tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40818265506813787882024-03-05T11:29:48.493-08:00Educating Kim“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark TwainKimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-22395995497079212892013-05-27T17:36:00.002-07:002013-05-27T17:36:54.444-07:00One more time...As I closed up my classroom one more time, it began to hit me: I'm leaving first grade. It's time to peel off safety net (that just didn't feel that safe in the beginning) and move up. "I never intended to teach first grade." Those were the words that I kept hearing myself say on Friday to my friends and coworkers. It's true I never wanted to teach first grade until I met Sue Grim and practiced being a teacher in her classroom. Suddenly teaching a kids how to read became the most exciting part of being a teacher. There is not sense of accomplishment that can compete with hearing a kids read and knowing you've had a hand in the process. I will forever think of myself not as a teacher, but a "t-shirt." I adore my first grade team, but I have to confess that this move feels like one step closer to home. So this journey begins a new and I'm really excited about it. My had is bubbling with ideas (I better writing some down), things I want to try, projects I want to embark on. I'll confess, too, that at the back of my mind I'm a little scared that I'll just keep failing...but that's a thought for another post. For today I'm excited to start a new leg of the journey. Interestingly my focus right now appears to be teaching fourth grade, when this move is, at it's core, about moving into administration some day. Hmmm....more to think about, write about on another blog. "All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." (Martin Buber)<br />
<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-65422142950257431732012-06-28T02:42:00.000-07:002012-06-28T02:42:32.056-07:00Sunday and Monday, June 24 & 25<style>
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(Blogspot is being a little difficult tonight. For the pictures that go with this post, see my Facebook page.) </div>
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Sunday, June 24</div>
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Finishing the Catlins</div>
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There were three stops on our itinerary for the day: Cathedral Cove, Surat Bay and Nugget
Point then head toward Dunedin. </div>
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The drive through the Catlins is beautiful! Sometimes we
drove through green valleys, sometimes through winding forests. Sheep dot the hills. If there isn’t a small town a farm caps
a ridge. We’d left the high
mountains behind; these emerald, steep hills were almost as beautiful.</div>
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Cathedral cove is an accessible at low tide. We weren’t sure when low tide was (we’d
been out of cell and internet range for at least 24 hors), but we thought we’d
drive in and give it a try. The
entrance was closed off; we went on.</div>
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Surat Bay is a sleepy little community of mostly B&Bs
and a few farms. We parked the motor home at a community parking spot (I use
that term loosely; it was mostly just a wide spot not used by the hotel on one
side and the farmer on the other). </div>
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Looking out over the bay, there were two
ways to go, on a path through the dunes or across the beach. The tide was out,
there was plenty of sand to walk on, so we picked the beach. In the 1880s a ship
wrecked off this beach; it’s also the home of sea lions. We walked about a quarter of a mile,
then the beach takes a turn and the bay opened before us. We walked another quarter of a mile,
disappointed we didn’t see seal lions.
We walked a bit further towards a tree trunk and a big piece of driftwood. A little closer to the driftwood and it
we started looking a little closer.
When the driftwood took a deep breath and finally moved its flipper, we
realized we’d come across a huge, sleeping sea lion. Satisfied, we headed back. It’s a good thing we did head
back, because as we rounded the cover to finish the last of the beach there was
only about ¼ of the sand left to walk on.
Near the end, I had to head into the rocks to stay above the incoming
surf. Safely back at the car, we headed to our last stop, Nugget Point, which
was supposed to be another good spot for viewing penguins. Yet another
ill-fated stop. The road to nugget
point was 8 km of gravel road riding up and down the face of the cliff. Finally at the car park at 4:45 p.m.,
the lighthouse was a 1 km walk uphill and it’s dark by 5 p.m. One look at the
trail down to the beach and I knew I’d never make it out the door let alone to
the trailhead. I climbed into the
back of the motor home for the return trip and we headed to Balcultha for the
night. (We met the caretakers from Gunn Lake Holiday Park coming off the beach
at Surat Bay. They told us they
hadn’t seen any sea lions.) </div>
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We’ve stayed is some really great campgrounds. Mostly gorgeous settings and those that
weren’t had amenities that more than made up for the location. This campground
had neither setting nor amenities, but they did have electricity and
water. In for the night.</div>
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Monday, June 25</div>
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Dunedin: the
home of Cadbury Chocolate!</div>
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Scottish settlers heavily influence the south end of the
south island. Nowhere is that so apparent than Dunedin. We set the i-Site as our destination
and arrived in <u>downtown</u> Dunedin around 12:30 p.m. The center point is
called the octagon. We were immediately wowed by the 19<sup>th</sup> century
architecture. Our immediate need
included a bathroom and so our that’s where our search started. In a weird twist of events, Jim and I
took two directions with the i-Site as our meeting point (I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>had</u></i> to go to the bathroom; Jim
had to pay the parking meter). There was not restroom at the i-Site. The pharmacist next door sent me around
the corner to a multilevel car park.
So I got a quick tour of the area and then met Jim at our original
destination. He picked up a
handful of brochures and we went next door for a soda and some table space to
check out what Dunedin had to offer. The city sits on the Otaga Peninsula and
at the head is a colony of Royal Albatross. There are two roads to get there,
one that drives the rim of the bay and another that goes across the ridge of
the mountains. The GPS picked the
mountain road. I cannot deny the
beauty of what we saw, but ended up spending most of my time in complete and
utter fear. We took the coast road
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The Royal Albatross Sanctuary is a private reserve that
protects a colony of 24 mating pairs and 18 chicks. Their wing span is 3 meters
(9’ 6”) and their bodies are only about 1 m (3’) long. They’re soaring birds,
using ocean currents breezes to travel. The colder and windier the better for
the albatrosses, according to our guide. We watched a ten-minute video. The most interesting thing we learned
is that they cover half of the southern hemisphere, flying from NZ to South
America to South Africa and back again. The first five to 7 years of their life
is spent flying over the ocean. The ocean is their home during that time. They return to their breeding ground to
mate and raise their chick. A breeding cycle is one year, then the pair goes
off for a year on holiday. The chick fledges in September, no practice, no
flight school, literally fly or die. </div>
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From the observatory we saw five chicks. Downy and white,
they sit on their nests for one more month doubling their body size. Their
parents will begin to land further and further away from them, forcing them to
beginning moving and loosing that excess body weight. Soon we saw some adults
soaring above the cliff. They
circle several times then land. We watched one parent feed his chick. Once
finished, the parent flies off again for 1-3 days. Our tour continued with a
the army barracks built into the head.
They had a disappearing gun there, instilled some time during 1886 and
last used in 1949. We headed back
to the car park and spent time watching the sunset behind the lighthouse and
the albatrosses soaring overhead. Back in Dunedin we settled at another Top 10
park. Not as busy, but just as
beautiful.</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-31569017287002981362012-06-26T13:51:00.001-07:002012-06-26T13:51:43.619-07:00Friday and Saturday, June 22 & 23<style>
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Friday, June 22</div>
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Te Anau to Invercargill</div>
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Just two hours on the road in scenery that we’d spent a lot
of time in. So I read to Jim as he drove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It didn’t take long to find the Invercargill Top Ten Holiday, but we
decided not to check in, thinking we might drive on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found the i-Site in the art museum (I’ve learned to use
that word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i> loosely). We thought
we’d take a ferry to Stuart’s Island, but a little research showed there
wouldn’t be much for us to do and I couldn’t convince Jim that we should rent
motor scooters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To top it all off,
it seems that Invercargill is not the southern-most point of the south island,
so we’re moving on. So over a pot of tea and two tasty desserts (boy do they
make AMAZING cheesecake!), we planned the next couple days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ONLY bad thing about the
campgrounds we’ve been staying in is the cost of doing laundry. We thought we’d
be smart since we had a lot of extra dirty things—sheets and towels this
time—so we asked at the i-Site for a Laundromat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They directed us to the only one in town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First it was hidden in the back of a
dodgy strip mall, there was no sign marking it, and it looked like we had
stepped into an establishment in Mexico!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Back to the campground we went, filling their washers and sitting
outside with them, reading (Jim) and writing (me).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The campground is beautiful! The buildings are brick; the
sites are large with trees and flowers all around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re parked right next to the kitchen/showers/laundry, a
cute little block building surrounded by flowers. We sat on the porch, drinking
tea and waiting for the laundry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fifteen-foot
high hedges surround homes and property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thy look like yew bushes allowed growing to about nine or ten feet tall
and then trimmed perfectly straight, forming an impenetrable hedge around the
property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a great visit with
the owner tonight and she said they have a tractor with a large army that comes
in to trim them. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to her.
(Had a nice visit with her about her daughter, the teacher in England.)</div>
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Invercargill isn't much to write home about--at least not the areas we found. They have a historic walk around the town and a have a history of shipping and shipwrecks, but nothing really sparked our imagination. We feel like time is beginning to run short and there's so much more to see!</div>
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One can stew, books, and turning in early. Tomorrow we head
to the Catlins.</div>
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Saturday, June 23</div>
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The Catlins</div>
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The southern most stretch of coast is called the Catlins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s probably only about 136 km long,
but there are tons of cool things to do and see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left Invercargill around 10:15 a.m., heading east. This
scenery is lest dramatic, but more like the very north:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rolling green hills, long stands of
trees, tiny patches of trees and in other places trees forced at a 45 degree
angle from their trunk by extreme wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Foveaux Straights is to our right, rain clouds chasing behind us.</div>
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Our first stop was Waipapa Point, the sight of one of the
worst shipwrecks in NZ history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
1881, 131 out of 151 passengers and crew were killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lighthouse was eructed at the dangerous point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even cooler were the five sea lions
and one fur seal we saw playing on the beach!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the other beach we’ve seen, there are volcanic rocks
that make up parts of the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes the wild life is hidden among them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These guys were not hidden!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three sea lions and a fur seal converged on the beach and
began playing—of course it looked more like fighting, but no one was killed as
a result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bit later an even
BIGGER sea lion joined the band of pranksters and showed them who was the
boss!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watched them for 30
minutes, and then started exploring the rocky beach we were on. We were careful
not to step in the pools of standing water, but even we walked away a little
damp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked around the
lighthouse and then headed back the motor home for lunch. As we ate the rain
hit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Our next stop was Slope Point, the southern-most point on
the south island. Slope Point is on cliff about 40 feet above the surf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A small electronic lighthouse marks the
point and a sign gives the mileage to the equator and the South Pole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However the sight is entirely on
private land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trail is a fence
line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sat in the motor home and
walked ugly rain clouds roll in off the ocean, but there was some blue sky
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking the chance that the
blue sky would win, we headed out with our cameras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wind pushed against us, trying to keep us from our
goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once there we were cold and
quickly started getting wet: the rain clouds won! Our tramp back to the motor
home was faster than the downhill trek to get to Slope Point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We warmed up with a cup of hot tea. The wind was blowing so hard, there was a draft around the refrigerator. Had we stayed much longer, we would have had to move the motor home to put the back to the wind.</div>
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Our next stop was Curio Bay for penguins and more sea
lions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way there, we were
sidetracked by a sine for a petrified forest revealed on the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure what we were going to see, we
headed down to the rock terraced beach and saw, standing on a rock above the
ocean, a yellow-eyed penguin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
must have been two feet tall with yellow feathers around his eyes. It was not
hard to see his white belly against the black volcanic rock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We waited a little longer and started
seeing more up around the bush line taking shelter for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon we watched two more come up on to
the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon the old man out on
the rock started to head in for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We figured that his tribe was in for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the return walk to leave the beach,
we realized we were walking on the petrified wood as part of the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We saw a campground as we turned to go to the Petrified
Forest, so we headed in there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a Department of Conservation Camp, some sites have electric, it
costs $2 to start the showers and there are toilets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You drop some money in an honesty box to camp here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an amazing spot, just east of the
beach where we saw the penguins…we could walk back to that beach in minutes!
However, we got ourselves stuck here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jim tried valiantly to get us out to no avail. We did stop to pray first
and I’m really glad we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
walked to another campsite and two little woman walked back with him to help
push us out. With a their help and the blessing of God we got out of muddy
mess! We’re safely tucked away in a spot where the tall plants protect us from
the strong winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The temperature
at 6:30 p.m. was 6 degrees C. I think with all the adventure we’ll sleep well
tonight!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We may not have made it very far, but what we saw was
amazing! </div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-82259871093781936212012-06-25T02:17:00.000-07:002012-06-25T02:17:02.542-07:00Wednesday & Thursday, June 20 & 21<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday, June 19</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Haast to Te Anau</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We weren’t impressed with Haast when we saw it in the
daylight. The land is primarily flat, no ocean within sight and mountains to
the south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But like most drives
here, we quickly entered dramatic countryside that kept our full attention. The
valley are obviously formed by glaciers, the bottoms rounded riverbeds that are
lined with gravel and rocks. The valley floor is washed with grey-blue glacier
water. Valleys cleave mountain ranges; clouds hang low in them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frost paints the grass on the shaded
shoulder white and shimmery. These mountain peaks are frosted white and I
wonder if it melts away in the summer, or forms a permanent tam for the peaks. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right now the header reads “Haast to _________,” a typical
title for this half of the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have three or four more things we’d like to see and know we’ve got
ten more days to see them. We pick a point on the map, usually a bit farther
than we typically go, enter it into the GPS and just drive. We stop to look at
waterfall or investigate a coffee shop or eat lunch, or nap, depending on the
day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The unrelenting beauty continued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The climb to Haast Pass was through a glacier valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped for a little walk to
roadside waterfall and nearly got blown off the road and turned into
tourist-cicles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
temperature was dropping quickly—it’s about 5 degrees C.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The road crossed over a roaring glacier
melt river, running over huge boulders and descending rapidly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grey-blue color of the water, the
grey of the rocks, and the speed of the current all combined to force Jim to
turn around and pass the river again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In a very un-Kim like move, I asked Jim to stop of the one lane bridge
so we could get some pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you know me, you’ll know why that was amazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We climbed, but trees and clouds hemmed us in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The temperature dropped more and our
first sighting of snow came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
top of the pass the valley opened into grazing land and the snow looked to be
six or seven inches deep, maybe a first or second snow for this area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little fuel and a little lunch helped
us down the road and we watched as the temperature continued to drop to 2
degrees C. Just as suddenly as we came upon snow, it disappeared like we had
crossed over the imaginary line. </div>
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</div>
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There are two lovely lakes within 1000 meters of each other,
both formed by glaciers and filled with glacial water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we drove and drove and drove and
drove to get past the first, we couldn’t believe that this lake didn’t beat
Lake Taupo as the biggest lake. (Same thing goes for the beautiful lake outside
Queenstown.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The tourism radio has been fun to follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once in a while we get some good advice
on a place to check out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today it
was the Cheeky Monkey in Waneka. How can you not fall in love with a teashop
called the Cheeky Monkey? We stopped for tea and sweets; the tea was strong
black tea served in a silver pot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was accompanied by a pewter pitcher of more hot water, as the tea was
so strong it was good for another pot. A yummy slice of brownie with sweetened
condensed milk and chocolate and a chocolate Turkish biscuit (cookie) rounded
off this sweet stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We climbed
again, this time through more scrub-like growth covering the mountains. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we came around the last curve before
the descending, the world opened up to a green, lush valley way, way, way, way,
way below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This pass was going to
be a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept my head down
and read while Jim expertly got us off the mountain, kindly not speaking so
that I thought he was fully concentrating on the drive.</div>
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The trip into Queenstown from there was quick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Queenstown sits on a huge lake, the
color of which is hard to describe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s grayish-turquoise with a hint of purple (I know Amy Moser will know
this color immediately if I ask her). Even that description seems
inadequate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our side the
highway road up and down the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the other side the mountains dipped their toes into the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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We’re settled now in Te Anau, dinner done and bed
calling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow we cruise
Milford Sound. </div>
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Random Thoughts:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Why in the world does this country only have one
way bridges?!</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>There are tons of elk farms on the south island.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Cheeky Monkey—say it three times and you’ll
smile for 30 minutes.</div>
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Thursday, June 21</div>
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Milford (Fiord) Sound</div>
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Another great tour day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There has got to be something said about sitting back,
enjoying the scenery and letting someone else drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray of Milford Adventures picked us up at 8:30 a.m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d been enjoying visiting with the lady
behind the desk at Te Anau Top Ten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She showed us live pictures of Milford and said that, even though it was
cloudy and dreary in Te Anau, it would be a beautiful day on the water.</div>
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Our host and driver was Ray who looked to be in his early
70s, enjoying a part time job as a tour guide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later that day we discovered that he was probably around
Mom’s age and that this was his personal business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray was full of great information as we traveled to
Fiordlands National Park and it seemed that he knew everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at the park office, which
was vacant but for one elderly lady watching the property for the winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray took her a bundle of kindling for
her fire; in exchange she brought him 20 kilos of chocolate from the Cadburry
factory in Dunedin. At our first hiking stop to see a beautiful waterfall, a
Conservation Department crew was working on the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hiked a hard five minutes up the
trail to the cascade but only after Ray had greeted each worker by named,
hugging the ladies and slapping the backs of the men.</div>
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The first stop was just past the entrance to Fiordlands
Nation Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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The field was dreary
winter brown, but the mountains, the Southern Alps, were grand, with a healthy
dusting of snow at the tree line and heavy snow on the peaks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t wanted to walk into the field
because I thought a fiord was a swampy wetland with fingers of ocean (like
Milford Sound) carving into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ray explained that a fiord is a u-shaped valley carved by a glacier and
backfilled by ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no
ocean to be seen—I was safe. But the mountains were truly magnificent to
behold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would spend the day
driving below them in the u-shaped (unfilled by ocean) glacial valleys with
streams, waterfalls and rivers running through them. I’ve tried all day to put
into words the grandeur of what we were seeing and experiencing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am at a loss. Ray kindly offered to
take our picture at every stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m sure he does that for all guests, but he particularly liked Jim’s
camera and since we were his only passengers for the day, he took many great
pictures of the two of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Briefly after this stop, Ray pointed out a small sign that
said “Latitude 45 degrees south.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were passing the point we were equidistant from the equator and the
south pole. We moved on to Mirror Lakes, small oxbow lakes that functioned as
accurately as their name.</div>
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Knobs Flat was a restroom brake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the next stop he walked us up to the
Cascades, beautiful tumbling water flowing from the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span> </span>Lake Gunn as still shrouded in mist,
but we enjoyed a fast stop there for another picture. From there We went into
the Hollyford Valley and stopped at the Hollyford Camp. During the initial 10
years of construction on the road to Milford Sound, it served as a camp for the
workers. In later years it was turned into a holiday park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped there for tea and muffins
Ray and the care-takers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
community kitchen already had a fire in the fireplace so it was a cozy place to
sit and visit. </div>
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From there we stopped at the Chasms, a 5 minute return
hike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water coming off the
mountain has hammered huge round holes in the granite rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next stop the tunnel that burrows through the mountain,
connecting east and west.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
original surveyor said that it would be the cheapest way to Milford Sound and
would only be about 35 meters…I think Ray said that it was close to 2,000
meters long. The single-lane road is controlled by a traffic light in the
summer. During the winter good driving controls traffic!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the other side, we stopped for
another breathtaking view and descended toward Milford Sound. </div>
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Once we arrived at Milford Sound we immediately boarded our
ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim and I found a seat on
the upper deck in the sun and ate our lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peanut butter and jelly always tastes better outside!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cruise got underway about 15
minutes later, traveling around the walls of the fiord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are beautiful waterfalls all
around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Miter Peak is the highest
point in the sound; I think its in about every picture I’ve ever seen of
Milford Sound. The tour even went out onto the Tasman Sea to view St. Ann’s
point and the lighthouse there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Down the other side of we stopped to view a group of young male fur
seals playing in the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
a beautiful and COLD afternoon! I had to go inside for a cup of tea just to
warm my hands.</div>
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The return trip was faster, no stops, a little visiting and
back at Te Anau. </div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-21247021304292584922012-06-21T23:00:00.001-07:002012-06-21T23:00:24.792-07:00Monday and Tuesday, June 18 & 19<style>
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Monday, June 18</div>
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Greymouth to Franz Joseph</div>
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Overcast, the mountains socked in, we decided to head south
and try the train trip at the end of our stay. A weather report on Yahoo sends us south a little faster, as
there is a front moving north east that could cause flooding and snow in the
high country, ending in Auckland.
We may loose it in our southerly directions; regardless it seemed to
follow us all day. </div>
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We traveled with the coast, the highway separating the
mountains from a bit of farm land and the sea. We could see the storm over the
ocean, the water closest to land grey, a hundred feet out that lovely grey-blue
and black beyond that. This part of the country has big rivers coming out of
the mountains and they’re full of gravel. Some are not so full, just fingers
running through their rocky beds.
I’m sure that in the spring they charge toward the ocean. The further we
drove, the more full the rivers got, and they were often grey—glacial milk
mixed with black sand bottom? </div>
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The road took a turn away from the ocean and into the
forest. Here giant ferns line the
forest floor and tall skinny pines block out the sky. The roads become winding through here, narrowing and
climbing. </div>
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We arrived in Franz Joseph, the site of the Franz Joseph
Glacier around 3:30 p.m. Our first stop was the iSite to book a helicopter
ride. The employee there said
she’d book the flight for us, but we probably wouldn’t see anything with the
low-lying clouds. Checking the
weather forecast, she didn’t hold out much hope for tomorrow, either. So we checked into the campground, then
explored Franz Joseph a little.
Jim headed towards the glacier and in just a few minutes we arrived at the
carpark from where most of the trails take depart. We could see small glimpses
of the glacier, like a white, icy finger draped over the side of the
mountain. There is one trail that
takes hikers within a couple miles of it; we’ll try it tomorrow.</div>
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Back at the campground, I tried to make a meat loaf. Should be simple, but the finished
product left a lot to be desired to make it a “comfort food.” Mostly it was the
NZ ketchup that I put across the top. I should have tasted it before smothering
the whole meatloaf in it. Sweeter
than ours, with an unknown, UNWANTED spice added. No more NZ ketchup!
The camp has a spa. We made
a reservation to soak at 7:30 p.m.
On the way there, a lovely older couple followed us in and thought
they’d be spending the time with us.
Our host quickly told them you had to make a reservation and they could
have the half hour following us.
We spent a relaxing half hour soaking and headed back the motorhome for
the night. </div>
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<br /></div>
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But the story doesn’t end there. At 4:30 a.m., Jim’s phone
rang. He answered a call from
Kaitlyn and all he could hear was crying and sniffling, then the phone hung
up. We both jumped up, immediately
awake and dread-filled. Neither
phone had signal, so in record time we were both dressed, Jim unhooked the camper
and we took off looking for cell-phone signal, praying the whole time. Less than one kilometer toward town, my
call to Kaitlyn went through. She
was on her way to work, happy as a lark, completely unaware that she had
butt-called us. Relieved we went
back to camp and slept the rest of the night.</div>
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Tuesday, June 19</div>
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Flying Over the Glaciers</div>
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I’ll put it in perspective this way: between the two of us, we took 410
pictures today!</div>
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<br /></div>
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When I woke up 3 hours after our 4:30 a.m. run into Franz
Josef and looked out the vent window, I really thought we’d have to settle on a
hike to the snout of the Franz Josef Glacier. Jim was so convinced that we’d hike instead of fly that he
was making our lunch for the trail: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit,
cookies and water. In a quiet moment, we heard a helicopter fly over. Ten or fifteen minutes later another
flew over the camp ground. Then we
headed to the showers and realized that it was sunny, the mountains were clear,
and there just might be a chance we’d be flying after all. </div>
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Jim made a reservation for us and a staff member from the
holiday park took us into the village of Franz Josef to Glacier Country
Heliport. They put us on a little later flight, so we went across the street
and did a little souvenir shopping.
We didn’t have long though.
They sent an employee over to tell us check in would be early. I am <u>very</u>
afraid of heights. I am not afraid of flying. I didn’t think I’d be afraid of flying in a helicopter.
However, there was that moment when the nose tipped down, the tail lifted and I
realized that we were going to fly <u>quite</u> high in the air with not around
us. I squeezed Jim’s hand, closed
my eyes for 10 seconds and opened them quickly, afraid I’d miss something. From the next 30 minutes I had the
biggest grin on my face! To
protect your ears from the noise of the helicopter and hear the pilot, we had
on earphones but no microphones for us.
I think it’s because the pilot would get really sick of hearing people
like me yelling, “THIS IS SOOOOOO COOOL!”
We went over the town and gained altitude. When we arrive at the Franz Joseph Glacier (FJG), we were
already quite high in the air. We
descended the glacier in an S pattern.
I know the pilot told us cool facts about the glacier, but I just kept
thinking, “This is the coolest thing IN THE WORLD!” He set the helicopter down on the ice and two of our
passengers met their hiking group.
Claire and Will would spend the day descending the glacier, their last
hurrah before returning to the UK after four years in Wellington (he is an
audiologist…I could keep going).
The pilot went to the Neve (head) of FJG and left skid marks in the snow. He told us why he was doing it, but I
just kept thinking, “This is AMAZING!”
From there we flew over the Victoria and Cook Glaciers (there are 140
glaciers in 200 sq. km) and then we flew to the Neve of Fox Glacier (FG). Here the pilot spent some time making
skid marks in the snow and finally setting down the helicopter. Before we landed, I looked up to the
peaks and across the snow field and just praised God for this unimaginable
beauty. We sunk to the step above the skids. He went off and stamped down snow so we could walk out onto
the glacier. It was cool to see
that just 2 or 3 inches below the top layer of snow was the mysterious blue of
glacier snow. I got out first, took three steps and sank to my butt in glacier
snow. I kept waiting for Jim to come get me out…he was busy laughing and taking
pictures of me sunk to my butt in glacier snow. The pilot went ahead of me and stamped more snow. He said, “That should be good for
you.” I laughed as I was still hip
deep in snow and called him a liar.
He laughed back and said, “It isn’t gonna hurt you.” He was right, I pulled out of the
whole, took two more steps and sank again! But revenge is sweet and Jim sank
too! The pilot took our picture, both with his camera (we bought that picture
for $200—what a racket!) and with mine. The peaks above us were the Tasman
Peaks. Above that was Cook’s peak,
but wasn’t visible in the picture. Back in the helicopter and in the air, we
toured the snow field we’d landed in, flew over the peaks and around the
mountain to look for wild life. A
heard of Himalayan Mountain Goats was released here (he said when, but all I
could think was…well, you know). Sure enough, he scared a herd that began the
unimaginable run <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">down</i> the vertical
mountain face. The pilot pointed
out the alpha goat. He was easy to
find: he went face to face with
the helicopter. I thought he’d
jump off the mountain to challenge the helicopter! We saw Fox Village, the snow of the glaciers opening to the
valley below and the sea beyond.
Within minutes we set down on the landing pad. The pilot graciously
answered questions: all I could
think to ask was where he got his training. He assured me that flying these mountains takes a lot of
skill. Jim talked helicopters with
him and I just kept thinking, “This is the COOLING thing we’ve done so far!”<br />
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Another gift shop called my name and we spent ten more
minutes shopping. Across the street we stopped into a coffee shop for
lunch…best lunch in NZ to date but the coffee isn’t getting any better. Our
driver from the Holiday Park offered to pick us up when we were done, but we
decided to walk off our lunch. I
never regretted that decision. The
day was cool in the shade, pleasant in the sun. We got a close look at the
sub-alpine rainforest of the area and it just felt good to walk. </div>
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Looking at the map we planned to go about 280 km to
Cromwell, NZ. Just a few km down
the road was Fox. They had a cute
little coffee shop at the iSite.
However I think I’ve learned my coffee lesson: we ordered a pot of tea and a scone to share. Back on the road Jim decided to drive
to the carpark at the base of the Fox Glacier. It was a lovely drive through
the rainforest and beside the glacier river coming off Fox. Signs in the
carpark said that we could get within 200 m of the snout. The trail looked pretty level, mostly
through the riverbed, so we started walking. We walked all the way to the view area 200 m from the snout!
We didn’t expect to, it just kind of happened, but we’re so glad we did! The
snout had to be between 20 – 40 meters high, we really couldn’t tell. We
remembered that this glacier is advancing 4 meters/day. We felt triumphant on the hike back—we
stood on the head of this glacier and walked to the base of it! There were two signs on the way into
the carpark. About halfway from
the main road was a sign that said, “The end of the glacier in 1750.” Half way between that sign and the
parking lot was another that said, “The end of the glacier in 1850.” It was hard to believe that it had
receded that much in such a short time.
About halfway down the trail we saw three groups up on the glacier. At the view area, we watched the first
group walk down the final few meters to the trail. We also saw a couple on the
trail who were on the White Island Tour. <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We left Fox at 5 p.m. with the sunset to our right. We weren’t going to make it to Cromwell
and settled on Haast, 86 km away.
Good thing we “settled.”
Within a few minutes of climbing away from the ocean and back into the
mountains, the temperature dropped 2 degrees C and frost was already forming on
the shoulders. Jim slowed down out of respect for black ice. We had a tough time finding the holiday
park. We turned down a road with a
service sign for gas, food, camping and motor homes. Fourteen km later we turned around and went back to the main
road. Not 2 km later we found the
Top 10 Holiday Park right on the highway!
Despite the Asian driver that tried to scrape the front of the motor
home with his rental car, we’re settled for the night. Tomorrow: Milford Sound?</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Best day to date!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jim’s Random Thoughts:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Kim was grinning from ear to ear in the
helicopter.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Standing at the head of the glacier was
phenomenal. Seeing the blue ice
below our feet was amazing!</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>The agility of the goats charging down the
mountain…WOW!</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>The glacier ends in a rain forest!</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-64408315081277659112012-06-21T15:04:00.001-07:002012-06-21T15:04:40.464-07:00Saturday, June 15 and Sunday, June 16<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday, June 15</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Cook Straight</div>
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<br /></div>
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Alarms were set for a 5:30 a.m. wakeup for our 7:15 a.m.
arrival at the Interisland ferry from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of the few times I’ve ever seen Jim nervous, I couldn’t tell if he
was nervous over a new experience or nervous from the excitement of the
crossing.</div>
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We didn’t believe the lady at the holiday park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said it would only take 15 minutes
to get to the port.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d gone by
there on the bus and it took a lot longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing she was right because we left late but arrived
with no problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim was still
excited and nervous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reflecting on
the day I think it was because he was excited to be on the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was HUGE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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Jim drove the motor home up into the belly of the beast, we secured
everything and then went up to the passenger decks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised at how nice the ship was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was an aft two story observation
deck (just outside the bar where singles and families alike camped out on the
cushy couches and chairs), an indoor reclining (chair) area with a couple
different cafes to choose from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
the second deck there were two movie theaters (that you could pay to watch
movies in), there was an iSite to get info about Picton where we would land and
even a trucker’s lounge. Jim and I ate breakfast while the ship was still in
the bay and then I wanted to explore…that didn’t not last after the ship got
underway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim thought the
observation deck would be a good place to sit, there was a lot of fresh air and
it wasn’t as much motion back there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span> </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I could tell he wanted to go outside, but I finally got the point where
I just wanted to lay down and pray for deliverance from the sea. We settled in
the comfy chairs at the front of the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I slept curled in a chair and Jim read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About 40 minutes out of Picton on the
South Island, I woke up feeling better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Scones and tea settled my stomach (and a bite of some <u>exceptional</u>
cheesecake).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that the ship was
calm, I was ready to go outside and look at the sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Picturesque, tranquil, isolated,
perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Jim the
perfect place to live is on the ocean with a mountain rising behind your
house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found that place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The homes lining little coves went form
simple to enormous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many must have
generators, as no power lines were visible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Access appears to be by boat through the sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Already the south island was looking
more dramatic and rugged.</div>
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As soon as we landed we took off for…we weren’t sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greymouth was at the back of our minds.
Regardless of the destination, the journey was well worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The road took us through wine
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vineyards lined the roads
and rugged high mountains provided the backdrop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The road went south and then traversed the width of the
island. Mountains began to line both sides of the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elk farms popped up (we only saw one on
the north island).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim spotted
them by the five or six foot elk-tight fences.</div>
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On the last leg of our journey, the road took us through
another scenic valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A river lay
at the bottom of the valley through which we drove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were a good 50 – 70 feet above it and often in the
trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Glimpses of the clear water
were like photographs from travel magazines. The road slowed here, but it was
well worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drops were often
shear, but hidden by the tall sentinel trees that grew up sides of the
mountains. </div>
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We finally decided to head a little north to Westport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This little town was a center of coal
production.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We weren’t excited
about visiting, but it seemed like a great point to pick up the coast road that
will take us south.</div>
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A fast visit to the beach was a great idea. The sun was
setting on this long, smooth stretch of black and white sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back across the road we camped for the
night, doing laundry and cooking dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hate to see the second week draw to an end.</div>
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Sunday, June 16</div>
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Westport to Greymouth</div>
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Happy Father’s Day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We woke up cold for the first time and came to adore the duvet on the
bed. It was hard for Jim to get out of bed and switch the propane tanks so we
could have heat and hot water for tea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The day broke grey, but that hasn’t affected the beauty of what we’ve seeen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve begun the drive down the west
coast of the south island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From
our campground in Westport, we headed south to Cape Foulwind and the Seal
Colony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a great side trip! We
parked and hiked an easy 500 km uphill to a lookout over the seal grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A formation of volcanic hills growing
from the sea form a protective, rocky home for a colony of about 20 seals that
we could see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first we saw
three in a protective cove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming
around the trail further we got a full look at the rocky point they call
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among ten to twelve adult
fur seals, there was at least the same number of pups. It was fun to watch them
navigate the rocks from the small pools back to their colony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They cried and called to one another
and the adult seals seemed unaffected by the play and seeming distress of the
pups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This point is a good place
for them because there are small pools in which baby seals can play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I probably watched them for 30 minutes;
Jim finally had to drag me away so that others could step up to the rail and
take a look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was amazed that one
woman walked away complaining that she couldn’t see <u>any</u> seals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hiked on up the cliff for about 500
more kilometers until the trail crossed over a fence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looks like it would be a GREAT trail, terminating around the
Westport lighthouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back at the
motor home we made lunch—hot soup and warm bread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The road took us inland just a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent twenty minutes driving through
farm country, staring at the snow-capped mountains, and searching for elk farms
(which we found!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon the road
turned south again and we found our selves driving along the volcanic coastline
once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just about the time I
couldn’t stand the height any longer, Jim pulled off and we spent a little time
taking pictures of the pancake rocks and blow holes around Paikuku
reserve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the road crested
on a bluff, it quickly dropped back down to sea level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The road reminded me of PCH in
California, but this one was a bit easier for me to take.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every turn revealed more beautiful lava
coastline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>House were scattered at
brief intervals up and down the coast on both sides of the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some were fancy, others practical. Some
had smoke roiling out of a chimney, others looke desolate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we got closer to Greymouth farmland
separated us from the Tasman Sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We could see pasture and crops like a patchwork quilt between the road
and the ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were more elk
farms in this area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spot them
because of the five-foot fence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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We got into Greymouth around 4 p.m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just started drizzline as we ran
into the grocery store (which was beside the Greymouth TransAlpine
station).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drizzle chased us to
the campground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I sit hear
typing, rain blow and dancing across the roof of the motohome. We are snug
inside, well fed and warm.</div>
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A side note:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>our campground hostess says that we won’t see much on the TransAlpine
Train if the day isn’t clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
weather reports for both Greymouth and Christchurch is rainy for the next five
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looks like we’ll head south
to the glaciers tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Random Thoughts:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>None of the elk on the elk farms have antlers.
The herds are big…bigger than I’ve ever seen.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The Tasmin Sea is the same color as the
Caribbean when I saw it at Tulum after a storm—a grey-blue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further out it’s dark.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Seal pups are loud!</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>I am constantly looking for seals now that I’ve
seen them at Sea Beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe a
whale next.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The third Sunday of June is NOT Father’s Day in
New Zealand.</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-76259733463003491492012-06-20T02:06:00.001-07:002012-06-20T02:06:39.060-07:00Thursday and Friday, June 14 & 15<style>
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Thursday, June 13</div>
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Travel Day</div>
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Driving south from Rotarua to Taupo there are still many,
many geothermal features.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pine
forest is a well-managed crop and we’ve heard that these trees grow faster than
their cousins in the US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
150-year-old Redwood forest in the Rotorua area has trees that measure the same
size as the same trees in the US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The day is sunny and in the temperature is around 50+ degrees F.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we’d find ourselves driving
through steam from the local features.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ending as fast as it began, the whole experience was a little eerie, but
cool.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPRGyrpoGG-nSyAdZYgl0VlM-HUkJxSMo7NbkD2_jSpdGluYZTxUOeIX9bhv1O6qCJVlYQ58TAjx3XNlbGsnENach0lAMU37wDh0mgDRkkfTtYtSHJ0aQLJnGPWWtpTtjs5PiDi3skak/s1600/IMGP1261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPRGyrpoGG-nSyAdZYgl0VlM-HUkJxSMo7NbkD2_jSpdGluYZTxUOeIX9bhv1O6qCJVlYQ58TAjx3XNlbGsnENach0lAMU37wDh0mgDRkkfTtYtSHJ0aQLJnGPWWtpTtjs5PiDi3skak/s320/IMGP1261.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lake Taupo, the biggest freshwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere.</div>
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The water was crystal clear. </div>
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We made the decision to head to Wellington. There are some
other lovely places to see south of Rotorua, but we’ve been told by many people
that two weeks is only just enough time to see the south island. North of Taupo
we came across a glass blowing studio where we spent a little time shopping
and even more time eating at their café.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Table numbers were blocks of glass with numbers blown into them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A waterfall beside the patio dining was
made with large red glass bowls, four all together, each pouring into the
next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had the best meal by
far—bacon and spinach quiche with a salad and a beef pie topped with potatoes
and a salad. Each came with a tasty green tomato chutney. We tried coffee
again—I think we’re going to give up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our first stop when we get home will have to be Starbucks.</div>
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As we drove, the forest opened as it so often does to reveal
Lake Taupo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From our high vantage
point we could get a feel for it’s enormity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lake Taupo is the largest freshwater lake in the southern
hemisphere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pulled into a
picnic stop to take pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far
off in the distance I think I could see Mt. Edgemont in New Plymouth, also
known as Taranaki, a perfect cone-shaped mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The couple who stopped us at the glass place to visit live
near there and told us it was the location of the filming of “The Last
Samuri.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water was VERY clear,
which is probably why the trout fishing is world-renowned here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stuck my foot in the water which
wasn’t very cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The view all
around the lake kept us fascinated. Passing the south end of the lake saw our
first glimpse of snow on the mountains and in honor of it, the air became just
a bit cooler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another mountain to
the west looks to be venting steam; no big surprise as this is also a geothermal
area. </div>
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We keep marveling at the forest industry management, which
is revealed with row upon neatly-line row of pine trees. </div>
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Leaving Taupo the land changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two huge, snow-covered mountains remained to the west, but
the land became brown and hilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jim loved this area as it reminded him of home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said later it was the view of the
mountains that really attracted him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span> </div>
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Later we saw that this area is an army base, used for all manner of
training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later the land became
green again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We noticed higher,
tighter fences and realized we were passing elk farms.</div>
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The GPS presented something of a problem yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the GPS voice finally got tired
of us and took revenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had
been in Wellington for 30 minutes with the PGS signaled a turn in 500
meters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim turned because mostly
we listen to the GPS and appreciate it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, this road was dark and pitched upward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Undaunted, he followed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized very quickly that I needed
to keep my head down and read. But even that didn’t help when I saw how slowly
he was driving, how tightly he was hugging the mountain face, and how many
times he had to stop to let traffic pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was the highest, curviest, NARROWEST mountain road we’d traversed
to date. Even Jim was nervous and blurted out that we were driving with a deep
cliff off the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so
thankful when that trip was over and even more thankful when we realized we
didn’t have to return that way!</div>
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Safely situated in the campground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Random Thoughts:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>There are swans everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve seen them in Rainbow Springs park,
but also on large bodies of water, Lake Rotorua, Lake Rotoriti and now Lake
Taupo.</div>
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</span></span></span>These travel days make me a bit bluesy, leaving
another region. </div>
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Friday, June 15</div>
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Wellington</div>
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Today was a great day in so many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took the city bus into the center of
Wellington, on the shore of the ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We weren’t sure where to get up, so we asked the bus driver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was <u>very</u> friendly, called me
up to sit by him and he told me all the things to look for at the National
Museum, all the things I’d be missing, not to eat there be because it was too
expensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had us get off at a
mall food court because they food would be cheaper and we’d only have to walk
two more blocks to the museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
on the return trip the grumpy driver turned all smiles when Jim asked him to
let us know when we got to our stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was full of helpful information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I noticed that everyone getting off the bus thanked the
driver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a nice habit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There isn’t a lot of tipping here
unless you’re in a big city and then it’s only to the doorman and something
else—I forgot whom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guidebook
says that people here wouldn’t know what to do if you try to tip them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any way, lunch was at a mall food
court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I had a Thai food buffet and Jim had McDonalds because of
the fish scare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The burgers had
different names, all starting with Mac of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said the beef tasted a little rangy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span> </span>So when we had been through two floors
of the museum we stopped for a little snack—a giant brownie and hot black
current juice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very tasty! Many
desserts are served with what they refer to as cream and we call whipping
cream. It’s unsweetened and is very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span> </div>
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Dairy is a staple here and the biggest export and industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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After lunch dropped in the to the Pharmacy for a nail file,
clippers, and advil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This little
store had everything we needed but in half the space of a Wal-Mart or even
Walgreens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Half the store was
dedicated to makeup and beauty supplies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The pharmacist worked behind the counter, no glass or safety measures
between her and the customers. We stopped into the book store, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usual we found ourselves in the
children’s section and as usually found ourselves at the cash register buying
children’s books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim found some
GREAT books! I was so excited about his selections, that as soon as dinner was
over tonight I started sketching out some lesson plans!</div>
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Te Papa is the national museum of New Zealand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Situated right on the bay, there is a
fantastic view of the ships, small boats and Wellington skyline from the
museum—especially the 6<sup>th</sup> floor sculpture terrace that doesn’t have
any sculptures. </div>
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The museum is free with donation boxes scattered around the
floors, especially at special exhibits, to help defray cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The architecture of the building is
fantastic. The flow of the exhibits draws guests from display to display,
especially in the Maori exhibits. Video is effectively used throughout several
displays to enhance the displays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was simply amazed by the building, the content (mostly) and could have
spent several days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also the
kind of place that I could actually imagine taking my lunch to sit in front of
a favorite painting and contemplating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We started with the sixth floor—a tiny display of pottery by a NZ potter<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was exceptional! He was influenced
by both traditional English pottery and a school of pottery in Nigeria. Go
figure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both influences were
evident in color, form and function.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I like this guy’s attitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He believes pottery should be beautiful and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>functional</u></i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tea
anyone?</div>
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The fifth floor was fine art and some Maori artists
included.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where things
went sideways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I discovered that I
am a great admirer of the portrait painters of the 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup>
centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even took great
pleasure in the landscapes of the 19<sup>th</sup> century, especially those of
New Zealand origin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I draw the
line at anything called modern, post-modern, or space-oriented
post-modern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was actually an
exhibit of plastic hanging from the ceiling with balls at the bottom of the
plastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beside it was a giant
clear plastic cube filled with air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We just started giggling and exited the room as quickly as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our snack was a lovely
break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The café reminded me of a
lounge, with comfy chairs pulled around low tables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Our next stop with a living exhibit of Maori capes. The
workman ship and history was really exceptional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considering that most of these capes were made with flax,
natural dies, dog fur (Maori brought dogs with them to NZ; only birds, bugs,
and non-poisonous snakes lived here when they arrived), and feathers, they
really were exceptional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were displays showing the supernatural origins of weaving, the
cultural implications, the work of modern weavers and even modern examples
fashion with the influence of the cape designs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there we went into the main Maori display.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It featured a HUGE waka (canoe) and
many examples of Maori culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, Jim and I looked at each other and decided we were Maori-ed
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was time to leave.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We walked back the way we came and found the bus stop headed
east. Evidently we’re not aggressive enough because the bus passed us the first
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cold and a little confused
we went back into the mall where there was a Starbucks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the coffee we’ve had so far has been
instant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was delicious to have
a real venti hot cinnamon dulci latte.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Back on the other side of the street we wait another 30 minutes for our
bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The driver kindly left us off
at our stop and gave us directions to get back to the campground. We’d been dry
all day (if not a little cold) and now the rain started in earnest when we had
.25 miles to walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never fear! I
had my trusty umbrella! My trusty umbrella, however, is made for Arizona rain,
not driving, cold winter rain!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course is inverted within a few minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Undaunted, and VERY cold I turned it around and basically wore it as a
hat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did keep my head,
shoulders, backpack and sweater and vest dry, but dripped water onto my
pants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next time we’ll take the
time to dig the rain ponchos out of Jim’s backpack!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKq9HkgxrIgRfqCuKe7DjmOSZ6VB2xMxPKw7-XPBkuqXI-TFjLxdWX5beGpYfKYpntDNMVn7mZPpxHYE0LJiLLHpVUYmkYORjHVWKnNwhdvhyphenhyphennJsc_4foBD7sC-l8hZK-CDCvXUI1zIZk/s1600/IMGP1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKq9HkgxrIgRfqCuKe7DjmOSZ6VB2xMxPKw7-XPBkuqXI-TFjLxdWX5beGpYfKYpntDNMVn7mZPpxHYE0LJiLLHpVUYmkYORjHVWKnNwhdvhyphenhyphennJsc_4foBD7sC-l8hZK-CDCvXUI1zIZk/s320/IMGP1330.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mountains frame Wellington with houses stacked up on them
much like LA, only the mountains are closer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The downtown skyline is much like Auckland, which is much
like Montreal, which is much like any other city where the buildings are close
together and buses and cars and bikes and pedestrians fight for the street. Of
course we were in the artsy expensive part of the city, but I’d like to believe
that if I were a single, 20-something in NZ to complete my doctorate on Library
Science focused on South-east Asia, I would live in this area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We actually me that girl! She was from
Chicago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Massey University—very
close to the museum—has the very emphasis she’s working on. She’s working at
the Museum part time. I think I would LOVE to live vicariously through
her!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Storefronts offer
everything! And we even saw a Westfield mall! Different stores inside, but
Westfield none the less!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of
Thai/Chinese food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of store
fronts with food, no seating inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You simply order and “take away.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Familiar food names include McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Dominoes,
Wendy’s (only in one city), and Starbucks. We’ve seen a handful of people here
who don’t wear shoes! I think it’s a Maori thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However the man we saw at the bus stop was in a ski coat
with a scarf around his neck and was BAREFOOT! Can you tell we had fun people
watching this evening?</div>
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<br /></div>
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The campgrounds we’ve stayed at are GREAT! We’ve stayed at
the “Top Ten Holiday Parks” which is something like KOAs, only nicer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all have common kitchen facilities
(and often two kitchens, one in each part of the parks), family rooms with
computers and TV, BBQ grills outside the kitchens, cabins for rent, laundry,
showers, great playgrounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
Rotorua they had hot mineral pools. Here they have “private bathrooms.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each has a soaking bathtub and shower,
toilet, sink, blow dryer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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We’re leaving the campground at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow to go to
the ferry depot. South island, here we come! We’re thinking whale watching is
in our future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still think that
the volcano has been my favorite adventure to date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boat trip was uneventful until we had to transfer from
the boat to a little rubber boat that took us to the jetty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we had to transfer from the rubber
boat to the jetty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I lack
grace in SO many ways, I’m sure they crew had a good laugh at my expense.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Random Thoughts:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Fire trucks typically have four guys and are
red!</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Ducks are naughty! A flock waited outside our
door this a.m. until I gave them bread. However, they got very aggressive and
started biting one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
heard Jim laughing from the back of the motor home when I started calling out,
“Bad ducks! Bad ducks!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
camped outside our door threatening violence if we didn’t feed them more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim threatened back and they dispersed.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Lots of yoga here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saw the first sign for Zumba today.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Not many churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The few I’ve seen are Anglican.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only one LDS church in Auckland it was in a neighborhood
where we had gotten lost.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Most businesses close up around 6:00 p.m. A few take
away remain open, but everything else is dark around 6:00 p.m.</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-40035719126158703852012-06-19T14:32:00.000-07:002012-06-19T14:32:29.783-07:00Two More Days: Tuesday and Wednesday, June 13 & 14<style>
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Tuesday, June 12, 2012</div>
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Waitomo Caves</div>
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<br /></div>
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Before going to bed, Jim and I carefully packed our
backpacks for our ocean volcano adventure. After a quick dip in the mineral
pool and showers, we went to be bed with a planned 5:30 a.m. wake up so we
could meet the bus to Whaketane on the Bay of Plenty at 7:15 a.m. When Jim
booked the excursion we knew it was a possibility that they could cancel due to
a variety of factors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when we
were still sitting at our pickup point at 7:30, we formulated plan be:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>drive to Waitomo and see the Glow Worm
caves. At 8:00 we found out our bus driver had been sitting in a parking lot
next to the Holiday Park since 7:15 (at least he was waiting for us).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John kindly loaded us into the van and
drove back toward Government Garden where there are a slew of hotels to pick up
another couple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way he
told us we were waiting for a phone call to let us know if the trip was still a
go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The call came just before
picking up the other passengers; the trip was canceled because of swells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Landing on the island would be tough,
so they transferred our trip over to Wednesday and we headed back to the
holiday park.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs3BAJHkNdsm-uCQMkqsknr44jKBZNKawmMTJe-RDplyjmpKi7Mu3h7eVRnGI3Q2uTwGFftDnafYfRIKmWaJktQFnFFGic-tVcs30UHY89B_dl0pAYF2CxHctGLI7ZpKdmtHC9qyema0/s1600/IMG_3514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs3BAJHkNdsm-uCQMkqsknr44jKBZNKawmMTJe-RDplyjmpKi7Mu3h7eVRnGI3Q2uTwGFftDnafYfRIKmWaJktQFnFFGic-tVcs30UHY89B_dl0pAYF2CxHctGLI7ZpKdmtHC9qyema0/s320/IMG_3514.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpQ-xrilzrqfH-LQuYzIQMEscNXdZd1f76uf4h7ggfZtSMJHfPteE1MsKCkfZno4mEu2IL7EIO9joOE4Y-bgI0K7M5bxhYdxDIJbsRYW-zStF5a0-TMegWf_VZFZzLR4-ZpBuzmHqWFI/s1600/IMG_3523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpQ-xrilzrqfH-LQuYzIQMEscNXdZd1f76uf4h7ggfZtSMJHfPteE1MsKCkfZno4mEu2IL7EIO9joOE4Y-bgI0K7M5bxhYdxDIJbsRYW-zStF5a0-TMegWf_VZFZzLR4-ZpBuzmHqWFI/s320/IMG_3523.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDnK73L98dihU8yF5fVPY7PkcBjHy6xSdt1jil2KxxanQgMWez4FEIISOR-sdnNnZ_0l6OqZQuak18PI-OqmLUY5B_LNFFNKt5h-c9tGbDhFyEAhrVKL-d8lAjyHLXLKPLy78hIaWVEQ/s1600/IMG_3524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDnK73L98dihU8yF5fVPY7PkcBjHy6xSdt1jil2KxxanQgMWez4FEIISOR-sdnNnZ_0l6OqZQuak18PI-OqmLUY5B_LNFFNKt5h-c9tGbDhFyEAhrVKL-d8lAjyHLXLKPLy78hIaWVEQ/s320/IMG_3524.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We cleaned up the camper, drank a cup tea, updated Facebook
and then typed Waitomo into the GPS and took off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About 30 minutes into the trip, the Dramamine Jim gave me
for the boat trip kicked in and I couldn’t keep my eyes open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t tell anyone, but I climbed in the
bed in the back and slept the rest of the way there—another hour!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim pulled into the parking lot at the
Glow Worm cave around noon, so we had a fast lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we climbed up a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">steep</i>
hill to the buy our tickets. A private company operates these four caves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Crown confiscated the Wiatomo for
tourism in the 1880s; in the 1980s the original Maori family who owned the
property sued to have the property returned. Today the sites are managed by a
private tourism company and loosely overseen by the government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The land will be returned to the family
in 2026.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My guess is that they
will keep maintain the caves as a tourism site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big draw for this cave is the glowworms that adorn the ceilings
and a short boat tour to the original 1880ish cave entry point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No photography was allowed inside the
cave to protect tourists from injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They claim that tourists may slip on the steps if they are not paying
attention to where they are walking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However they take your picture at the beginning of the tour and then try
to sell it and a CD of cave pictures to you at the end of the tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We entered the cave with our Maori
guide and one other family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
entrance was a natural cave entrance that was widened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The initial passages were a little
tight, but the formations were beautiful! Our first stop was an 18m hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eighteen meters doesn’t seem like much,
so I had to put it into feet and realize it was about 42 feet deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We descended into the Cathedral Room
with 16m high ceilings and only 13 meters below ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This room has perfect acoustics and
many famous New Zealand signers have performed in the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The little girl from our tour sang a
rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” but her voice didn’t carry far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to our guide, they have
weddings and concerts in this room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When she turned off the lights, we could easily see glow worms on the
ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just past the Cathedral
we viewed<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>some more beautiful cave
formations including the blue glow worms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only this time she showed us the “tails” that have a poisonous sticky
substance on it that catches bugs for the glowworm to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It the becomes the glowworm’s cocoon
for it’s transformation to a fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our final descent was into the blue glow-dotted dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sound of lapping water told us we
were near the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We quietly
walked down a few stairs and load a boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The original explorer of Waitomo cave explored the cave on a boat made
of flax sticks tied together. The only source of light was a candle. Guided by
a clever system of stalactites and ropes and serenaded with a Maori love song,
we enjoyed our boat ride by glowworm. </div>
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At 2:30 p.m. Holly picked us up for a guided tour of Ruikuri—another
cave connected by the Waitomo river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ruikuri’s claim to fame is its access that descends from a man-made
entrance 8 stories via a circular cement pathway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The developers of Ruikuri spent several years trying to find
the perfect place to enter the cave without damaging cave features.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They blasted through layers of rock and
dug out tons of dirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also
wanted to make sure this cave was accessible to people with disabilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked in fully knowing what the
entrance was like, but the lights were off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holly told us to let our eyes, so I leaned over the railing
fully knowing that I’d see each level of the downward spiral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time the fourth level was
illuminated, I was well and truly scared of how high we were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began to formulate in my mind my exit
and wonder how long I’d have to wait while Jim was in the cave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bless Holly: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>she walked a pretty good clip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between her and prayer, I made it to the bottom, which
sported a huge granite boulder with water dripping from above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a great illustration of the power
of water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guides at Ruikuri
have watched the water erode a soup bowl indentation into the large stone in
only a few years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We entered
through a tunnel they call the Time Machine because it passes from modernity to
the very ancient cave itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
ceiling sloped to a point at the top, like a cathedral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walkways for the most part are
suspended above the cave floor and sometimes above the cave river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were many examples of cave
features including dramatic cave draperies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Glowworms also dotted the ceilings at regular intervals,
sparkling blue in an imaginary sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We spent a little time above the river watching adventurous souls pass
through the cave in wetsuits and tubes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our guide explained that a new tour would be added to the cave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adventurous souls in mountain climbing
harnesses can tour the cave walls, into the rafters and over a cave waterfall
inaccessible by the traditional path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ruikuri was more pristine that that Wiatomo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The features were more white, the environment more
damp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was obviously a live
cave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We reached the bottom most
point in the trail only to double time it out of the cave since we were the
last tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That meant my trip back
up to the top was fast and painless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the way out we came to a section where the air temp was several
degrees cooler. Holly pointed out that we had reached the line between the
tour-owned cave and a section privately owned by the Maori.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She explained that the natural entrance
was in that direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However it
was discovered that it was tapu to the Maori—sacred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maori warriors had been buried there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the original explorer entered
there, he lit a fire to warm himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>History continues that the original explorer, his wife, a son and
grandson all died by fire as a result of that original explorer lighting a fire in the sacred cave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In respect
for Maori tradition, that section of the cave is left untouched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span> </span>Once back above ground, she took us
back to our car. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1.5 hour trip
back to Rotorua was uneventful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After dinner we soaked in the mineral hot tub and then turned in early.</div>
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Wednesday, June 14</div>
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Volcano Day!</div>
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At 7:15 a.m. sharp we met our driver, John for the trip to Whakatane
on the Bay of Plenty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We checked
in and were sent across the street to board Pee Jay 4, the boat that took us to
White Island and the volcano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were 27 other guests on board, so it wasn’t very crowded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sea wasn’t rough and the sky was
clear, so we could see steam billowing from the White Island volcano 27
nautical miles away in the Whakatane River where we started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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At the mouth of the bay on a large rock
was a sculpture of a Maori girl who was forced to take over rowing the waka,
bad tapu according to our guide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once out in the bay we picked up speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far in the distance stationary objects would sometimes
evolve into other boats and sometimes into tiny islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We quickly passed Whale Island. Also a
volcano, also overdue to erupt, it looked a little like a whale, I guess. The
boat ride was cold and I wondered if I had enough clothes to keep me warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I snuggled against Jim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The area is a marine reserve and at one
point I saw one lonely dolphin swimming with our boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The eighty-minute trip didn’t seem that
long and soon we were anchoring in one of three tiny bays on White Island and
receiving our protective gear:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a
hard hat and a gas mask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first
thing we saw above the rocky shore was the remains of a building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To get there, however, we had to get
from our boat in the now choppy bay to a rubber boat and from the rubber boat
to the rusted ladder to the cement jetty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were lots of hands to help and lots of voices shouting
directions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither of us fell
into the bay at either end—I think that was probably divine intervention for me
as I’m not exactly graceful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was scary enough that when I actually made it to dry land, I was quite proud of
myself.</div>
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We assembled below the old sulphur factory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our guide told us that acid in the air
could make our breathing uncomfortable and if that happen a few breaths in the
gas mask would helpful. He also cautioned us to walk in their trail as there
thermal mounds about, white piles where the earth was weaker and one might fall
through and find themselves breathing poisonous gas as your are boiled in a
boiling to death in hot pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
didn’t have to tell me twice!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
started a slow ascent up, stopping frequently at geothermal features.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The high point (figuratively and
literally) was arriving at the caldera of the volcano and looking down into the
recently developed boiling lake in the volcano’s crater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mountain cliffs rose about 314 feet
above the caldera. From there we switched guides and headed back toward the
shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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The caldera of the volcano.</div>
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The hard candy they gave us
earlier came in handy to help clear the acid in the back of our throats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point we stopped at stream and tasted
the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very salty and
had a high concentration of iron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The island has three bays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The one in the middle had wood beams washed ashore a good twenty feet
above the shoreline. Local fishermen claim that waves come in from the Pacific,
whip around the point, and come out the other bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not hard to believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span> </div>
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The decrepit sulphur factory bore witness of several landslides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Door frames looked tall enough for an
eight year old to pass through, since about a meter of dirt had been washed
into the frames.</div>
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We washed volcanic ask from our shoes and returned to the
boat the same way we came ashore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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They served a great lunch of cheese sandwiches, apples, trail mix,
banana chocolate cake/bread, and chocolate covered “hokey pokey” or honeycomb
candy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was delicious but not
enough to keep me away on the return trip. Half way through the return voyage,
I laid my head on a bench and fell asleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The return trip to the campground was equally uneventful and
we turned in early, amazed that we were so tired.</div>
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This day stands out as one of my favorites to date.</div>
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<br /></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-16011878328813995382012-06-17T01:36:00.001-07:002012-06-17T01:36:22.267-07:00Two Days: Sunday, June 10 and Monday, June 11<style>
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Sunday, June 10, 2012</div>
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Rotorua Museum and Government Gardens</div>
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After the late night Saturday, we slept in a bit on Sunday
morning, ate a late breakfast, did a little laundry, and tried to catch up
writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really wanted a meat
pie for lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They seem common
here and we had seen Jesters (We’re serious about pies!) all over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our camp host suggested another shop
for pies, but they were closed and Jerster’s was open. Lunch was tasty; I’d
definitely eat at Jester’s again. From there we wound our way through Rotorua
to Government Gardens and the beautiful Rotorura Museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole area is pristine with greens
down the center of the mall (we learned later they are for lawn bowling,
croquet, and a French game that includes handheld balls thrown at smaller
balls).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are beautiful rose
gardens, manicured lawns and venting geothermal features and boiling pools. The
museum sits at the end of all this beauty and looks like a British monarch
overlooking her tidy subjects. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLjMEfCkQTBu0aI0X4YWU28MT8BFH5Dr1GukoIR1VB25tu6OM1QsHo6qsBCc2AWyNOUrvLKvbhxQv3-jGKqPSqjOwn7mN5Y9PpQTLGEaEOcRF3L8RRutPZGqhpiezVFGVlBM42yfRmwM/s1600/IMG_3379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLjMEfCkQTBu0aI0X4YWU28MT8BFH5Dr1GukoIR1VB25tu6OM1QsHo6qsBCc2AWyNOUrvLKvbhxQv3-jGKqPSqjOwn7mN5Y9PpQTLGEaEOcRF3L8RRutPZGqhpiezVFGVlBM42yfRmwM/s320/IMG_3379.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Walking inside was even more fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two grand staircases lead to an upper
level that looks out over the grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The wooden stairs and banisters are grandly designed and frame the whole
second story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$36.00 got us a
guided tour of the museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
grand building was once a hospital where people would come to “take the
waters.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wealthy patrons paid
$14,000 in 1906 for treatments that included mud baths, soaking in hot mineral
water and soaking various and sundry body parts (feet, arms, legs, whole
bodies) in water with electric current running through it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doctor who designed the location
wisely kept the basement raised above ground level and all pipes accessible as
he knew the sulphur dioxide would cause continuous damage to the pipes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As part of the tour we went into the
attic to see the structure of the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doctor knew his stuff because he created a pretty
advanced air return system to get rid of sulphur fumes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the roof was a viewing platform from
which you could see the caldera of an ancient volcano that Rotorua sits in
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hospital was set just off
Rotorua Lake and siphoned hot water from the lake and area hot water pools.
Back down in the basement we observed the pipe system, hidden corners where
lovers met, and treatment rooms where “patients” would soak in mud baths then
be showered down with hot or cold water according to the doctor’s orders. Some
pools and individual baths still remain as part of the museum. Beautiful marble
sculpture that had decorated the hospital still remains, but not in pristine
condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hospital continued
to operate until 1966.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2EtBlTkwu1PxbBirzTe7QQw32ntAq_YOlxp6hfJIwtKdJL75qZ7ElV8-MTbe5t-Pb_07FZxhGHHJBhytEX8qO7v7VXhXeE1G-65XE8MQQyKGMFlQGUNhqBT_FwE2c7YsSXgvW-ZIOTQ/s1600/IMG_3395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2EtBlTkwu1PxbBirzTe7QQw32ntAq_YOlxp6hfJIwtKdJL75qZ7ElV8-MTbe5t-Pb_07FZxhGHHJBhytEX8qO7v7VXhXeE1G-65XE8MQQyKGMFlQGUNhqBT_FwE2c7YsSXgvW-ZIOTQ/s320/IMG_3395.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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There was a
bit of overlap when the main part of the building was taken over by a
restaurant and later a night club (that genesis is also on display in pictures
and videos upstairs). Today the former women’s wing houses an exceptional
collection that tells the Maori story starting with their travel from Hawak’i
in about 1200, to modern Maori culture (we were cautioned not to confuse modern
day Hawaii with Hawak’i.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is NOT
the same place).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a
particularly beautiful waka (canoe) on display.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The acrylic hull was divided into sections and displayed
artifacts—a woven basket, an awl reportedly belonging to the first Te Awora
(Maori) chief, and the anchor from their two-hulled waka.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sail is a move screen that shows
the story of the first voyage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
guide was very kind. It was obvious that she was a former teacher; she shared
as much with as she could in 1.5 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once room was dedicated to the destruction of the village, pink and
white terraces from the 1886 volcanic eruption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guides would take tourists across the lake to view the
terraces and to sit in the water. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one excursion, Guide Sophia and several passengers report
seeing a waka filled with warriors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sophia recorded that as they drew closer turned into dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>English tourists called out to the
warriors, but they did not answer and their waka disappeared as if it had not
been there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guide Sophia went to a
wise old man who was reported to have great mana (honor) and to be 100 years
old. He said the vision for told of a terrible event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very short time later, the mountain erupted, burying the
village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old man survived for
4 days in his hut, only to die two weeks later in a hospital. This story
combined with what we learned about the origins of the Maori make me wonder
about their origins and if a record is kept for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another interesting room in the museum was dedicated to the
Maori warriors who fought in World War I and II.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like many other indigenous people, they were kept separate
from their white counterparts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Over and over they proved their valor and fearlessness, yet they were
still segregated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Same story,
different country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A twenty-minute
video capped off the museum tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After spending a few minutes in the gift shop, we closed down the whole
place! In fact we rushed out so quickly that I forgot my backpack which had
been checked at the desk!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
toured the beautiful grounds and then headed back to the holiday park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After dinner we took a long soak in the
hot mineral pool, showered, made plans for our next day and went to bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another great day!</div>
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(There were no pictures allowed in the Moari collection) </div>
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Monday, June 11, 2012</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland,
Rotorura</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Up at 7:00 a.m., a
fast shower, breakfast and a little more writing and we were out of our spot
and headed back to the museum to get my backpack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way out we stopped to book one more night at the camp
ground and our trip on White Island Tours, a boat ride to White Island which is
an active volcano! I’m so excited about that trip!!</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The museum was open
by the time we got there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
decided to use our vouchers from the previous day to view the exhibits we had skipped
during our tour and spend a little more time in the Maori wing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a display of costumes from
the New Zealand Ballet Company and some graphic art by NZ artists, many of whom
work a the Weta Workshop in Wellington, the company responsible for work on
movies like the Lord of the Rings, King Kong, The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe and The Hobbit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found
my favorite among those works:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>garden gnomes in battle!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
got so much more out of the Maori exhibit because we had time to reread and absorb
what we’d heard. We grabbed a quick bite of lunch and then headed to our next
stop:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wai-O-Tapu Thermal
Wonderland!</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Rotorua sits in the
caldera of an ancient volcano, which is due to blow very soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked a couple people if there was a
disaster plan to deal with the impending eruption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They replied, “It will be so bad, there won’t be time to do
anything.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think of that way too
often in this beautiful valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are geothermal features everywhere, but 23 km south of town is a
park filled with colorful (and stinky) features.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span><span><br /></span>This little park has three trails and 25 different
features.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each is unique and
mysterious, shrouded in sulphurous steam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The full trail is about 3 km and is beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes you past each feature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Florescent yellow dominates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span><span> </span>However, at the end of the trail closest to the welcome
centers, the Devil’s Bath is an unusual, florescent green! The water from the
area runs off into a green lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Champaign Pool is 62 m deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Water starts it journey below the surface at 212 degrees C.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it rises to the top, it cools to 100
degrees C ( 212 degrees F!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tiny
vents are everywhere; you can hear water bubbling and popping and steam rises
from the middle of the forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was a great walk!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our way out
of the park, we met some fellow American’s from Florida and had a nice visit
with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last stop out of
the park was at the boiling mud pots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By that time, the sun was going down and it was turning cold! We walked
out to the spot, said, “Yep, that’s boiling mud,” and jumped back into the
toasty warm camper. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">After grocery
shopping, we settled back into the campground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While our dinner cooked we packed out backpacks to be ready
for tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we quickly at
our soup and headed over for a soak in the hot mineral pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though it smells like suphur, it’s
well worth it to soak in the hot water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Worst of all is getting out to head to the shower! </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Random Thoughts:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We say two women walking on the trail wearing
turtle neck sweaters, scarves and wool coats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was wearing a cardigan sweater over a cami, Jim had on a
long sleeve shirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s cold here,
but not that cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Isn’t it funny how we gravitate to the people
from whom we hear our own dialect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The people on the trail from Florida said, “We can tell you’re from the
US,” (they thought we were from Alabama…hmmm).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">This is a beautiful place, but always in the
back of my mind is the idea that they’re due for another eruption…soon.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-48203488231425064812012-06-14T03:55:00.001-07:002012-06-14T03:55:30.082-07:00Rotorua Maori Cultural Experience<style>
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Saturday, June 9, 2012</div>
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Rotorua</div>
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Into the volcanic valley!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Driving into Rotorua reminded me of driving off the rim into
Payson just a little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tree lined
roads give way to open vistas with mountains in the background.</div>
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We stopped at a locally blueberry farm (and winery).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their blueberry ice cream wasn’t
available, so we had blueberry juice and chocolate covered blueberries, pet the
donkeys and got back on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The tourism radio was full of suggestions of things to do in Rotorua.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided to get settled in the
campground as we’d be here for a few days, then make our plan of attractions
for our stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We booked a
traditional Maori dinner and cultural show only to have to make other
arrangements because the traditional dinner was mostly fish-based.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want Jim to survive this trip, so we
booked with another company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
tour included seeing kiwi birds, trout and a NZ lizard that predates dinosaurs
and lives to be 300 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Blueberry and gooseberry jams, jellies, chutneys and salsas.</div>
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Unisex bathroom. Jim discovered it when he was washing his hands and a woman exited a stall.</div>
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Perceiving he would not be paid for having his picture taken, this local was not very agreeable.</div>
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<span> The view into Rotorua from the mountains.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>WARNING:</u></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This paragraph contains highlights of a
conversation I had with a teacher from NZ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I was fascinated, please feel free to skip it if
you don’t want to read about a comparison between US and NZ education.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The afternoon before the Maori cultural
experience was spent soaking in a hot mineral pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sulphur smell was strong, but the pleasure of soaking in
the hot water while the air outside was cold made up for the smell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there I visited with a New
Zealander from the south island whose husband was here at a medical conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a high school math teacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talking to her was a real treat! We
talked about children and traveling nationally and internationally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course discussion came around to our
trade and the similarities of our jobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She confirmed that NZ has the highest literacy rate, but recent studies
showed that they were falling behind in writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while they have very high numeracy rates, they are
skewed by the influx of Asians living in NZ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among her Maori and Pacific Island students there is a
culture of mediocrity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t
believe that they can/will be successful academically so they don’t try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounded way too familiar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She told me that their minister of
education has NO educational experiences; she was appointed from the cabinet of
the current Prime Minister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
her bright idea to increase class sizes from 30 to 50 students, a measure that
was summarily stamped out by teachers by 30 days of protests and threats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought a class of 36 was bad. I
asked how much she makes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the
top of her pay scale she makes $70,000/year! </div>
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After showers we dressed and headed to the pickup point for our
bus to the Mitai Maori dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
driver was 45 minutes late (we found out later he’d gone to the wrong camp
ground), but it gave us a chance to talk to our hostess, Mandy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her father was a forensic pathologist
who was widely traveled for work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She had toured the US as a kid and had many good memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We asked her about things to do while
we’re here, her travels and Maori culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fifteen-minute drive got us to Mitai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were greeted by a girl in traditional
dress—a flax dress and a fury wrap (we saw the bird that the cloak was made
from, I just can’t remember what it was called). We sat with two other couples
and a single man:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>two doctors from
England taking short-term assignments in Wellington to help pay for their
college expenses (Stuart and Lindsey) and a couple from Australia (he had worked
in Yakima on the orchards; Yacinta was a high school math/science teacher with
a degree in chemistry). There were hor d’orves—hummus and mango chutney on
crackers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They made some
introductions, told us what to expect for the evening and then asked from what
countries people had traveled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were many Australians, only six of us from the US, a woman from
South Africa and a woman from Peru—six countries were represented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked for a volunteer for our
chief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People thought it was a
joke, but we found out he would “represent us” as part of the cultural show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blankets were available for those who
were cold (it was chilly, made more so by the dampness all around). We walked
to the pit where dinner was being prepared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our guide told us that men cooked the food (?) so that women
could perform the honorable (mana in Maori) task of raising the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under heavy blankets were two baskets
of food that had been cooking over hot rocks for 3.5 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one side was lamb and chicken, on
the other white potatoes, purple kumari (Maori sweet potatoes originally from
South America….?), and stuffing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-8-UW0qjB9s8fZigYQiUoKcxi_kDvr7coWIZTb01XfE_Lo7BOhIJ8U6y_WxHFawBTOcF4ViM8bFk46tgG0IMHpB_Yfj_04z-3cW26hq5wQeRTR61V3_ZKHh8jO3wALUe1HWah9bAKmA/s1600/IMGP0627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-8-UW0qjB9s8fZigYQiUoKcxi_kDvr7coWIZTb01XfE_Lo7BOhIJ8U6y_WxHFawBTOcF4ViM8bFk46tgG0IMHpB_Yfj_04z-3cW26hq5wQeRTR61V3_ZKHh8jO3wALUe1HWah9bAKmA/s320/IMGP0627.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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Our hangi--dinner cooked to perfection over hot rocks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnyP-zMkbBxFtISYKai6D7bEd-INq9oJ4j_sLbEfWgaibY7hjfmJj4f4lDL4tMINoi1yKpJNp62RL8PWfIijwfqCt3I2NW-GVgFRgy3C5CrHyiEwWcGdgi5f9DW3mh0FPwLVyqLQPyyQ/s1600/IMGP0639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnyP-zMkbBxFtISYKai6D7bEd-INq9oJ4j_sLbEfWgaibY7hjfmJj4f4lDL4tMINoi1yKpJNp62RL8PWfIijwfqCt3I2NW-GVgFRgy3C5CrHyiEwWcGdgi5f9DW3mh0FPwLVyqLQPyyQ/s320/IMGP0639.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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(This picture decided to post here. Oh well...)</div>
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The guide blessed the food (I should have asked him to translate his prayer)
and then we went walked on a path past a little spring, across a bridge through
the forest (not too far) to the river to watch the arrival of the warriors in a
traditional canoe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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The chanted and
paddled together, making a show of their arrival, sticking out their tongues,
showing the whites of their eyes and singing together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their appearance was a mixture of
pacific-islander looking and just average Caucasian men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They hopped out and headed into the
bush. We walked back to an outdoor, heated area that had a raised stage set
with a village, a fire circle and plenty of area to perform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our guide cautioned us not to smile,
mock or imitate the warrior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
took our chief onto the stage and the guide called out in Maori.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A heavily tattooed warrior made his
appearance, dancing, thrusting his stick, bulging his eyes and hissing and
grunting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He threw down some
leaves and our chief picked them up as if accepting a peace token.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the women came out and sang a
welcoming song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our chief gave a
speech, thanking them for their hospitality, blessing them and their
ancestors…he had been coached on what to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the show began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They sang, danced, explained and joked. The performers were young, but
seemed pretty skilled at what they were doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The girls sang, twirled poi balls and danced similar to Hawaiian
dancers, but their movements were smaller and their hands were constantly
shaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They told us later that
was an acknowledgement of the life force that runs through everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We often saw it as they performed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their dress was native, one man even
had a bare bum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the men wore a
loincloth like covering—front and back! They were typically bare-chested,
tattoos on their thighs, some up into their waste, covering their butts (that
we could see) and on their faces (they weren’t real tattoos).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the men performed finished a
performance, they would lift their right leg and slap their thigh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The women wore flax,
shoulder-less dress that came to their ankles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their feet were bare and some had heavy fur-looking cloaks
attached at one shoulder. Their tattoos were only on their chin—I think we
learned that tattoo would either be an owl or an kiwi?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their lips were also tattooed around
the edges (good lip liner).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
performance was lovely; the performers sometimes getting silly, but in general
it was good.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJlk0E5rz6MFIBqcjPv5r_AYXV1pgLVzYd5xWqYuYkuHrUfed3A-zSU7MSiKILbu6L1b_u-uWnacnsX7c0KHs1O0eT8FtDWTeMesiLcRKbcrZZSFLHd0QkQAjdZ8K7x0THnLIqtB7Boo/s1600/IMGP0652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJlk0E5rz6MFIBqcjPv5r_AYXV1pgLVzYd5xWqYuYkuHrUfed3A-zSU7MSiKILbu6L1b_u-uWnacnsX7c0KHs1O0eT8FtDWTeMesiLcRKbcrZZSFLHd0QkQAjdZ8K7x0THnLIqtB7Boo/s320/IMGP0652.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLrbozHFawvLMFKUhzGFFeo3UadWLEV4hmdKEW2UHgWScCyeFx7DXRwyO3zUc89aPIJXgDOp4Md69gVCeYjhZ2NSEKb-yQgnMc6NKM4xxZxIsz_xgIcDxP4WKA5bAdCPxi0bJY5I1mDU/s1600/IMGP0657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLrbozHFawvLMFKUhzGFFeo3UadWLEV4hmdKEW2UHgWScCyeFx7DXRwyO3zUc89aPIJXgDOp4Md69gVCeYjhZ2NSEKb-yQgnMc6NKM4xxZxIsz_xgIcDxP4WKA5bAdCPxi0bJY5I1mDU/s320/IMGP0657.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjizAN8nWZeNCJlz_AgQgY0LHnFOEmwL8lx8cNaQLqWDZQ2rwS6v6cjIwehly6VLeY890onPBSRKGoerH9WsgPG5McXHPJxJDgnHsBkg16EW5HXOl3kfZlSW6GAzTRAchzK8mEJbyzHVY/s1600/IMGP0662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjizAN8nWZeNCJlz_AgQgY0LHnFOEmwL8lx8cNaQLqWDZQ2rwS6v6cjIwehly6VLeY890onPBSRKGoerH9WsgPG5McXHPJxJDgnHsBkg16EW5HXOl3kfZlSW6GAzTRAchzK8mEJbyzHVY/s320/IMGP0662.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After the performance we returned to the big, tented dining
area and proceeded through the buffet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The dinner was tasty:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the
hangi (food cooked in the hot pit), several salads (rice and corn, cauliflower
with mayonnaise and sesame seeds, ranch slaw, tuna and past), a green salad
with a bitter dressing, scalloped potatoes, and garlic bread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dessert was truffle (kind of
tasteless), a chocolate roll (also kind of tasteless) and pavlova which was
AMAZING!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a damp meringue,
baked up like a tall angel food cake, covered with fresh fruit and chocolate
medallions on the sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WOW! It
was amazing! The lady from England and Australia said it’s even better when
it’s baked harder, more like a meringue cookie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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After dinner and tea (coffee was much like tea—bags to dip
into hot water), we were met by our guides from Rainbow Springs. They guided us
on a walk back to the first pool we passed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time they turned off all the lights, including our
flashlights so we could see the glow worms lighting up the edges of the pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the lights were turned back on, we
saw an eel that measured about three feet long (good eating according to our
Maori guide, Uncle Ben, at Hobbiton), a trout and some crawdads. The water was
crystal clear and deceptively deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What looked to be only 3 feet was actually six feet! From there we
walked into the Rainbow springs where we got to see kiwi just waking for the
night, swans, a kea named Jennifer who hates women (she was hand raised by a
male scientist – Keas are the only<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>parrots who can live in cold weather), HUGE trout (imported to Lake
Rotorua from California), and finally the tuatara, a lizard that predates
dinosaurs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The huge lizard lives
to be about 300 years old, breathing once a minute, it’s heart only beats 7 or
8 times/minute!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our last stop
before the gift shop was a drink of fresh spring water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there we headed to our bus and
back to our holiday park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a
lovely day!</div>
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(For more pictures, check out my Facebook page.) </div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-51339657001624632322012-06-13T01:37:00.001-07:002012-06-13T01:37:37.277-07:00Hobbiton<style>
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Friday, June 8, 2012</div>
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Matamata and Hobbiton</div>
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Easy day of driving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We left Auckland around 10:30 a.m. after fueling up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very pleased with myself to have
found light Pepsi instead of Coke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Kay at Kauri Coast Holiday Park told us to look for the iSites, they’re
tourist information and pickup sites for many of the tours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Jim set the GPS for the Matamata
iSite so we could book our tour to Hobbiton, the set of the Hobbit village in
the Lord of the Rings (LoR) movies. </div>
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We’ve seen a LOT of dairy farms and dairy processing plants
along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our handy dandy
little tourist radio alerted us to a cheese factory and cafe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since it was lunchtime, we couldn’t
resist. We sat in the sunshine on their patio eating anti pasta with three
locally produced cheeses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blue
Cheese and Brie aren’t either of our favorites, but it was fun to try something
different for a change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We opted
for dessert and had the most delicious cheesecake in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was softer that the cheesecake we
usually get, but creamy and rich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was served with strawberry sauce and crème fleche….we savored every
bite! Silly us, we ordered coffee to go with our lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was instant, but mine was a little
tastier with the addition of milk and caramel syrup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course everything is better with caramel! Still sore from
his fall, Jim enjoyed letting the sunshine beat on his neck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d say the temp was around 57 degrees
F -- perfect!</div>
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Once in Matamata we easily booked our 2:30 p.m. tour to the
Hobbiton set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bus picked us up
at 3:00 and we drove about 15 minutes out of town past several horse
farms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the office we picked up
a second guide and drove into the location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scenery as we approached the location was long, rolling
green hills with hearty milk cows, but increasingly dotted with sheep as we got
closer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The closer we got to the
set, the more we saw deep little green valleys with rogue pines growing a
hundred feet in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The set
was darling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tiny little Hobbit
holes are built into the side of the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They look a bit like English cottages growing into the
hillside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beautiful little
gardens, flowers, rogue pins and ponds were everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Uncle Ben the tour guide told us that
the pines are over 100 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They’re hearty trees with long, sweeping arms—great for swings and
picnicking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They feel like wise
centurions guarding this quiet valley. I’m not a fan of the movies, but seeing
the set was fun and I could tell Jim was really enjoying himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the drive in, the guide asked how
many had seen the LoR movies, and then he asked how many had not seen the
movies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was the only one to
raise my hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Facts he shared about the set:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Peter Jackson and the movie producers rented the
neighboring farm for three months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The cost was a three-month, all expenses paid vacation to anywhere in NZ
for the owners.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>NZ military built the road into the set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When neighbors called the Alexander
family to ask what was going on, they told their concerned neighbors it was a
military exercise.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The location was picked because of the large oak
tree, known in the movie as the party tree, near a pond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the general area of rolling hills
and deep green valleys fit Tolkien’s description of the area.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The location remains a working sheep farm owned
by the Alexander Family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They own
the set tours and have been smart about how they develop it as a tourist
attraction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The movie company was
going to tear the seat down; the Alexander family made keeping it a condition
of using the property.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Only 18 extras were chosen from the Matamata
area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They call themselves the
chosen few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>800 people from all
over auditioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The youngest
Matamatan was 4 years old, the oldest 85.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They had to be less than five feet tall, have chubby cheeks and a bubbly
personality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their contract
included a nondisclosure clause for three years; they couldn’t tell their
friends and families in the area that they had been chosen for the movie.</div>
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Matamata is considered a medium size community (felt about
the size of Lee’s Summit or Payson).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The homes are a little more affluent and horse farms are becoming more
popular and are popping up everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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We stayed the night at Opal Springs Holiday Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this volcanic zone, there are many
hot springs and this campground takes advantage of several hot pools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We opted for doing laundry instead of
soaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laundry is expensive at
$4/load to wash and the same to dry. This little campground felt a little like
Far Westa—pleasant but run down around the edges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Random Thoughts:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>This country is lovely, but the north is more
dramatic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re told that even the
northland is nothing compared to the south island.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>European tourists…let’s just say the young ones
that are traveling on a dime are not the most pleasant to sit by on a tour
bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, they’re very
friendly!</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Eating out is expensive! Lunch at the Kaimai
dairy was our second lunch out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve
enjoyed many home-cooked meals in the trailer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, eating in has been great for Jim’s blood
sugar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One can stew, anyone?</div>
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Tomorrow Rotorua!</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-53340763988866559322012-06-11T14:26:00.001-07:002012-06-11T14:26:30.321-07:00Kauri Coast and a Fur Seal<style>
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Thursday, June 7, 2012</div>
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Kauri Coast, New Zealand</div>
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<br /></div>
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I slept in this morning...didn’t get up until 7 a.m., so we
had a late start to the day, but it ended up being fine. </div>
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The campground was fantastic! It was like being camped at a
park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kay was the person on duty
and she told us all kinds of great things to do as we went further south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said we’ll love the south island,
it is more beautiful and the people are much more laid back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“If a New Zealander invites you over
for dinner, you should go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re
trying to learn about your country.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wow! That’s hospitality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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We had to do it, for the kids of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to find the big tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we headed back north with one
condition:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we had to go to Bluff
where we could get down onto the beach and I could put my toes into the Tasman
Sea. The roads in this area are winding and slow, climbing and dropping over a
few km.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We questioned if we should
even try to find the big tree and in the end we knew we had to do it for the
memories of the NW with our children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So back north we went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
took one turn off that took us to an observation tower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had fun taking pictures and gazing
at the breath-taking vista…and talking about my reaction to the news of the new
principal at Excelencia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh the
things we regret….Finally we found what we thought was the visitor center. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just the visitor center
café.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d need to go 10 km more
to get to the carpark for the big tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ten kilometers further we found the turn off and the big tree only to be
told that this was actually the oldest tree. The biggest tree was 1 km further
north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We settled for the oldest
and started walking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To enter this
forest, we had to wash the bottoms of our shoes and brush off the mud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a forest disease that kills
the Kauri (cow ry) trees and they are careful not to spread it from forest to
forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first thing we
encountered was a sign suggesting we pay the parking attendant $2 because there
had been break-ins in this carpark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Funny, Kay at the Holiday Park had just told us that there’s little to
no crime in NZ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess we found the
one place where thieves had been working!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We really weren’t sure what we were looking for, and kept speculating
about which tree was the Kauri.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The rain had stopped, the sun was shining but this forest was dense and
sometimes dark, much like the Hoh Rainforest in Washington’s Olympic National
Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also kept wondering which
tree was a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kauri.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew they had to be big, straight,
and wide in diameter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
chugging along the path ahead of Jim when I realized he had stopped and was
taking a picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His camera was
pointing up, almost straight up and he said, “I think I found it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had marched right past one the
biggest tree’s I’d ever seen! And then we began to realize what we were
seeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Five minutes into the hike
we saw the Four Sisters, 4 trees that had grown together in a ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fifteen minutes later, after descending
down into thick rainforest, we turned a corner and there was the Father of the
forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forty-five feet in
diameter and about 140 feet tall, while not the tallest this tree was the
oldest at approximately 2,000 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a very grand tree and still alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We just looked at it in awe.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
The road is winding and narrow. Jim said he felt like the </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
road went off into the bush sometimes.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
The base of Four Sisters</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
The toppish of Four Sisters</div>
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Back on the road, we headed to Bluff, what we would find out
was a tiny town 6 km off the main road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another fantastic, breath-taking drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homes, cows, geese, and eventually goats lined the road to
this tiny ocean-side town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span> </span>Probably vacation homes for most, they clung to the side of the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We couldn’t drive all the way to the
beach, but we walked easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
the north is the bluff from which the town gains its name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While only about 600 m to the top, the
hikes a couple hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed
straight for the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing the
height and fierceness of the surf, I changed my mind about putting my toes in
the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was content to watch
waves higher than I had seen before smash against the beach, inching further
inland each time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the south
were more sand dunes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the
north, black lava bluffs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
beach was littered with lava rocks and suddenly I saw one move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I thought was a rock ended up
being a fur seal! We played tourist, approaching him as close as we could for
pictures, he played tourist, posing and reacting to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were enchanted at finding him on the
beach and stayed as long as we could talking to him…Ok, I talked to him, Jim
took pictures.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Looking south</div>
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Looking north -- our seal friend</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back on the road the trip became mundane, the roads
straightening, travel getting faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By 6:30 p.m. we were passing through Auckland again headed to our stop
for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hate traveling in
traffic in the motor home on the left side of the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept my head down and read to
Jim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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We’re safely tucked away in yet another Holiday Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one isn’t as nice; it’s still in
the middle of town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow we’re
off to Hobbiton!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More adventure
awaits!</div>
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Random Thoughts:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>I really want to try to visit a school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure if it would work, but have a
feeling in a small town it might.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Town traffic makes me nervous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Town traffic at night makes me more
nervous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Town traffic at night
driving on the left side of the road is almost unbearable.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Heard an advertisement on the Tourism Radio for
occupations for which the government is encouraging people to move here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>teachers and medical workers were among
them!</div>
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Night skyline of Auckland</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-70081104089778912572012-06-10T00:47:00.002-07:002012-06-10T00:47:56.264-07:00Big Tree!<style>
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012</div>
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Headed for a big tree!</div>
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We finally installed the tourist radio today and it’s helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result we stopped at a (tourist)
factory where they make wood products from ancient Kauri trees. They say these
trees are 45,000 years old and they are HUGE! Evidently an ancient forest of
Kauri trees fell due to climate change, over time the trees were buried in a
bog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later discovered these huge
trees weigh tons and tons, requiring that they be “harvested” carefully and in
chunks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today we’re headed to
another Kauri forest with a big tree just for our kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fromer’s says that Kauri trees once
covered this region. today we’re headed to what’s left of that forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBa4krXPZRVq5Fd1hyu5AC28TpFbEJbHpNwhfS21mKm55_I0bkBQQPAvxhY5mW3U-brOm6lke1Z5lBuXWQnVXmMpuRQ6LLYOwqtr6Mj5UBpqW3nEKtQBgCiJhLOvMbEkyHPIXqOhhyVE/s1600/IMGP0340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBa4krXPZRVq5Fd1hyu5AC28TpFbEJbHpNwhfS21mKm55_I0bkBQQPAvxhY5mW3U-brOm6lke1Z5lBuXWQnVXmMpuRQ6LLYOwqtr6Mj5UBpqW3nEKtQBgCiJhLOvMbEkyHPIXqOhhyVE/s320/IMGP0340.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We stopped for gas in a little town and a friendly lady came
over to strike up a conversation about the motorhome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had lived in Lawrence, KS! Anyway, it was raining
heavily for the second day, so we asked where we could buy rain ponchos since
were are planning to hike to the biggest of the Kauri trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She directed us to the Wharehouse,
which is…yes! you guessed it, the Wal-Mart of NZ!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, having bought ponchos, the rain immediately
stopped and the sun came out!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
area is just as beautiful as all that we’ve seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see and hear sea gulls, so we know we’re close to the
ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The treck to the big tree took us past Hokianga Bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We couldn’t figure out which way the
tide was going, but either in or out, but it was moving fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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On the east side of the bay sand dunes
meet the water. Green mountains rim with west side of the bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pulled off at a scenic overlook and
walked about a 500 m to a point on the cliffs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beaches are stunning, smooth sand broken by huge lava
flows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_TGtq0plpppbcYnOJCFiUAHKlTm4KBF6Os8Qb2GdAWj50v9OPrPpU7yv8p-PwAUObgKah4jMd9LwRfIFHIa7k2pMz3do5jxiyia4XVIEipPSV5uroySaItr2NfPnk9tuauMbncEcNls/s1600/IMGP0388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_TGtq0plpppbcYnOJCFiUAHKlTm4KBF6Os8Qb2GdAWj50v9OPrPpU7yv8p-PwAUObgKah4jMd9LwRfIFHIa7k2pMz3do5jxiyia4XVIEipPSV5uroySaItr2NfPnk9tuauMbncEcNls/s320/IMGP0388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span> </span>It’s only taken us three
days, but finally realized we wouldn’t make our destination tonight, but we’d
keep heading in that direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Blast that tourist radio! We were lured into a side trip to a
waterfall—only a 600 m walk off the road, 15 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that it’s been raining pretty hard and this area
looks a lot like the Hoh Rainforest in Washington, and it was 5:00 p.m., the
time when the sun was setting. The trail was often cut in the side of the
mountain, the drop to the river being only about 20 feet and most of the time I
couldn’t see for the trees, which is a good thing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The climb was mostly upward in mud. However, it was worth the
trip! This area is part of a National Park and contains Kauri trees, but there
is some kind of disease that can attack them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The directions were very clear that we should clean the mud
off our shoes, not touch Kauri tree roots, and report anyone not following the
directions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only problem is that
we’re still not sure which one is the Kauri tree and the dirt is mud that needs
to dry before we can clean it off our shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there a recycle/rubbish bin for contaminated dirt?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NAFh8idXZ8hRGejosU3_GhZtu_NjmfNScGYdGngY8ghPfkI3MDc-XksfJAz6VCMi5ohC9ryjQYF9Meqa42ti94dSpI61du1sIxBiz4H60LAaZ8PxfHgnqc5cj1VMQ7by11dQSGB4R7I/s1600/IMGP0399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NAFh8idXZ8hRGejosU3_GhZtu_NjmfNScGYdGngY8ghPfkI3MDc-XksfJAz6VCMi5ohC9ryjQYF9Meqa42ti94dSpI61du1sIxBiz4H60LAaZ8PxfHgnqc5cj1VMQ7by11dQSGB4R7I/s320/IMGP0399.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Sorry, this picture isn't great. It was getting dark.)</div>
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So were camped at another beautiful holiday park
(campground), didn’t see the tree, listening to the rain, and thankful to be on
this lovely trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Random Thoughts:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>People are trusting here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sign in the shower at the holiday
park requested that showers be kept to two minutes and ended with, “We trust
you to do the right thing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
roadside mandarin orange stand had three bags of oranges and a payment
box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The owner was nowhere to be
seen.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The tourist radio is great, the music between
information isn’t so great, but the information is good.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>“Stay left! Stay left! </div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>“Oh my gosh, Jim! You gotta look at this! But
don’t look, just drive!”</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Watch out for slippery steps and slipperier
grass!</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Roads really <u>are</u> slippery when wet! Which
seems to be constantly around here.</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-25456070138987044432012-06-05T12:18:00.001-07:002012-06-05T12:18:52.754-07:00Cape Reigna(Just a little note: I typed this last night as I was falling asleep.)<br />
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I just feel like the best is yet to come.</div>
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Tuesday, June 5, 2012</div>
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Cape Reinga</div>
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We drove to the end of the world today, where two oceans meet
and mate…according to the Maori.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Tasmin Sea and Pacific Ocean meet at Cape Reinga.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where the tide of each sea blends, a
whirl pool of swirling water, sand and surf mark the merger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The area is stark—wind swept hills
giving way to sand dunes on the west, mountains sinking to small beaches and
bays to the east.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One stark tree
grows just beyond the cape and is said to be a sacred tree on which the spirits
of the Maori stepped out of this world and walked down into their home. </div>
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What a day! After the stress of Monday, today was such a
relaxing day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at an
Alpaca farm and viewed their crafts—knitted and felted pashminas, scarfs, hats,
and skeins of yarn for sale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
fingers itched for a crochet hook!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At times yesterday we felt like we were driving through Northern
California and Oregon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today it
looked like were driving through Montana and Wyoming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Green hills pushing toward grey skys, patches of forest,
fields of avocados trees, forest, cows and sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would turn a corner and ooh and ahh over the
scenery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From time to time we’d
get a peak of the ocean at some bay or another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing that dulled the day was rain, and even that
was a welcome addition to the day. </div>
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The drive on the peninsula feels long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are tiny towns with little
schools, a gas station, and not much else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last ten km was breath-taking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at a historic sight that described a Maori pa—an
settlement that was usually built on a high plateau enclosed on by fences of
sticks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The location made it easy
to defend. This particular pa was home to 2000 Maori at its peak as evidenced
by purple sweet potato pits (gardens) that still exist today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other side was the sight of a
Radar Tower built in 1941 when Pearl Harbor was bombed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New Zealanders realized they could be
next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The radar tower was built to
detect Japanese plans and ships. </div>
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A few miles up the road we arrived at the light house. It
wasn’t readily viewable from the carpark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We walked out on a well-maintained trail and got our first look at the
lighthouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I almost
wanted to run down the path, we stopped frequently to take pictures of the
cliffs, ocean, the lighthouse and even stopped a stranger to take our
picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The breath caught in my
chest when I saw the two oceans meet. Well-kept trails allow experienced hikers
to hike down to the beach below Cape Marie vanDiemen where the original
lighthouse was built in the 1800s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The new lighthouse was erected in 1948ish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today it still functions but is controlled by computer in
the capital of Wellington on the extreme south end of the island!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Standing on that point, watching the
ocean, straining for a view of the three king islands, I was thrilled that we
made the long trek to the Cape Reigna lighthouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (Those pictures come from Jim's camera...I'll try to upload them to Fb.)</span></div>
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Tonight we’re parked at another Holiday park built on the
side of the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll get a
good look at it tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Random thoughts:</div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>We saw turkey! They looked like wild turkeys,
just not sure if they are native.</li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>A cup of coffee is commonly $3.</li>
</ul>
<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Coke is king! Coke, diet coke, sprite and
mountain dew are the drinks of choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We thought Jim discovered gold when he found Pepsi at a petrol station.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>We were told by the girl at the grocery store
that domestic violence is very high in Auckland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked why and she attributed it to gambling.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>It feels like NZ is a young country, founded by
Eurpoeans in the early 1800s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Maori are ancient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t’ know
much about them yet. (Found out that Able Tasmin and French explorer du Seville passed the northern tip of NZ in about 1650...not as young as I thought.)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Kilometers, grams, kg, liters, degrees Celsius
are confusing, I don’t care if they’re a base ten system.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>No matter how many times I say it isn’t, left is
wrong!</li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Looks like it’s a national police department
instead of a locally controlled one…not sure about that.</li>
</ul>
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<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-25741129213178296822012-06-04T13:54:00.002-07:002012-06-04T13:56:45.891-07:00Jet lag is my enemy....Jet lag is my enemy. We were wise the first day in Auckland, staying active and not going to bed until 7:30 p.m. even though we arrived at 6:30 a.m. Jim had not slept since Phoenix. I had about 5 hours of sleep. Now we're two days into travel and I feel like there are a million words to be written and a thousand places to go. So here are the highlights:<br />
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Auckland is beautiful! It looks a lot like southern California--rolling hills, palm trees and the ocean close by. Before I really got the hang of the GPS on my phone (thank you, children, for showing me how to use it!), we drove around in an area that looked a lot like many of the neighborhoods in LA...or Kansas City...or Phoenix. Driving on the left side of the road was a challenge. Not so much for Jim's driving skills, but for my nerves. Stop laughing, Hailey, Chase and Kaitlyn! We found our hotel after seeing a great deal of downtown Auckland (it looks a lot like Montreal: many nationalities represented in faces and stores). The buildings are high rises, the roads are hilly and mixed in between are old brick buildings. And there's water...ocean, bay, more ocean.<br />
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On the recommendation of the butler who served our tea (Yes, tea!! with little sandwhiches, cream puffs and cupcakes with lavender icing), we went for a walk to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. First we explored the little cemetery below our hotel...what a beautiful setting!<br />
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We crossed over a our walk took us to the Auckland Domain-- a beautiful park with rugby fields, a duck pond, walking trails and the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Jim reminded me that it was one of the places he thought he'd like to go when we were reading guide books. He makes good choices. The building itself was gorgeous! The view from the front was the bay, and the contents was great! The first floor was Pacific Islander Culture with a big emphasis on Maori Culture. The second floor was natural history with dinosaurs, local flora and fauna, ocean life, penguins, and volcanoes. By the time we finished the second floor we were running out of steam. So without see the War History floor, we took our leave.<br />
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Back to the hotel with a stop at a coffee shop for dinner. I had mentioned to the hotel staff that we were here on our anniversary. Waiting in our room was a plate of chocolates with "Congratulations" written in chocolate and a basket of fruit.<br />
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Monday morning found us checking out of the hotel and picking up our motor home. The story really begins there, the adventure of driving into the north country...but that's more for next time.<br />
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<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-79666581254932134622012-05-31T20:47:00.001-07:002012-05-31T20:47:32.720-07:00The Journey of a Thousand Miles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The journey of 1,000 miles begins with...a suitcase! It's been packed since Monday. Of course there's a few odds and ends that have to be added before we zip it shut on US soil only to open it up in...drum roll...<br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;">New Zealand!!!</span></b></div>
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Two years ago, Jim and I decided that we'd like to take a big trip for our 25th wedding anniversary. New Zealand quickly emerged as a top choice--who wouldn't love to go there? The scenery is beautiful, the people are kind and welcoming, and best of all who wouldn't want to ride in a GIGANTIC airplane for 13 hours? Ok, so the last one is just a side benefit (?) of traveling across the international date line and over the Pacific Ocean, but we're planning to make the best of it. Between us we have two computers, two digital readers (Nook and Kindle), a Netflix subscription, Sudoku and airplane movies if we're really desperate. </div>
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To be honest, I'm so excited that I can't even think about what to write. Two thoughts are running through my head though: I am so thankful! I'm thankful that my husband is a GREAT saver, I'm thankful that he loves to travel, I'm thankful that we have the time/ability to travel, I'm thankful that even though my kids are adults (another thing for which I'm thankful), there are many loving people who will "look out for them." The second thing I'm thinking about is that I'm really going to miss my kids. Travel's been a big part of our family history. As soon as four weeks after they were born, my kids all went on trips. But this is a new page in our history: my kids stand on their own feet, and Jim and I open a new chapter of our lives. </div>
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Jim summed it up with this text sent at 8:00 p.m. "This time tomorrow - LA!"</div>
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<br /></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-58033645735897041272012-03-03T11:30:00.002-08:002012-03-03T11:43:38.438-08:00Here's to JimAs I've thought about blogging more lately, I wondered if I should change the name or change the focus of my blog. Looking back over old posts it became less and less about teaching and more and more about a spiritual journey. I found a lot of posts about my husband, just brushing the surface of how much he means to me. And I decided that teaching would be much, much harder if not for him. <br /><br />I went back to college twenty years into our marriage. It would have been easy for him to complain about all the things I didn't do any more. Instead he went back to school with me. At first it was because I wanted to student teach overseas and he wanted a way to go with me. (There's a long story there.) It didn't work out that way, but together we made it through bachelor's programs and emerged stronger because of it (another long story). <br /><br />My first year of teaching was horrible. I prayed for a heart attack, I questioned my sanity, I wondered repeatedly if I had done the wrong thing. I survived that year (and subsequent year) because my husband was there every step of the way with me. He was in my classroom fixing and making, he worked at home cutting miles of lamination and building stuff, he kept our home running, our family fed, and our spirits high.<br /><br />This year has been a little different, a little easier. But he's still there. He brings matching shoes, clean clothes, birthday cakes, and flowers to school. He makes sure I'm fed. Because of him, teaching in a tough school is even more possible. Because of him, I have the time and support to become a great teacher. So I've decided that dedicating time about him in my blog about become a teacher is a very natural thing to do. <br /><br />Here's to Jim, my partner in everything.Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-72819292350193194162012-02-15T16:17:00.001-08:002012-02-15T16:32:45.540-08:00He Loves Me This Much...<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChAnM84NGiB0qaej8Cm51Is-SS4DmeUdZpvyZTxn8bCpD86UYND0L6HI8Vos-vW5PweLpURj9hxBrcpINx935iy67eDB03pc7vXcvGDGNSIRiQkIjq9ve7JvuGyRmY3RtU5k0loutXKk/s1600/Arizona+Statehood+Day+Flowers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChAnM84NGiB0qaej8Cm51Is-SS4DmeUdZpvyZTxn8bCpD86UYND0L6HI8Vos-vW5PweLpURj9hxBrcpINx935iy67eDB03pc7vXcvGDGNSIRiQkIjq9ve7JvuGyRmY3RtU5k0loutXKk/s320/Arizona+Statehood+Day+Flowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709521023875302594" border="0" /></a>My husband sends me Arizona Statehood Day flowers. It just so happens that Arizona Statehood Day and Valentine's Day are the same day. When I look at them I think, "Wow! Look how much he loves me." Silly thought! That's the least of how much he loves me. Let me count the ways...<br /><ol><li>He loves me so much, that on the day I wore two different shoes to work, he brought the mates of both shoes and a soda in the middle of his day off. That's how much he loves me.</li><li>He loves me so much that he bought not one but two birthday cakes at Costco for the WHOLE first grade...and he delivered them on his day off. That's how much he loves me.</li><li>He loves me so much that he calls me on my way home to ask how my day was...while he's at work saving lives. That's how much he loves me.</li><li>He loves me so much that when I report that I need to have a minor breakdown about one of the endeavors in my life that often exclude him, he just holds me and lets me cry. That's how much he loves me.<br /></li><li>He loves me so much that when I "jokingly" say, "It's all about me," he says "Yes it is." And he means it. That's how much he loves me.</li><li>He loves me so much that he gets angry if I try to clean house on my day off because it's my only day off. That's how much he loves me.<br /></li></ol><p>My husband is GREAT gift giver. Life for him is simple: take care of his wife and children. I hear how much he loves me every day, but more importantly I SEE how much he loves me in more ways that just a bouquet of flowers. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the roses, the perfect Christmas gifts, the tea pot and cups for my classroom, the books for my students.<br /></p><p>In this season of love and gifts, I'm just thankful that that every day is Valentine's day at my house and that Arizona Statehood Day is an occasion for roses.<br /></p></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-23516470416594977452011-05-09T21:21:00.000-07:002011-05-09T21:23:17.661-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GtAbGGIVYYMvRdTH27eJK-P7dggFjJPpHYYa2R1MffDrG2t6G8gXgEnVJtRLTpx6-klIMNwuaL-phOTBafFnsMY3EHhJbgIRQrJUgLogdzFHrsb4YkL02oVN-H5-n_bU1i2I8pgO4xU/s1600/P1010171.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604938045190236994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GtAbGGIVYYMvRdTH27eJK-P7dggFjJPpHYYa2R1MffDrG2t6G8gXgEnVJtRLTpx6-klIMNwuaL-phOTBafFnsMY3EHhJbgIRQrJUgLogdzFHrsb4YkL02oVN-H5-n_bU1i2I8pgO4xU/s320/P1010171.JPG" /></a> Field Day 2011. This little guy was very afraid of me at the beginning of the year. He asked to have his picture taken with me during lunch. Triumphs are not measured in huge steps, but by the smiles along the way.<br /><br /><div></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-70516231131429694662011-04-22T22:48:00.001-07:002011-04-22T23:05:28.307-07:00CovetingThere is no doubt that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">coveting</span> is bad. It ranks right up there with some of the big sins and I think that is because it makes one <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dissatisfied</span> with their life and the blessings God has given them. However, I hear in my head the scripture that says, "But covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." (1 Corinthians 12:31) I covet wisdom.<br /><br />I am not a wise person. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Daily</span> interactions reinforces that to me. I wish I had the ability to reach into some mental file marked "Wisdom" and pull out the answers that I so desperately need. I found myself today in such a situation where I groped for the wisdom file and there was nothing inside. Frustration! Disappointment! Fear! Was I creating a potential disaster because I was acting without the temperance of wisdom?<br /><br />What I do know is that my lack of wisdom forces me to seek out God and beg for His wisdom to be poured out on me. I would love that blessing to be mine in the form of the words that spring out of my mouth, but in recent situations, wisdom comes from those around me and I am wise enough to listen.<br /><br />I covet wisdom.Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-7476046787666000122011-04-13T21:32:00.000-07:002011-04-13T21:46:33.434-07:00Jumping to ConclusionsIs it a female thing or just a me thing that I jump to conclusions, to the worse case scenario? A friend asked me today, "What's the best case and worse case?" I answered worse case first, with all the gory details and must have talked for five minutes, and then best case which only took one or two minutes to report. Why, why do I choose to live in the frustration and pain of the worse case scenario? Several years ago as my grandmother was dieing and my girl cousins and I kept a night vigil while our moms went home and didn't sleep, I somehow determined that I did not want to live like the Israelites.<strong> </strong>They must have had the WORST memories in all of history. <strong>I</strong> would embrace the blessings, remember them, proclain them; I would not dwell in the desert. In fact over the years I have made it a little of a mantra, "I will not be like the Israelites, I will not be like the Israelites." But my mantra fails in those moments when the worse case scenario looms large. <br /><br />But I'm trying. This time, I chose a new a mantra, "I will trust, and I will not be afraid. I will trust and I will not be afraid." When doubt crept in, I whispered, "I will trust and I will not be afraid." When fear snickered I repeated, "I will trust and I will not be afraid." When scenes rolled behind my closed eyes I spoke, "I will trust and I will not be afraid." <br /><br />I will trust and I will not be not be afraid.Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-79256680901001885612011-02-20T18:39:00.000-08:002011-02-20T18:58:00.387-08:00The Gift of TimeI used to think homemade gifts were <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">cheesy</span>. Not so much the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">afghans</span>, baby sweaters and baby blankets because Granny made those kind of things for me and my children and I think they are beautiful. More like the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">cheesy</span> poetry or worse still....cookies! When I was a full time stay at home mom, cookies were a past time. Need three dozen cookies for school? No problem, I'll just whip up a triple batch. That's three dozen for school, three dozen for the next church event and three dozen for the freezer in case someone drops over. Never, ever would store-bought cookies do as long as I had breath to breath. Cookies were not a gift, they were part of....well, they were part of life, something you had on hand.<br /><br />Even after nearly two years, I still have not learned the art of managing my job and my home. And bake cookies? Haven't you tasted those delicious Lighthouse brand soft sugar cookies with one-half inch of delightful pink frosting? You want to talk bakers, let's talk about those AMAZING <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Keebler</span> Elves! As much as may I yearn for fresh, hot-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, I just don't have the time or the energy to make them.<br /><br />Along comes Valentine's Day. Unlike the past, when money was tight, and Valentine gifts were a bit more creative, this year I could have bought anything I wanted for my four Valentines. I shopped, I looked (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span>, one afternoon in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Kohl's</span>...it's not like I'm good at managing my time), but I just couldn't find anything for Jim and Chase. I decided to bake them cookies. Monday night before they got home, I whipped up a 1.5 batch...just couldn't see myself staying awake until with a full double batch was baked. A <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">triple</span> batch? I'd still be baking today! I mixed and baked, and finally packaged my simple homemade gift. I was tired. I'd had a long day on my feet at school, and standing on the tile in my kitchen makes my legs ache a bit more. But the gift of cookies felt so much more significant to me than ever before because I gave up an evening of reading my book, or grading papers, or watching TV, or planning for next week, so that I could bake cookies for my family.<br /><br />I am a selfish person. It would have been so easy to give my men something I bought plopped <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">in a</span> cute little gift bag that I could reuse. But this year I gave the gift of time. I'm thankful I have it to give.<br /><br />P.S. Chase says that the cookies were amazing.Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-62918427111466212882011-01-29T14:46:00.000-08:002011-01-29T15:04:56.197-08:00Thinking out loudI know God puts people in our lives...and in turn places us in the lives of others so that we can shine the light of his Son and stand as a witness. I work with a teacher who talks to God often and personally. What is so cool, is that he listens and speaks to her. She recently told me about an experience in which she was praying for a student and how best to help him. During the night, the Lord spoke to her and told her exactly what to do...and she did what he told her to do. I was impressed that this student was given into her care because she would lift him up to God and I told her that. Lucky kid, to have a prayer warrior for a teacher.<br /><br />I realized how much I love those kind of conversations. Talking about God and his goodness and his blessings to his children. I crave them, much like I crave a good salad without even knowing it. When I finally get around to having salad, I realize how much I missed it on my steady diet of fast and convenient food. My teacher friend reminded me of my obligation to pray for my students and in turn that reminded me of the opportunity of have to pray for my loved ones.<br /><br />I have a heritage of Godly women with deep connections to the Almighty. Both of my grandmothers were prayer warriors. Each met a different kind of end to this life, but one for which they had been prepared. My paternal grandmother feared the process of death, but passionately yearned for the eternity. So she prayed frequently that her passing would be easy. God answered her prayers, surrounding her with family, and taking her quietly in the night. My mom's mom told me that she'd had a dream in which she died and was met by her family. They asked, "How was your passing, Glady?" "Terrible," she told them, "but if I'd known what was waiting for me, I'd do it again." She suffered a first terrible, debilitating stroke, and then a second four months later. She languished for seven days in which my aunts had to make tough, heart-rendering decisions. Even at that, we all knew what waited for her. When she passed away, there was no question of who met her and what joy she knew. Both grandmothers passed their love of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ to their children. Both lived a life that exemplified their deep and abiding love of God and His son.<br /><br />So, surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, what slows down my walk with God? I think it is that slow, steady diet of not-so-bad stuff that dulls me to the need for sustenance; real, nutritious, sustenance. And that, I believe, is why the scriptures talk about the need for the last days to be shortened or even the very elect will not be saved. The convenience of this life lulls us into passivity. The pace of our lives exhausts us and feeds the need for convenience. A vicious cycle.<br /><br />I am thankful for the righteous people God puts in my life.Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-42543768073331602572010-06-08T14:40:00.000-07:002010-06-08T14:47:25.699-07:00Where NOT to go...I look forward to pedicures in the spring and summer. During the winter my feet are hidden and really don't need the attention. But sandals demand smooth heels and painted toes. Since I only go about once every six to eight weeks I'm will to pay what I need to for this little luxery. For my last pedi, I went to the Super Wal-Mart (first clue) near John and Deb's house. They were packed! I got all the horrible skin scraped from my feet, a gently leg massage and cute pink toes for under $30.<br /><br />Today was pedi day in preparation for the big summer vacation. Hailey and I hit two places that were either packed or closed. So we headed to Wal-Mart which was open and had little waiting. Once we sat in the chair, the badgering began. They had changed their prices and so calous removal was extra. They kept pushing "sugar rub...you like for smooth skin on leg." Fine, I'll take the sugar rub, but before I could pick my herbal scent, they yanked the book out of my hands and began the torture. Let's just say that while my feet are smooth, heels free from calouses and toes a lovely, glittery red, I am NOT relaxed.<br /><br />Lesson? Stick with our favorite spot close to church, get the same service for 2/3 the price, and take a good book!<br /><br />On a side note, we came home to Jim and Chase jackhammering the laundry room floor. The good news is they found the leak before we left. The bad news is...well, it doesn't feel too bad today. That feels good to not to see a bad side to concrete dust flying through my house, the washer and dryer sitting in the kitchen. Thank you God, for good days.Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081826550681378788.post-75059816003623326592010-05-31T09:13:00.001-07:002010-05-31T09:17:05.449-07:00Things I'm looking forward to this summer...1. Writing five new Women of the Bible Lessons for camp.<br /><br />2. CAMP!! Missed it last year, but I'll be there this year.<br /><br />3. North Carolina<br /><br />4. Coffee at Starbucks (no time for that during the school year)<br /><br />5. Sleeping past 6 a.m.<br /><br />6. Going to bed after 10 p.m.<br /><br />7. Summer reunions...as many as we can get to.<br /><br />8. Swimming...I don't know why, but swimming just sounds really appealing right now.<br /><br />9. Kissing baby Asher. I have cold right now, so that has to wait for a while.<br /><br />10. Getting ready for next school year (I dreamed all morning about teaching. Something is sooooooo wrong with me!).Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677036876226891037noreply@blogger.com3