Off to China

Watch this space as Terry and Geoff head off to Xiantao, China for a week at the end of April. We are helping John Simpson recruit students for a BC Education Offshore school. Should be fun!

Departure

(Ed. note: Due to the overwhelming response, Terry presents her final blog from New Zealand (see photo below), but fear not - we still have a couple more days in Lake Havasu and then a week in Hemet!)
Took our time this morning, packing and repacking things to fit into our two suitcases, then hit the road. We are in agreement that Thames is not worth a visit or comment.
Geoff got us on the scenic route to Auckland, through farm country and coastal villages; we arrived easily by 1:00pm, with lots of time to spare. The fellow who checked our car back to the return was working the tip pretty hard, asked if we had seen a kiwi bird on our stay; we answered in the negative, so he shared a little lore with us. It seems that the best place to see kiwis is on the third NZ island, Stewart Island, off the southern tip. The whole island is a protected reserve for kiwis and other creatures. The kiwis have very strong legs that they stamp as they walk, a method that communicates not only their presence to other kiwis but also indicates their identity and status. When two kiwis paths' cross, one will defer to the higher status of the other. We already knew that kiwis lay eggs that are almost equal to the size of the bird! I wouldn't want any part of THAT miracle of childbirth! He also told us that at some reserves they are trying to breed out the kiwis nocturnal behaviour--I guess it's easier to help them during the day.

Onward to the airport. We are currently sitting next to the NZ Maori art, one of the ways that we Caucasians pay homage to the original people of our countries. A Bill Reid sculpture it isn't. Seems to be some sort of stylized silver fern with Maori emblems of myth scanning the surface. Can I say Yuck? It is truly awful. Oh wait, it's changing colours and a large bird is surfacing! Like I said.

A few years back I had an exchange to NZ organized, which subsequently fell apart. I spent a bit of time reading websites to get a sense of the cultural education expectations, which seemed at the time quite extensive. When I asked Gina about them though, it turns out that they are quite easily met. First, the Maori must be acknowledged as a people. Then, schools have a choice of how to meld some Maori content into the curricula. It can be as simple as teaching Maori dance and songs or art, or history, depending on the level. It's not far off of what we do. Not sure if courses are offered in the upper grades but it seems likely. Considering the size of the country, we have probably seen examples of problems similar to what we would see across Canada, ie, some tribes are doing well and are self-sufficient, others are on reserves and have not moved on to independence. Proving nothing I guess except that people and problems are the same everywhere.
A long flight awaits us. We are in the air for 12 hours to LA, then a brief lay-over till we fly back to Phoenix. I feel confident I will get some sleep on the plane as I'm tired already. Looking forward to being back in the northern hemisphere but also sad about leaving this country. But who knows, we both loved it so much we may very well be back.

The last fabulous days

Drove from cold, wet Napier to sunny, warm Tauranga. A bit disappointing but okay. We had lunch outdoors and a lovely walk along the water--enough said. Headed off yesterday (Monday here) to Whangamata where we played a round of golf (the front greens were being punched so played the back twice, got a deal) and stayed in a B and B homestay, which really means that you have your own room and bath and share the "living rooms" with the hosts. We went out for Indian, which was great, and had a good look around the locale and beaches, then headed back to crash and I do mean crash - the night before we had almost no sleep. Geoff turned off his Ipad at 7:30 pm and went directly to sleep. I managed to stay alert until 7:45. We both slept until almost 8:00am. Obviously we needed a bit of a catch up! Our host, Peter, rustled up the usual cereal, yoghurt, toast and scrambled eggs (Ed. note: Thought he somewhat reluctantly offered the eggs), then we headed off.

Drove north on the Coromandel Peninsula to the Hot Beach, north of Whangamata. What fun! There are underground thermal springs that heat up portions of the beach. People dig little pools to sit in and enjoy the relaxation. Quite funny to look at them, digging away.(Ed. note: looked like wayyyy too much work to me) It was a blowy day but we could feel the heat below once we dug in our feet up to our ankles. We hung out for an hour or so then drove on to Whatiangi where we played the most fun course of our trip. (Ed. note: does not mean the best round) We thoroughly enjoyed Mercury Bay! Met an Anglo-Quebec who told us he and his wife had been coming there for 8 years, rented a house and paid $400 for 4 months of unlimited golf! Really?! Enticing!(Ed. note: A few years ago someone wrote a book about the 18 worst golf holes in NZ and the 5th hole here was #1 - a par 5 shaped exactly like a U - I birdied it and Terry parred!!)

After our fun on the greens, Geoff had an ice cold Speight's while I had water. The driver has to take it safe, especially on the curly-Q roads of NZ coastlines. At 4:00pm we headed north for our final destination of Thames via the Town of Coromandel. We passed through numerous bergs on the way and were, as usual, blown away by the beauty of this country.  It is astonishing that so few people live in these fabulous places. As we drew closer to Coromandel, the beauty increased. I don't think it is likely that there are many places more beautiful. We were breathless as we approached from the hills above the town. Spectacular - but then, we have said that about so much of NZ!

The rest of the trip to Thames was alongside the ocean (Ed. note: and we mean right along the ocean). Very narrow roads, so the driver had to be attentive, but the ocean itself was fantastic and we were stunned by the amount of unspoiled waterfront. Truly amazing that it is not yet developed but it cannot last forever, we think.

Finally around 6:00 we arrive in Thames and search for a motel. In the end, we choose one that is not great but are too hungry to play around any longer. We sign in then head off immediately to eat, an impulse that cannot be ignored.; We head to the center of town to Gastronomics, which is first class hyperbole but the food was pretty good, especially the calamari which was NOT deep fried (halleluah!)(Ed. note: and the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc).

Tomorrow, we fly out at 7:00pm so we have a whole lot of time to kill between here and the airport. We have a few places to stop on the way out and have to check in by 4:00, so will have a relaxing day. I suspect we may have fun before we board the plane as Geoff has moved a half bottle of red to a water bottle in order to consume at the airport! Well, it has been a grand trip, well worth the long flight. We have been so happy to see my relatives and thoroughly enjoyed every minute with them. It's been an educational trip as well; so much info on earthquakes and volcanoes, geography, and flora and fauna. The plant life here is superb! I have been fascinated--today spotted giant impatiens the size of rhodos! The kauri and rata trees; the national emblem, the silver ferns; cabbage trees; the plethora of succulents--they are all wonderful! I have thought and said many times, I don't know if one could find a more beautiful place than this. It is truly spectacular and we love it. (Ed. note: the most disappointing thing is that the photos do not do justice to how truly spectacular (have we overused this word?) this country is. As beautiful as Canada is, this may be moreso - or perhaps because it is so small you see it all in a short period of time.)

I take it all back…

The morning after writing the last blog, our B & B host, Robert MacGregor, talked about how inconsiderate the NZ driver is, especially in contrast to American (!) drivers. Really. Apparently, he and we have had different experiences. We stand by our view, that Kiwis will pull over if they are holding up traffic, will let you in to merge “like a zip” and are overall, considerate. They are not great with pedestrians, though; it is every man for himself, even in marked cross-walks.

Robert MacGregor (owner of this view) was the visionary behind the Napier Art Deco weekend, to which the revival of the city is given credit. He is self-effacing (Ed. note: Perhaps a bit overly done?) in this matter, however, and insists that there were a group of people who started a trust 25 years ago to preserve the Art Deco buildings and make Napier a destination for aficionados around the world. We took the 2 hour walking tour and learned a whole lot about the history of Napier: in 1931, there was a massive earthquake in the city. Not only did vast numbers of brick buildings fall, fire razed most of the remaining ones made of wood. More significantly, the ground under a huge lagoon raised 2 meters, causing the lagoon to drain into the sea. One day the lagoon was swarming with sailboats and people enjoying a regatta; the next, it was dry land. Quite amazing and hard to fathom. Anyway, the city fathers decided that they needed to rebuild Napier, even though they were feeling the pinch of the worldwide depression. They built in the style of the day: art deco.

In the mid 80’s, the counsel began to permit the destruction of some of these buildings. A man from the British Museum was in town and mentioned to Robert that they were crazy to destroy them, thus planting the seed of the idea to convince the town’s people to preserve their heritage and make money by doing it, through tourism. It has been a huge success; this year was the 24th year of the Art Deco weekend. Think Gatsby, costumes, classic cars from the era, picnics, dances, seeing and being seen. Apparently, if you don’t get into costume, you stand out like a sore thumb, and the costume rental business has become big. Learning all of this would have been more fun if it wasn’t blowing about 50 mph and raining sideways! I was so cold I could hardly stand it!

We went for a wine tasting at the wine tasting centre. You start with a tour of the aroma room - there are 54 different aromas - in each of the red and white rooms. (You choose one or the either). After that you watch a video which has 6 winemakers talking about their wine and as they talk you have a sample of the wine. All this for $29.00 a person - and you don't have to drive from winery to winery. There is an amazing story about these doors in the centre - ask us about it when we get back!

More about Robert…which is mostly what he liked. He asked us not one question about us, not one. The first morning over breakfast, I still thought that a conversation was under way. As one might, when there was a pause, I opened my mouth to add something and he lifted his index finger, pointed it at me, and continued talking. Repeatedly. I soon learned that I was not truly a participant, as did Geoff. We got to throw out a question or two but after that, we listened. It was okay but we wouldn’t want a steady diet of it—come on, it’s us! We had a few things to share, too! Ah well.

We are getting closer to the end of our trip and as usual when we are this close to going home, we get restless and a little tired of travel. Hit the road and drove to Tauranga, a destination chosen because someone told us it is spectacular in this part of the country. The scenery was, as usual, spectacular but we have to say that the town is a little down-in-the-heels and a touch depressing. We decided to eat in our motel room (Ed. note: Dinner - Wine, Roast chicken and antipasto) and head out in the morning. Next stop: Coromandel Peninsula. We’re going to golf the next two days, then stay in Thames, an hour drive to the airport on Wednesday.

I’ve been thinking about the Maoris this whole trip, trying to understand where they fit in to this society and if their situation is much different than that of our First Nations people, if the Kiwis had somehow better managed the situation. It appears not, although there is less poverty. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed by the various tribal chiefs in 1841, when the Brits began to colonize the country. The arrangement was that Maoris would get the protection of the British and access to the goods they provided, and be allowed to keep their own lands. However, the Brits were to have the first opportunity to purchase any land, should a native wish to sell. In actual practice, land was never sold, so they didn’t see a threat to their life style, and probably had no idea how many white men might arrive and encroach on their territory and lifestyle. A major problem was that the treaty was written in a rush and had to be translated overnight. There are major differences between the two, not the least of which is the proviso that the Brits could take land as needed by the crown. Needless to say, there is some bitterness!

FYI, the term Maori did not exist prior to the Brits arriving. They were a country of tribes, often warring with each other, sometimes cannabalizing each other. They had no written language, but the missionaries helped produce one — a long story that we learned about in Russell in the north of the country. There were no mammals here prior to the white men bringing them, so the native diet was pretty bland: lots of kumara (yams) and birds and fish.

(Ed. note: It appears that the blogger is running out of steam about our daily activities and is becoming more philosophical about things. I offer my apologies for this. I have thought of offering to do some of the writing, but the I think the blogger would feel that her contributions are more appropriate and interesting.)

Championship Sheep Shearing - say that fast 3 times!

In spite of the great room, we both had a sketchy night sleep and so were less than energetic heading in to Nelson. Our first stop was WOW, museum of wearable arts and classic cars. Really. A strange concept, it seemed to us. We weren’t too chuffed with the wearable art but the cars were fantastic. The giant finned caddies of the 50’s were my favorites but every vehicle in the place was immaculate and in perfect condition, with some interesting pedigrees, like the Caddie owned by a film director who drove it for years as his only car. When he died, his wife kept it in storage for 20 years until selling it to a collector.

Downtown, food perked us up a bit, then we took in the local sites, did a bit of shopping, then hiked up a “mountain” to the centre of New Zealand (see picture). Had some fun taking pictures of a couple of old girls who had forgotten their cameras. Geoff sent them via email so they would have proof that they had actually been there.

Left the south island on a rough sea crossing to Wellington. The swells were more than I like to see looking out a ferry window but we made it safely. Miles of twisting roads on the edge of precipices brought us to the town of Greytown. Our destination was Masterton but because of aforementioned sheep shearing finals, all rooms were booked, so Greytown is where we stayed. Instead of a place as dismal as the name suggests, we found the town to be lovely, well kept and amply supplied with good places to eat and stay. We had a fantastic meal at Wakelin House (click to see the menu) and engaged the proprietor in a chat that soon had me asking if we had fallen into a Monty Python skit. It turns out he was a transplanted Brit who came to NZ for the love of a woman, and took over this heritage home transformed into an upscale restaurant. We had the best meal of our trip; Geoff had alpaca (yes, alpaca), I had gurnard—the fish of the day. We were at that point fully immersed in wine country so all aspects of the meal were great! (Ed. note: Especially the fantastic bottle of Hudson Pinot Noir – I’m sure you would spend $40-$50 on it in a BC liquor store – it was $39 NZ ($33 Cdn) in the restaurant.)

We followed up today with a full day: took in a half hour of the Golden Shears World Championship Sheep Shearing event in Masterton, (Ed. note: The shearer in the photo is Pauline Bolay from Canada - she won her heat) then travelled an hour and a half down the road to Dunneverke and played golf at the local course. Cheap, cheerful and fun! Another hour and a half and we were in Napier in Hawkes Bay. Geoff easily navigated us through many narrow and circuitous roadways to our B & B, A Room With A View (Ed note: click on the name to see the B and B.). What a view it is! Windows on two sides show us the harbour and half the town, very cozy and nice. Unfortunately, we our once again experiencing terrible weather. Everyone has commented on what a terrible summer it has been, although we have been lucky in that often the worst of it has fallen at night. Tonight, for instance, it is raining buckets. The forecast is grim, though, so it is probable that our entire site-seeing adventure tomorrow will be shrouded in cloud. If the rain is only dripping and not blowing sideways, we will be happy. Napier bills itself as the Art Deco capital of the world. We will see what that is about tomorrow.

So, we have tried many NZ specialties: whitebait fritters, muscle fritters, Blue cod fish and chips, mashed kumera (like yams), green-lipped muscles, lamb pie, lamb liver, leg of lamb roast, lamb chops, and Tip Top ice cream. Lots of Tip Top ice cream (Ed. note: Not nearly enough). Lots of sauvignon blanc, merlot and pinot noir. Went to Speight’s Ale House tonight (Speight’s is the oldest brewery in NZ) and had some good beer as well.

Things we have observed about Kiwis: they seem to be a law-abiding folk. We haven’t witnessed any examples of road rage except for the woman who was a little choked with me when I accidentally cut her off, and we notice that they obey the speed limit. If anything, they seem to drive under the speed limit. All the highways have various signs against drinking and driving but also about resting, driving fresh and not taking chances, and people seem to take it to heart. Kiwis also seem to us to get as involved with us as we want. If we are friendly, they are friendly but they won’t intrude into a conversation or impose themselves in any way. Also, they do not like Aussies. Not exactly sure why but we have picked up a few negative comments here and there. Back-packing is huge here; so is anything done in the outdoors. We’ve tried to appreciate the cyclists who we’ve seen on some lonely stretch of road with miles between any place to stay—it just doesn’t look like that much fun. Can’t you just hear it—“It’ll be great! We’ll cycle along the ocean for most of it, camp on the beach; it’ll be romantic!” It seems like a great idea until the rain sets in, then you’d never convince me that they are having anything like fun. Still, we’ve seen lots and lots of cyclists in places I’d be peddling just to get out of! Possibly, we are just too old and cranky.

Hokatika

Stayed the night in this coastal berg. Rose early, headed out to the local course to play golf. When we arrived, the place looked desolate: club house dark, no cars in the park, no one to be seen. Then, we both spotted a man inside the building walk to the front door from the inside and throw the deadbolt! How welcoming was that! Undeterred, Geoff caught up with him at the side of the building. “When do they open?” he asked. “They don’t,” was the terse reply. “Put your money in the honour box.” What about trundlers? “They’re around the back,” and off he went to cut the fairways. We deposited our $20 for the round plus $5 each for the carts and off we went.

We were the only ones on the course until about half finished our round, at which point, a foursome appeared in front of us, having started on the back 9. Hokatika is a “links style” course, loosely meaning “on the sea.” Every fairway is awash in grass-covered dunes. We played alongside the Tasman Sea; we could hear it but see it only occasionally. Interesting to play without any guidance: the holes were laid out diagonallyas well as crossing over each other – two holes said “Wait until the nth green is clear before teeing off.”. We had to guess where we were going for the first nine. After that, we more or less had it figured. It’s one of those places that you’d like to play again once you know it better.

Geoff spoils me. (Ed. note: Yes he does!) He booked the motel in Hokatika, making sure that they had Sky TV, which enabled me to watch the Academy Awards on Monday afternoon. This may sound silly to some but I never miss it, and cancel our standard Sunday dinner with my boys to watch. I always tell them they are welcome to come over but I will not be interrupted! What a disappointment this year. Bill Crystal provided a few smiles but no great laughs. No one was outrageous in any way. Oh how I miss Cher! No great surprises, except the number of awards Hugo won. Sam and I saw it and both of us thought it was interesting to watch; there was a lot to it but I wouldn’t have guessed it would win so much. I love Meryl Streep and her reaction was good—“Really? Her again?” But she is always happy to accept the award. Nice tribute too to her husband and hairdresser! Still, I was really hoping that Michelle Williams would win for Marilyn. I think she is great. What do I know?

Today, we drove up the scenic coastal highway and were once again amazed at the beauty that is New Zealand. Especially interesting were the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, a fantastic example of erosion on limestone and mudstone rock formations. The national park has done a fabulous job of laying out the pathways and viewing sites in this spot. (Ed. note: Check out the photos in the album "From Hokatika to Nelson" - they really are amazing.) We spent more than the stated 20 minutes to do the park.(Ed. note: We were also interested in some of the road we travelled. Here we share a bridge with IN USE train tracks.)

We turned inland at some point and drove through clear-cut areas that were not very pretty and got ripped off for lunch in a little town called Murchison. The food wasn’t bad, just overpriced, as we found most of the spots on the tourist map. I only scared Geoff once with my driving. It can happen in NZ as they don’t use the lines in the middle of the road to offer any strong guidance. In fact, in most areas, you use the dotted lines as signals to pass at your peril. Seriously, up hills, on blind corners, around bends and into on-coming traffic, the dotted lines persist. So, I passed a logging truck—I had enough time to get by him but I can see that a passenger might be nervous! (Ed. note: NERVOUS?? After she passed I muttered F%^&ing idiot!" - and meant it)

Finally, we approached Nelson, our destination. It was not to be, as I screwed up booking the motel. Where would you expect to be if you were googling Nelson NZ accommodation? Geoff was very gracious when we ended up in Stoke, a suburb about 15 minutes out of town. He tried to cancel but Bookings.com brooks no cancellations. The good news was that we had been upgraded to a spa suite instead of a studio. It will be the first night in a king bed since we left home! The spa tub is none too shabby either.

We hoofed it about 8 blocks to The Honest Lawyer pub and had a spectacular meal, needlessly huge and immensely satisfying. We walked back in the rain and are hoping that tomorrow the skies clear so that we may enjoy our walk around Nelson. If we have to get wet, oh well.

As we ate dinner tonight, we were surrounded by tourists: a couple of visiting New Zealanders and a whole table full of Germans, on some kind of group tour, who looked like they had broken free for the evening. We tried to start up a chat with the nearest table but it was difficult. Our waitress had an eastern European accent, came from Czech Republic, so we wondered if we had chosen the wrong spot? On the other hand, it’s a Tuesday night and probably not the biggest evening out for most folk. Back to our spa suite for a quiet rest. Only one more day on the south island before the return crossing from Picton to Wellington. We will enjoy our last day here.

Farewell, Mosgiel and Dunedin.

Time to catch up! Our last day in Mosgiel saw torrential rain so no last golf game but we did have lunch with Bruce, on the water in Dunedin, surf pounding in the storm. Very nice! We said goodbye with a promise from Bruce that we would see him again. We hope to see all our cousins again, possibly in Canada or back in NZ.

On Friday, Lydia, Geoff and I drove to Wanaka in “Central” NZ, to her holiday home. Fantastic place, very roomy, modern and lovely. Cath and Karl joined us in time for Cath and Geoff to cook us dinner: lamb’s liver and bacon!

Interesting that they hit on this topic at dinner earlier in the week. Karl’s cousin Pieter and his wife Karen joined us for the weekend after dinner.

The next day, the three of us jumped in the car again and headed to Arrowtown and Queenstown. We crossed the Crown Range with the most spectacular vistas! Amazing.

My aunt and uncle lived in Arrowtown for many years after their kids left home; my mom and dad stayed with them there and golfed at the course reached by walking through their back hedge. We drove into the yard of their old house, but it was a little sad; the garden was seriously overgrown and made the place look rundown and unloved. Quite the opposite had been true as my uncle had planted and carefully tended rows of trees running along both sides of the drive, as well as extensive gardens.

Arrowtown exists as a result of the gold rush; what is left are heritage buildings and store fronts housing wool and souvenir shops, lovely cafes and a bakery specializing in meat pies. At 11:00 am, people were lined up out the store and across the sidewalk to get in. According to a local, selling meat pies is a license to print money in NZ. Seems the Kiwis are mad about them! We abstained.

Next stop Queenstown. It’s a less hip, less expensive Whistler, ski hill overlooking the village and lake, lots of young people lounging on the green space listening to the afternoon entertainers alongside crafts people selling their wares. We stopped for a coffee and ice cream, bought some souvenirs, had a good look around, then headed to the Bungy centre to have a look.

Geoff gave it lots of thought but in the end, decided against it. I wouldn’t even consider jumping; way too scary!

We returned to Wanaka in time for happy hour and dinner—Cath prepared a fabulous roast leg of lamb, with loads of veggies; Karen made a pavlova for dessert. Fantastic! Later in the evening, Karl and Pieter showed us the Southern Cross in the evening sky. Perfect end to a perfect day.

This morning, it was time to leave. Lydia and I walked out and cried together; so hard to say goodbye, especially knowing that we might not see each other again. For both of us, my mom was right there with us. I am so glad we came to New Zealand!

Today we drove to Hokatiki on the west coast of the south island. Sadly, the rain set it as we cruised past the end of 30 mile long Lake Wanaka so we missed any fabulous scenery we might have seen by the Fox or Frans Joseph glaciers. Holed up in the motel room tonight but off to golf in the morning and then back to watch the Academy Awards!