their Special K flakes are about as big as your palm. Amazing!

It seems that churches here do not just do a few bells on Sunday....They play entire songs! Minutes of melody pass by and you have to wonder if it will ever stop. It is beautiful, though, and very unique.

We seem to be adjusting to the time change rather well. Just a bit foggy at times. Should be completely adjusted soon!

First Day in New Zealand

We were picked up at the airport by a Victoria Senior named Anna (pronounced AH-NA) and she was very welcoming and kind. Anna is from the UK! She is studying literature. She was happy we only had three bags since she recently picked up a girl from the airport with 12 bags...unfathomable. The Stafford House is tall and in the business district, and as a consequence to the location we had to cut across parliament grounds to get to the supermarket "New World". Before shopping we ate the most delicious bagels at "Wholly Bagel" and loved the new supermarket. They have a whole section of meats called "Game". I was a bit scared. Had to carry all the supplies back to the apartment, so we didn't get everything we wanted. The apartment is cool, with 2 bedrooms, a bath, a kitchen and a sitting area. We have a washer/dryer combo front loader that is very complex and requires special soap. Bought it at New World!!!!
The students we met downstairs were most helpful, particularly Gina and Nicola, who helped to set up internet access. We are on the ninth floor and if I crane my head up and to the right I can see the harbour from the window. You know how I love water!!!!!!
Speaking of water, we had to walk down to the harbour and see all the ocean and all the homes precariously perched on the side of the mountains. Real estate must be at a premium here! Met a man and his wife by their boat. She offered to take a photo of us, at which time her husband suffered a gigantic splinter attack while untying the boat. He cursed and his wife chided him, and apologized profusely. It was hilarious.
Shortly we found this giant ball in the sky and took a photo because it was soooo cool to see this by the water and all the restaurants and shops. You can’t see the wire that supports it...I guess it is supposed to be a work of art since it is by a few museums...We were fascinated by it, to say the least. Enough of the ball.
We found a bazillion book stores and shopping on Lambdon Quay. This is a shopping street and I love it. We happen to be living in the Lambdon Quarter and I consider this lucky.
We managed to stay awake until 7 pm or so (no small feat) and I didn’t get up until just before 7 am Sunday (That is Satuday afternoon at home).....See Sundays adventures soon.....