South Island

My favorite part of the trip was this little pig. I really fell in love with him. His name is Herman and is 14 weeks old. He is a Kunekune pig, related to the potbelly and a descendant of the pigs the Polynesians brought with them when traveling. Maybe its because he is the same size as my bulldog and snorts and grunts just like her. Or maybe it's because he comes running when he sees you, and rolls on to his back when you scratch his belly. I don't know. But I do know that I really want a pig now. He lives at Kelcey's Bush in Waimate. It's run by an older couple who bought the property about 15 years ago. They planted trees, put in some baches (like a little studio, or ohana) and set up a petting zoo. Waimate is the only place in New Zealand where there are wild wallabies. They were introduced a long time ago and are now considered a pest. The Ironic thing was that the man who owns the holiday park and raises baby wallabies, once killed them for a living. As he bottle fed a little one who's mother was shot by a hunter, he told us this. I thought to myself, darn! I wish I brought my tape recorder. He sounded like such an interesting character. Later he came over to chat for a while. And as it turns out, I was right. He has lead quite an interesting life. For the past several years he has been going to Thailand to train as a Mahout. This is someone who trains elephants! Wow. Anyway, this place felt good and was definitely the highlight of my trip, aside from petting eels....

The first place we stayed was Hokitika, a small beach town on the west coast. We traveled with our dogs, so everything we did depended on if they could come, if they were tired enough to stay in the car, and if it wasn't too hot for them to stay in the car. While there, we did a little night walk and saw a grotto with glow worms. There were so many of them that it looked like the stars in the sky. I saw a sign for a place where you could feed fresh water eels. We went in the morning and it was so awesome. They are huge, like 3 meters long. There were about 30 of them in a tank and they were all between 80 and 100 years old. As it turned out they can't see very well, but they knew when it was time to eat. Morgan and I got to kneel down and feed them little strips of meat. It was funny how they wiggled around like a baby bird, trying to find the food dangling above them. I asked if I could pet one. They said sure. So I got my hand wet and went for one of their bellies. Just then and employee grabbed my hand and pulled it out of the water. One of the eels was sneaking up to bite me. I tried it again, this time in a better position to see all of the eels. They are of course slimy and squishy, like a Sea Cucumber. Very Cool.

We had Christmas in Queenstown with a few friends who were also there for the Holiday. Ee rode a gondola to the top of a mountain to look out on the city. It was really beautiful with amazingly rugged and steep mountains, and a lake down in the middle of the valley. Over all though, unless you were bungi jumping, sky diving, or river rafting, there wasn't too much going on. It was a very transient place filled with young people from all over the world. In fact, I think we only talked to one Kiwi the whole time we were there. Anyway, we wanted to do something really special for Christmas. So we rode the Luge. They are like these little go-carts that just roll down the mountain. It was really fun. We raced each other and caused a little trouble. After a few days there, we and our friends said goodbye and went our separate ways.

The West Coast of the South Island is the most unique. The lush Native Forrest is everywhere, and swollen rivers and waterfalls are constantly changing the landscape. We saw the Fox Glacier and the Fanz Joseph Glacier. Unfortunately we couldn't walk on them. The trails were closed due to flooding the day before. But they were magnificent. They looked like clouds got stuck on the mountains and just froze there.

We also stayed in Kaikoura, which is like San Luis Obispo California in the 1950's. I really fell in love with that place. I think it was because it reminded me of home, but more peaceful and fewer people.

Christchurch was a neat place. Morgan looked up dog parks in the area and found and awesome one. It was all fenced off with two agility courses and a river running down the middle. Miles chased other dogs while Tobi swam in the river. Earlier that day we took them to a lake where we all swam around too. Since it rained the next day, and the dogs were good and tired, we went to the Canterbury museum and botanical gardens. It was a great museum. The exhibits were really interesting and easy to follow. And everything was set up Chronologically, from the first Polynesians who settled in New Zealand to modern day.

It was such and amazing trip. The best part of it was to be able to be with Morgan all the time. I love being with him. We really needed this little vacation, away from work, computers, and responsibility, so that we could really enjoy all the blessings that God has given us.

Post Card Home

The other day a friend came over to do arty stuff. I served her a cup of tea, showed her our chickens and brought in some eggs, and when Morgan came home, gave her some home made ice cream. She looked at us and said, "You two are so domestic." A few years ago that comment might have been offensive. But today it feels good. My dad has said it a few times. He will call when I am making curtains, painting, or planting something. The thing is, its the house. Its just so lovely that all I want to do is be in or around it. Its perfect for making messes. The old hardwood floors with little worm holes carved into them will never look bad. The back yard is big and wild. I just looked out, and there is our perfect white duck cleaning himself by the pond, and our cat stalking something in the grass. The dogs are asleep in the bay window and all I can hear is the tick of the kitchen clock. Its like a hand painted post card from 1910, but with all the modern amenities. My studio is filled with Canvas and fabrics. The ocean air makes me think back to when I was little and living in Pismo. This is the first place I have ever lived where I have been able to keep plants, (other than succulents) alive. Sometimes I want to walk across the street just to dig my fingers into the sand and feel what it is like to be home.

Here Comes the Sun

Its finnally getting nice again. Actually since my Birthday, September 1, the weather has really improved. There have still been a few really cold days. But at least the sun is taking its time now. Everyone around the house is happy about it. The dogs have been lounging around, and even Nina the kitty is trying to cuddle right up to them to get her vitamin D. Our chickens are laying nearly every day too. We have had a hard time keeping animals out of this area in this one. Our chickens went into the neighbor's yard and took dust baths in his potted plants. It was bad. So we put up a pretty good fence and blocked off their little path that we found. We finally got our fence in good enough condition so that Miles can't jump it and go party with the neighbors. We still keep him inside when we are gone though. If he really wanted to, he could escape.
Tobi is still doing great. In fact, it is going to be her birthday tomorrow! she is turning five years old. I can't believe she is that old. She is still very sweet, and for a bulldog pretty spry. We took the dogs to obedience school and they both graduated to second grade. I think Morgan is going to keep going with Miles. But I don't really think Tobi needs to. And the classes are on Sunday, so I haven't been able to go to church in a while.
I have a great job now, teaching swim lessons. The kids are a lot of fun. I had one class filled with little people that have been in the same level for about a year. My boss made it free for them. It was the last attempt to get them passed up. The class was five days long, 30 minutes a day. They were all high energy kids that got easily distracted. So I made them swim like crazy. At the end of the week, they all passed up to the next level. It was awesome.
I applied to Victoria University of Wellington for the teaching program. I hope I get selected. I made it to round two of the application process. The next step is to get together with other applicants to talk about issues and see how well we communicate. This doesn't happen until December 15. Sounds like fun. Well that is all. Hopefully I will write again soon. Probably not though.

A Show!

Guess what.... I hung my paintings at a little cafe today. I brought in about six. Now for the first time they are on display in a public place. wow! its very exciting. Thanks Carol for being so inspiring and encouraging. Thanks Morgan for being so supportive and loving. Thanks Grandma for taking up painting and just going for it. Also thanks for setting up your table and chairs and staying up late with me to paint. Thanks Momma for telling me I could do it. And thanks Daddy for making me an easel and buying me some paints when I was in third grade! Thanks God for putting it inside of me to so badly want to create. Yay! This is a cheesy post. But I love you guys.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

We had a great little anniversary. Two years today, or yesterday depending if you are in the United States or New Zealand. We celebrated both days since we weren't sure which one counted. Yesterday we walked to town and had a nice breakfast. Then we walked all the way home along the beach with our dog Miles. Tobi couldn't make such a long walk. It was supposed to rain. But it was sunny all weekend. Then we saw a movie. I had to do a performance that night. So the celebration continued next day. We took Miles to obedience school. That was fun. Miles was one of the most well behaved dogs to my surprise. Then we drove around the bay to a place called Muritai. You can see this long beach with cliffs and two light houses across the Channel from us. I have always wanted to go check it out. So we hiked out to the light houses. One of them was the oldest permanent light house in New Zealand. It was built in 1859 on top of this rugged cliff all exposed to the crazy Wellington weather. The first guy to man the lighthouse brought his family. He drowned shortly after arriving and his wife took over. She was the first and only female lighthouse keeper in New Zealand. We saw where their house once was. And they had lost one of their babies. We saw the grave sight. They had a little commune up there with cows, chickens, and eventually a school house. Then we made a little loop down to a lake and around a cliff, back to the beach. We saw wild sheep and goats. Well, I'm sure the sheep had owners. But they still looked pretty wild. The whole thing was so beautiful. Every day we look out the window and see this place across the bay. I'm so glad we finally explored it. It was about a four hour hike. Then we came home and got takeaway Thai food, and made banana splits. Woo Hoo for marriage!

Sleepy Mermaid

Animals

I know I haven't written in a really long time. A lot has happened since. The biggest news was that Emilia came for a week to visit. I was so happy to see her. Sometimes this place feels so far away. And even though I have been making lots of great friends, and keeping busy, I still long for family and the familiar. So it was great having her. We didn't make it very far. But we did explore all the trails and beaches nearby. Morgan and I have only done a little bit of that because he works until dark. So we don't have too much time for it, except on the weekends. We walked every day, finding new little beaches and collecting shells and dried out seaweed to make things out of. It was so peaceful. We just got a puppy a few weeks before she came. He is a Whippet named Miles. I have had my hands full with him. And it rained for about two weeks straight before she came. So I was a little down from the weather and cleaning up puppy messes. It hailed when she was here, a few times. I had no idea it did that here. But we still made it out every day. Then we would come back and sift through our little treasures and make little sculptures out of them. Emilia set out to learn how to bind a book while she was here. It turned out beautifully. So it was a lot of fun, and very relaxing. We had a little burrito party. Cat and I decided not to make burritos anymore. It was so unpredictable. We would sell out one day, and then come home with 20 burritos the next. Because we are not a big company that can take losses, it wasn't worth it to us. So we called it quits. I'm happy about it. When we were making burritos, our house would smell like Mexican all the time. I like Mexican, but not that much. After a week we put Emilia back on the plane, and just like that she was gone. It was short but sweet.
Other than that, not too much has happened. The weather has been cold and very windy. It isn't a California cold, or even an Oregon Cold. It's Antartica cold, literally. Sometimes I will walk out the front door and a gust will hit me. For just a second I won't be able to breath because of it. It takes some getting used to.
Right now I am not working. I was teaching swim lessons. But for two months I worked 3 hours a week and my boss promised me more hours. They never came so I got a job at a Cafe. There I worked 10 hour days, 50 hours a week without a break and had a really intimidating boss. So I left. I decided I needed to be a little pickier about the jobs a I choose. But now I have come to find that all the good jobs go to Kiwis first. I always get asked when my work permit expires. After that I don't hear back. But I know the right job will come along. In the mean time I am painting every day. My paintings have become a little silly. I'm painting mermaids. Why not? And I got a little gig. I am going to be playing the flute in the musical Little Shop of Horrors for the Hutt City Musical Theatre. I am really excited about this because I love to play the flute, but haven't had a reason to play. It is boring to just practice and never have the chance to perform. So I am working hard because the show is only in about two and a half weeks.
Morgan and I are doing great. We are going to do a 10K run tomorrow, which we hardly trained for since the weather went bad, and I am a bit lazy. We've been doing lots of projects together. Morgan is making a dress form with my measurements so that I can make clothes that actually fit me.
Thats about all. I hope everything is going good for everybody.

Serepta

I have these old family photos on a disk that my grandma gave me. There was this one of a young woman during the Victorian era. She looked so pretty, young, and innocent. I was really drawn to the photo and wanted to paint her. I asked my grandma what she knew about young the woman. This is what my grandma wrote: I think it is Viola's sister, Serepta. Where did you get the picture? My Grandmother, Pearl Henney, was the youngest child of Lucy Clay and John Rickel Henney. She had several brothers and two sisters, Viola, the elder, and Serepta. Serepta was born June 30, 1858. When she was about 32, she promised to marry W. I. Lafler. But, later, she told her family that she changed her mind and did not want to marry him. She was told that she had made a promise and she was expected to keep it. She married him in August, 1890. She died on June 20, 1891, in childbirth.
I gave her angel wings because she had such a sad, short little life. While looking for reference, I found that if you google "Victorian Wings," you will get all these pretty pictures of embroidered wings from Germany. As it turns out, Serepta's family is from Germany. I gave her a lace halo because she has a real feel of purity, and because lace became popular as an industry during her lifetime. So, that is poor Serepta.

Happy

What can I say, dolphins make me happy!

Milky Pool

The Tongariro crossing had so many different signs of volcanic activity. There were stinky steam vents, rigid black rock, red mountains, volcanoes (obviously), and these very beautiful sulfur hot springs. Unfortunately they were too toxic to swim in. But they were mesmerizing none the less. They were this milky greenish blue, like the color of sea foam and they sat up against ridge lines, looking over barren valleys. This is my impression of one of these pools.

Live Birth

We went on a day hike called the Tongariro Crossing. The landscape was very volcanic and fresh. There was this one mountain range that was read and black and looked like it formed very rapidly. Then as it was cooling, it looked as if it just bursted open and out tumbled boulders and silty rocks. So I call this Live Birth because that is exactly what it was, an epic explosion and birth of a mountain

Painting

I've been trying to paint more since I have a little studio in our back yard. I remember living in Berkeley. There were these little artist lofts that you could rent for pretty cheap. We drove by every day and I would think about how much I wanted one. When we moved here I was excited about the studio, but didn't use it too much until I thought back to those little lofts in Berkeley. I thought that if I didn't use the one in my own back yard, then I probably would never use one that I would have to pay for and drive to. I was a little ashamed. So I started to paint and have been doing it nearly every day, except the weekends. Its been great. I'm trying to get ten paintings together. It's hard because I always find myself giving them away. So these are what I have so far.

Dolphins

We rode the Ferry across the Channel to Picton so we could swim with Dolphins. It was a very short trip. On Saturday afternoon we caught the ferry with friends. It's like the Super Ferry they used to have in Hawaii, only so much bigger. They actually drive trains on to it. It's about a three hour ride. When we came into the Marlborough Sound on the South island, it was so beautiful. It looked a lot like Vancouver Canada actually, with all the pine tree forests, little islands, and houses right on the water. It was pretty grey outside, but still so beautiful because we got there right at sunset. So the light was shining through the clouds, making the ocean sparkle. Picton is a tiny little town that thrives on tourism. Since it was the end of Summer, it felt pretty deserted, just a few locals, herds of restless teenagers. To save money, we decided not to bring our car. Instead we found the closest holiday park and camped there for the night. Holiday parks are funny. They are mostly catered toward Camper Vans and RVs. So when we got there, we felt a little out of place. We pitched our tent next to a couple vintage charter buses that had been converted into homes. Above us was a ridge with railroad tracks. By this time, I think we all knew we wouldn't get that good of a nights sleep, which turned out to be true. In fact, I thought it was pretty hilarious. We first were woken up by sirens, you know, the ones that go off in San Luis Obispo every month as a drill, just in case there the nuclear power plant has a melt down. I guess that's just what they use to call the volunteer firemen. Then every possible type of siren imaginable went off, police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and of course howling dogs. After all of that, we fell back asleep, only to be woken up by an occasional train, some feral cats, and a few cars peeling out. At about 4:30, I of course really had to go to the bathroom. I went back to bed and then, at about 5:30am was woken up by bagpipes and Maori chanting of all things. As it turned out they were celebrating ANZAC Day with a dawn parade. Its a national holiday that remembers all of the different soldiers that fought at the battle of Galopoli in World War I.
Then we walked down to the harbour and got on a boat to look for dolphins. It was the last day of the season, so if we didn't catch them this time, we would have had to wait until next summer. After about 45 minutes we stumbled upon them. There were maybe 15 bottle nose in a very curious and playful mood. I had swam with dolphins before. But they were spinners, which is a much smaller variety. But the bottle nose are really big, much bigger than me. They swam right up to our boat. And when we jumped into the water, they swam right up to us. They got so close that I had to turn away so I wouldn't touch them. They look right at you and study you. It was so amazing. I turned and twisted and swam as fast as I could to keep up with them. The most amazing thing was that they wanted to hang out with us. We didn't force them to. For about 40 minutes we enjoyed their company. We ended up swimming into a school of Jelly fish. They didn't sting or anything. But I was surprised at how much substance they had after bumping into them a few times. After a while, the dolphins just disappeared. We got back in the boat and caught up with them. The made right for us and road our wakes and put on a show for about 20 minutes. A fur seal was traveling with them, leaping out of the water like he was one. It was so cute. Then we said goodbye and came home. It was one of the most amazing experiences that I have ever had. I felt so safe and calm amongst these wild animals. I felt honored that they were even interested in us. We are such awkward, strange things compared to them.

Easter

We had a great Easter weekend. It started Saturday morning. We woke up really early and drove about an hour up the coast to get two new chickens. Before we got them, we only had one little bantam hen, and our duck Ferdinand. Our other hen flew the coop. She didn't like us very much. So it was for the better that she left. These two hens are Anconas. They are tall and beautiful. We bought them through Trademe. Its like a Craigslist for New Zealand. When we got there, they were all boxed up and ready to be transported to their new home. As we were trying to put them in their new coop, one of them escaped. It took a long time to find her. She lay low and still in a pile or brush in the back of the yard until I found her and chased her into a corner. When I grabbed her by the tail and swung her upside down so she couldn't resist, she squawked like I was killing her. She was so loud. I thought to myself, This is a real chicken. I never really cared for bantams. They are so fast and skittish. I love the little one I have. But she wasn't what I thought I was getting when we bought her. So it is nice to have big, hearty chickens that are loud. Twice these hens have squawked like they were going to lay an egg, and nothing. But finally this morning we found a pretty little white one sitting on the ground. I'm disappointed they didn't use the hen house. But I am so happy that we finally got our first egg.
On Easter morning Morgan and I woke up early and went on a little hike to the ridge above our house so we could watch the sunrise. It was quite glorious. This has been our Easter tradition for about three years. So far this sunrise was the most spectacular.
Later that day we threw a little party. At first we thought no one was going to come. But everyone showed up about an hour late. Then someone told us that it was daylight savings time. So as it turned out, everyone was actually on time. About twelve people showed up. We went looking for plastic eggs so we could put candy in them and hide them in our back yard for our guests to find. As it turns out, there are no plastic eggs in New Zealand. We also wanted to buy white eggs for people to dye and decorate. But you cant find white eggs at the supermarket. So we made cookies in the shape of eggs and had people decorate them with frosting. We also filled up party bags with candy and hid them all over our yard. Morgan made everyone Eggs Benedict, which I was really impressed with since he had never poached an egg before a few days ago. And it turned out great. After all the cleaning and entertaining we went to sleep at about 9:30. We really wanted to sleep in the next day. But because of the new Daylight Savings time, we only slept until about 7:00am, which turned out good because we had time to have a cup of coffee and take Tobi for a walk before Morgan had to go off to work.
In other news. My friend Cat and I are selling burritos at Weta Digital 2 days a week. So far we have sold out every time. Its great to have a little side money making thing going on. I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but I am also working full time at a little cafe in Island Bay. Its great because I am getting to know locals, and am keeping busy.
That is about all here. We are so happy. I love this place and our little home.

Sailing Through Life

We are really enjoying ourselves here in our new home. So much has happened since I last wrote. It's been busy! I got a new job. I work at a little cafe in Island bay. Its just three bays down. So I drive along the water five days a week just in time to watch the sun rise. I am quitting swim lessons. Next Thursday is my last day. They only gave me about five hours a week for five weeks straight. So I decided to look for work somewhere else. Now I am getting too much work it seems. A Kiwi work week can go up to 50 hours before you get paid overtime, which is what I am pushing. But it is good for me because Morgan works just as much, and being busy makes me save money. I like my job. I make coffee and serve people savory and sweet pastries. What is more important is that I am meeting local people. Its good to get a feel of the place by working somewhere like this. Some people are totally awesome. I met this wonderful old woman who's daughter lives in San Francisco. She came in everyday for a week for an Americano and to chit chat. She had a temporary job in the area. On her last day she she gave me her card and told me that if I ever got homesick and needed someone to spend time with to just give her a call. That moment was the first time I actually felt that aching home sick feeling. It made me miss my wonderful family.
Lets see... I think it is impossible for me to have less than two jobs. I quit my swim lessons job so that I could have more time to work at the cafe. But then my friend and I decided to sell burritos once a week where our husbands work. We thought we would make a few extra bucks. But apparently there is a high demand for Mexican food here. We brought in 30 burritos to sell at three different buildings. We sold out at the second one. There was literally a line. It was kind of crazy. Afterward the receptionist asked us to to make more and include a vegetarian burrito. So we are going to go from 30 burritos once a week to 120 burritos twice a week. This is going to be a little ridiculous I am sure. But we made really good money from it.
I met a sailing instructor who offered to take us out on his 40 ft sail boat. It was a beautiful day with plenty of wind. I really enjoyed it because although I have spent plenty of time on a boat, I rarely get to spend a lot of time at the helm. But this time, I was there nearly the whole trip. I feel like I learned more in those few hours than I did working three months on a sailing catamaran in Maui. It was awesome. We sailed over to this little island along the west coast and had coffee. Then before the wind picked up too much, we sailed back.
Well, it is really late and I am so tired from all that burrito business that I am going to stop there. I am sorry there is nothing eloquent about this post. But I just thought I would keep you updated. More later....

Hedge Hog

Around 11:00pm last night Tobi ran outside and started barking like mad. There was a bit of fear in her bark this time. When we went to see what it was, we found this little guy looking for scraps around the chicken coop.

back yard fun

Front Yard Snorkel

Weekends

We have been having such an amazing time here. We both just can't wait for the weekend so we can explore and enjoy our home. This past weekend was particularly wonderful. We started it out right by slipping on our wetsuits and walking across the street to our little beach. Tobi desperately wanted to come so we buckled her little life jacket and let her tag along for comic relief. It was a clear sunny day with no wind. We walked right into the water and snorkeled around the rocky shores. At first Tobi freaked out a bit. She refused to walk out on the rocks. So I got out and walked down to a spot that had a more gradual shoreline so that she could kind of wade out if she wanted. Morgan snorkeled over to meet us. I hopped in and put my face in the water to see what was going on down there. And... it was beautiful. There were amazing little kelp forests swaying back and forth with tiny hawk fish and groupers scurrying around. What looked to be a bulb of kelp swam toward me in a zig zag pattern until I scooped it up to have a closer look. I am still not sure what it was. But it had legs and went limp when I took it out of the water. I put it back in and it went on its way. Minature starfish were everywhere, decorating the rocks like someone placed them there because they thought it would be cute. At the most it was maybe ten feet deep. It would be very shallow and thick with sea weed and kelp. Then I would come into a small clearing that was deep. Sometimes it was filled with round river looking rocks. Other times, rigged volcanic looking rocks covered in iridescent sand crabs and sea snails would be there. It was so relaxing. With my wetsuit I just floated like an otter as happy as can be. I convinced Tobi to swim out to me. To my surprise she did, about 20 feet or so. She got scared and climbed up on my back while I swam. I was laughing so hard. We swam over to some rocks and I left her there as I snorkeled near by. Could you just imagine an English Bulldog wearing a life jacket and sitting on rocks 20 feet off shore? Unfortunately that was when my camera stopped working. Then we all walked home and rinsed off. Its so nice to live so close so we don't have to worry about peeling off our wetsuits in a parking lot and getting them all sandy.
Later we took rocks out of the pond in our backyard that was filled in a few years back, and built up a vegetable planter. I went to Roller Derby practice for the first time that afternoon. Its good to be involved in it down here. All of the girls are totally nice and personable. Then I came home and we had Sarsaparilla and Ice cream floats,(since you cant get root beer here).
Today we went to church in the morning. I haven't found a church that I felt comfortable in for years. But this one is really nice. People are very casual, a little shy, and as they say, "non threatening." It was really nice of Morgan to come with me since I always feel a little like a target when I go to church by myself, getting bombarded with introductions and lots of questions. Anyway...
Then we stopped over at the farmers market to pick up some venison salami as well as gooseberry and brandy jam. At home we finished up the planter and the pond.Next week we hope to get some fish for it.
Now as the sun goes down, the chickens and the duck are wandering back to their little coop after a few hours of grazing, and Morgan and I are making home made garlic and cheese bread. Yum.
p.s. We finally got our Kitty back (eight days late). She was held in quarantine longer because the Ministry of Agriculture thought her anemia could be masking some weird, contagious disease. But of course she didn't. Anyway, after all that she is home and happy. The medication she is on is working and she has gained a lot of vigor. This morning she brought in a cicada that she had caught. The beetle clicked so loud that it woke Morgan. Nina has never been much of a hunter so it is good to see her actually catching things.

Good Things

Its been about two weeks since we moved in our new house. During that time we haven't had Internet. This has actually been quite nice. Ive been forced to slow down, read a book, paint, garden. I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, and succulents in our garden. It has been wonderful. Our back yard is long and lush. It stretches way back to the foot of a mountain. Then it climbs up abandoned terraces that someone made and never maintained. There once was a fish pond that got its water from a natural spring. It is filled in with boulders now. But I am contemplating replacing them with fish. I have been reading a New Zealand History book, which has been so interesting. I often fall under the trap of thinking that all Polynesians are very similar when it comes to culture and history. But this is actually very untrue.
We went on an awesome hike on Valentines day. It was the Tongariro Crossing. We went up and down through wetlands, desert, brand new rocky earth, into a grassland, and then down into a rain forest. The hike was about 19km. But we added an extra three hours because we wanted to climb a volcano. This was the volcano that they used as Mt Doom in The Lord of the Rings. It was pretty ridiculous how steep it was. There weren't any real trails. You just walk and crawl up to the top the best you can. When you get to the top, it just stops and you are standing on a cliff looking into the crater of the volcano. It is amazing. Coming down is a lot of fun. You just have to book it without falling on your behind, which I did several times. Continuing on, we came across several bright blue and green pools. They were milky from all of the minerals. There was also a stream that flowed a creamy white. And steam vents were everywhere. Stinky. It was great.
We got Tobi from quarantine, but are waiting for our cat Nina to be released. The department of agriculture and forestry made a big deal over the fact that she was anemic. So they sent some blood tests to the UK and are awaiting their results before she can be released. When we get her, we will really feel at home.
There has been a lot of surf. But since we just got our car, and just got settled, we haven't gone yet. I am a little disappointed in myself for this. But, there will be more surf. Right now it is very windy.The ocean it moving fast and I can see the ferry and cruise ships going back and forth between the North Island and the South island from our living room window.
This weekend we are going to build a chicken coop and hopefully get chickens... I cant wait.

Observations

Something that I really love about the house that we are going to live in is that it isn't even part of town. The closest one is Miramar, where both mine and Morgan's jobs are. After work today I did a little bit of exploring there. Its a nice change from down town Wellington where our hotel is located. Its small and has beachy feeling. The houses are almost all made with wood siding and have sun rooms on their front porches. People have Victory Gardens right in their front yards, not because its trendy, but because its economical and rewarding. Most homes do not have electric dryers. Rather, they hang their clothes outside to be dried by the wind bright sun. When we moved here I was a little sad because I had to dismantle my succulent garden and give away all my plants that had grown from little clippings that I found around our old Berkeley neighborhood. I was so happy to find that people fancy succulents here, just like back home. So it will be a new adventure, hunting around for new succulent starters to plant all over the front and back yard of our new house. Rose bushes and citrus trees decorate the quiet, wide road neighborhoods. Seagulls are ever present, just like in California. But they are miniature and even a little bit cute. Their cry is a higher pitch and a little more comical. Miramar has no high apartment buildings like where we are staying now. Its just a little town with one main grocery store, and lots of second hand shops. I like it very much.
There are some funny little differences between New Zealand and the states. Claritin, my allergy medicine of choice, is spelled with a Y. Things are quite a bit more expensive. But when you factor in quality, the cost of importation, and the fact that tip and taxes are included, things seem a little more reasonable. If you go to order a milkshake, you will get flavored milk. If you ask for a thick shake, you will get flavored milk with a glucose thickener in it. Pies are generally made of meat, not fruit. And the drinking age is 18. So at times, down town Wellington feels like prom night.
I can't wait to move into our little house and begin painting, taking walks on the beach with Tobi, and collecting shells.

A fun weekend and playgrounds

I bet when you hear people talking about New Zealand, someone says something like, "It's like California in the 1950s." In many ways this is very true. For one thing, there aren't many lawsuits. As a friend of ours said last night, "No one is liable for anything here!" This to me is kind of neat. In the area of children, this place is definitely caught in a time warp. First of all, I just got a job teaching swim lessons. I'm so grateful to have found a job so quickly because I love to work. It equates a large degree of my self worth. Last Saturday was my first day of training. After the session was over, the main thing that my boss told me was that I needed to not be afraid to actually touch the children and physically manipulate them so that they swim correctly. She said she knew that in the states you cant do that. But here its no big deal. In addition to this, all of the little kids were very independent. I tried to help them float on their backs, or hold their kick boards for them. And every time I did, they would snap at me and say, "I want to do it myself!" On my way out to the parking lot, I saw a stone wall about 12feet high made out of what looked to be cinder block turned on their sides. Out of the wall grew large trees that were cut into stumps. This little boy, no more than four years old had climbed the wall and was standing out on the edge of one of these stumps and was calling for his mom. His mom was busy, rustling through her car, paying no attention to him. But after a little while she looked up at him and in a very enoyed tone told him to get down. If this little boy had climbed this wall in the states, the mom would be freaking out, the boy would be crying, and one of the neighbors might have called CPS. But...this is New Zealand.
Last weekend we went to visit the animals. It was good to see them again. Our cat has been pretty sick with anemia and we have been worried her, especially because she is in quarantine. But she looked great. She was rolling around, pouncing, and biting. Tobi was really happy to see us. All she wanted was to be hugged. She isn't a normal dog in that way. She much prefers a big squeeze to a good scratch. Then we drove around until we found a beach and a place to camp. Along the way, we stumbled upon some of the most awesome playgrounds. They usually have a skate park, a GIANT slide, a zip line that goes forever, and lots of stuff to climb on. When you go to these playgrounds, there are almost no adults. The little kids just hop on their bikes after being kicked out of the house, and run around like crazy people. I bet you New Zealand has a lower percentage of kids with ADHD. They are usually barefoot, and usually screaming. Its so awesome to see. Anyway, here is a little video from a few of the playgrounds that we found. We also found a great camping spot right up the way from the beach. We walked through a little wetland to get to it. Along the way we saw Maori tromping through the shallow water in the moonlight looking for eels to spear.

Photos to Go With The Rest