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.