This gallery contains 12 photos.
Hello again. Hindsight lets us know that, for us anyway, a week in Hanmer Springs too long. The title pretty much sums up the entire week. We spent a lot of time walking/hiking, playing hacky sack and soaking in … Continue reading
This gallery contains 27 photos.
First, for those who are viewing my blog on a regular basis, you may have noticed frequent changes in the format, forgive me if it’s confusing. I am still making my way slowly through the learning curve of the blogging process … Continue reading
Not too far north of Dunedin along the coast are the geological marvels of the moeraki boulders. Prior to our visit, I’d seen all kinds of pictures of these, they are on the cover of my NZ travel guide and this was my first chance to see them in real life. I was totally excited with anticipation as we left Dunedin. The travel guides suggested the best time to view the boulders was at low tide which would have been great except that when we consulted the tide schedules, low tide for the day we were going to be traveling was early in the morning or late in the evening, neither of which we could make accommodate our travel schedule. As it turned out, we arrived just before high tide and they were still marvelous. The sun was shining bright there was only a slight breeze and it felt warm compared to the days we’d been out and about in Dunedin. It’s a very touristy spot; the buildings were built into a dome shape, undoubtedly to mimic the rock formations themselves. There was a lovely café and of course a gift shop. We enjoyed a delicious lunch as we gazed out over the ocean all without our coats on.
Moeraki boulders
Moeraki boulders
Moeraki boulders
Moeraki boulders
From here, Timaru was not much further and we only made one more stop at my request when we arrived at a beautiful picnic area along the coast with the Toi Toi highlighted in the sun against the backdrop of sand and waves. I just had to have a picture.
Hello, seagull
After we checked in at our new accommodation, we just settled in. Paul got set up for work, concerned about the internet connection and for dinner, I fried the last two eggs that we had. The next morning I began examining the city map in the luxury of our cozy warm room. It’s so nice to relax inside without coats. The city has a plethora of parks and miles and miles of walking tracks. When I peeked outside to check the status of the dawn, there was a hint of pink in the sky and a fingernail moon, oh, and a fairly thick layer of frost on everything. The sunrise lured me to the beach, I layered up and made the short 5 minute walk to the beach at Caroline Bay. Captivated by the sunrise, I stood and watched as the blazing red ball emerged from the ocean feeling distinctly the presence of invisible life within me. I was looking forward to coming back to explore more of the beach area with Paul.
Sunrise at Caroline Bay
Sunrise at Caroline Bay
We’d already made plans to drive to lake Tekapo after he finished work. The drive was scenic, through more rolling green hills up toward the snowcapped mountains. They were dramatic, even against a bland, monochromatic, cloudy background, easy to imagine how spectacular the white caps would have looked against a blue sky. Lake Tekapo was just as we’d remembered, turquoise blue, surrounded by mountains, colder this visit compared to last, but still beautiful. After resting for a few minutes walking down to the shore and of course snapping photos, we decided to abandon the plans to drive the loop around through Twizel (pronounced “Twhy zell” more like twilight than twizlers) and Waimate and just return to Timaru the way we’d come.
Drive from Timaru to Tekapo
Lake Tekapo
Lake Tekapo
Lake Tekapo
It was time to do more grocery shopping. This again took longer than anticipated even though I’d compiled a definitive list. It just was a matter of navigating another unfamiliar and much larger supermarket, Pak n Save. Even though I was now equipped to prepare a couple “skillet” meals, as this room has a cooktop, we opted for one more dinner out. You’re probably not surprised that we sought out another pizza joint. After enjoying a nice bottle of gewürztraminer with our pizza we walked home in the dark through the expansive park behind Caroline Bay. This we would see more clearly the next day.
Caroline Bay
Caroline Bay area
Benvenue cliffs sunset
Benvenue cliffs sunset
I spent the morning working on prep for dinners so I could put them together more quickly come evening time. The forecast temperature looked very comfortable and turned out to be so, to our delight. We departed the motel at just after 11am and did not return until after the sun went down, 6 hours later. We started with a walk down to the Benvenue cliffs and then on the beach at Caroline Bay, a vast wide sandy beach with a network of wonderful boardwalk paths through the sand dunes. Beyond the dunes toward the city was an expansive park area where there is a skate park, an aviary, an amphitheater, a rose garden, a pool, a miniature train, sand volleyball parks, skating rink, tennis and basketball courts all with large spacious grassy areas intermingled. It was the most relaxing place to take a lengthy stroll, or a jog or a trip around the “fitness circuit” to the different stations that are set up with equipment to incorporate strength training with cardio exercise. There’s a fountain incorporated within a beautiful set of stairs coupled with an elevator to take you up to street level where you can continue walking down Stafford street for an urban hike through numerous café’s and shops. We took this walk too, went around the block and sorted out some insurance paperwork. When we made our way back to Stafford we stumbled upon a paper crafting store, I walked through admiring the creativity and chatting with the lady inside, I’d just missed my opportunity to be there for the weekly card class. Aw shucks! We stopped in a couple more shops for a bit of retail therapy and meandered in to Coffee Culture for a bagel sandwich and coffee-YUM! This would become a regular stop during our stay in Timaru, a definite favorite. After that we casually carried on back through the park taking time to walk through the aviary this time. The pink bird that greeted us on entry was rather sassy, just as I get when I feel trapped and confined. Looking back on the video that Paul captured and how “funny” I thought the bird was, it makes me wonder who’s observing on the outside of my cage, finding my sass humorous and entertaining.
Aviary at Caroline Bay area
Aviary at Caroline Bay area
Then we were back on the beach, beckoned to linger, mesmerized by the waves and the birds. The sun was dipping low and the clouds looked promising for a nice sunset so we went back to the Benvenue cliffs where we’d started our day and waited for sunset. The sky was amazing and constantly changing. There we stayed to soak up the wonderful sunset in the sea air. What a treat. We both really like Timaru and can imagine how beautiful it’d be in the summer. It is smaller and quieter than Dunedin, it has awesome walking tracks and the beach is so relaxing.
I’m back and trying to play catch up. The internet is painfully slow here in our new place in Timaru. For anyone interested, I’ll try and upload additional pictures in the galleries here, and also include a link to Paul’s OneDrive album so you can see even more. https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=8ED0BDC398BD891E!110&authkey=!MSdz8tUa9cQ%24&ithint=folder%2cjpg
Here are some details of the second half of our stay in Dunedin. I’m hoping to have better internet at our next accommodation so look for more pictures in the galleries in a week or so.
No baking is off to a great start. Keep in mind my definition of no-baking still includes a microwave. However, I failed to mention that I’ve already made about four recipes of one of our favorites from back in the States, special thanks to sister Jo Jo, no-bake energy balls. These are basically, peanut butter, honey, oats, coconut and chocolate chips all molded into little sweet treats. There’s literally no baking involved. The second installment for no bake NZ is Healthy Microwave mini chocolate chip cookies. For those interested here is the link to where found the recipe. http://www.foodiefiasco.com/all-for-one-chocolate-chip-cookies/ They turned out pretty good for a “healthy” cookie though obviously did not quite taste like my Mom’s. A helpful link here for more tips and healthy recipes. https://m.facebook.com/JoScheurmanhealthybalance. 
Our fourth night in Dunedin we moved to a bed and breakfast near the heart of the city. Cute old house but our room was so cold when we first walked in we could feel it through our winter coats. We added layers-thinking the heater just hadn’t had time to warm it up yet; we were wrong. When we returned hours later after walking to the “octagon,” Dunedin’s town center, the room almost felt colder than it was outside. Fortunately, there were electric blankets so we were able to sleep but Paul really had to bundle up for work in the wee hours. I requested another heater and it seemed to help a bit but by then we’d both gotten a bit edgy and knew that this room was not going to work for 3 more nights. We contemplated paying the penalty for checking out early, but the staff offered to move us to a room with a heat pump, so that’s what we did. It was clearly not the fault of anyone that the weather is the coldest NZ has seen in years. Even in the room with the heat pump both of us kept most of our layers on inside.
Room at Hulmes Court B & B
Hulmes Court B & B
This also made it easier to get out and see the sights because we knew it was no more uncomfortable than staying in. One day we spent just simply walking through the city. For dinner we stumbled on a restaurant who advertised the “stone grill” We’d tried this style of dining out on one of our last trips here and loved it. It’s similar to the experience of the Melting Pot in that you cook your own meat, except that you cook it on a crazy hot stone instead of in broth. They literally bring you a raw piece of meat sizzling on this stone. For me the purpose of the hot stone was two-fold, cook dinner and keep my hands warm. No baking for these nights took the form of dining out. The next night we decided on a restaurant by searching the internet, but when we arrived at the front door realized we were underdressed so we turned and wandered around till we found “Ratbags and Innocent Bystander gourmet pizza bar” Weird name, wonderful pizza and warm inside. Enough said.
Ratbags and Innocent Bystander gourmet pizza bar
Innocent Bystander pizza bar
The architecture here is stunning. There were several old stone churches and government buildings and then there is the train station which claims to be the most photographed building, and it was very picturesque both inside and out. On our stroll through the inside we were treated to a local art exhibit.
First Church, Dunedin (2)
Olveston house, Dunedin
Another example of the wonderful architechture in Dunedin.
Railway station, Dunedin (1)
Inside railway station, Dunedin (1)
Selfie at Railway station, Dunedin
First Church, Dunedin
We also found the schedule for scenic train rides through the Taieri gorge. It was a four hour trip, which after seeing the forecast, we booked for the following day hoping to spend some time inside where it was warm. Again, we were wrong. The scenery, no surprise here, was again amazing, and to our delight the sun was shining. The layer of frost added to the beauty but not the temperature. No worries though, by this point, we were dressed for the cold. Besides that, coffee and tea are readily available almost anywhere.
along the ride up the Taieri gorge
single tree planted to mark fault line
From Pukerangi, before we changed directions.
At the stop at Pukerangi
Along the way we met a family who run a dairy farm near Masterton, a town on the North Island, who were visiting Dunedin while the kids were on school holiday and the dairy cows were “drying out.” As we have come to expect, they were very friendly and invited us to “look them up” if we make it up to that area of the country. When we arrived back in the city, I planned to return to the pizza bar, but on our way we discovered a new culinary gem. The lights were on and the door was unlocked but we had to walk all the way to the kitchen before we found a person. That person happened to be the owner and head chef who was as friendly as well as a kiwi. He sat us next to the fire to thaw out and chatted for some time. The food here, pizza aside, was our favorite so far. They had crepe suzette on the dessert menu delicious and laced with fond memories of the ones my Mom used to make.
On our last full day in Dunedin, Paul’s weekend had begun and we made plans after talking with a couple locals to hike the organ pipes and Mt. Cargill and hopefully make it to Tunnel beach. We successfully accomplished both. On this frosty morning Paul navigated the winding road to the trail head as we watched the lone cloud hovering over Mt.Cargill dissipate. Off we went on our hike–which was not nearly as strenuous as we were expecting. The organ pipes are a rock formation apparently formed by volcanic activity where the lava solidified into hexagonal columns. It was very cool. Several had toppled over and were covered in frost which made clamoring up them a bit challenging but the view was almost worth it. The view from Mt. Cargill, was undoubtedly worth the walk over a snow covered sometimes slick trail. We were treated to an absolutely stunning full circle panoramic view.
Organpipes in the foreground
toppled portion of organpipes in foreground and the ones that are still standing in the back
snow covered trail to Mt. Cargill
Mount Cargill in the distance with the radio tower.
The entire hike did not take as long as expected and we had plenty of daylight left to drive across town to tunnel beach. This trail from the car park to the beach was steep and very muddy and slick. Once at the bottom it was photographer’s paradise. Great scenery, with dusk rapidly approaching. You could walk out on the cliffs and look down on the sandy beach or walk down through the tunnel to the sand and look up at the cliffs. We did both and stayed until the sun was well on it’s way beneath the horizon. Bonus to this timing, when we walked back up the trail the mud was frozen so we kept our shoes from getting too gunked up with mud. Again, at the suggestion of one of our hosts, we drove a short way to see St. Clair beach and to have dinner. The café we headed for was closed but we easily found another pizza place.
VIew from top of cliff. The tunnel opening is not visible, but is on the left side
View from tunnel beach looking out at the cliffs. (2)
St. Clair beach, Dunedin (5)
The following morning was the coldest we’ve had so far and the frost was rather thick. For this reason, we delayed our departure slightly. Next stop, Moeraki boulders.
Posted in New Zealand
Tagged Dunedin, Mount Cargill, organ pipes, railway station, Taieri gorge
So many adventures to write about since the last post, I’m going to have to break this one into two parts. We left TeAnau in a snowstorm. It was somewhat slow going but fortunately not cold enough to make the roads terribly icy. Within 30 minutes to an hour we’d driven out of the snow and there was blue sky and sunshine highlighting the fresh layer of powder on the hills. The drive to Dunedin was through miles of rolling green hills with far-reaching views from the highway. There was one quick stop in Gore, to get set up with a NZ cell phone and have a lovely meat pie coupled with our first taste of a “lollycake” which was quite tasty, I must say. For my taste buds, you just can’t go wrong with any combination of marshmallows and coconut. The dessert was a gift from our car companion, Angela who we were giving a lift back to Dunedin.
Snow as we left TeAnau heading for Dunedin.
Gore, unofficial capital of brown trout fishing
Road from Gore to Dunedin with a glimpse of the rolling hills.
We’d booked 2 different accommodations for our weeks stay in Dunedin, the first was in a place along the shore on the peninsula. The drive was dramatic, at least for us who did not grow up around the ocean. One side of Portobello road was against a steep hillside and the other dropped sharply into the bay just a couple feet from the white line and the road itself was very winding with lots of curves. The loft where we stayed was very nice and provided a decent view, but our host let us know that we could take in even more spectacular views from the grounds at Larnach castle.
Loft on Dunedin peninsula
Inside loft on Dunedin peninsula
View from loft on peninsula
After evaluating the forecast and attempting to determine what day would be best for getting the best views, we decided to take the “walk” (more like a hike) to the castle the next day. The first part of the trail was actually a paved road with a steep hill, then a steep hill on a gravel road where we came to a driveway that turned into a house, straight ahead was another hill with even more incline with a narrow livestock trail winding up it through the grass all this behind a chain-link gate held closed with a red rope. There was a small, probable 1 ft by 1/5 ft board nailed to a post by the gate with “LANARCH CASTLE” painted in quick short strokes. We unlatched the gate and walked through. Up through the grass and mud we climbed a bit before arriving at another fence. This one we were able to step over. There were signs attached to this gate too–plastic lids from margarine containers with the messages written on the back side in sharpie or something. One read–with some difficulty – trail open all year, please close gate, livestock grazing. On we went up and up past a single wind tower whirring so ferociously in the wind that we could hear it from a good ways off and it sounded like a siren until we got closer and then it sounded more like a small helicopter. To our right was a fantastic view of a large green hill, dotted with sheep and bushes flowering yellow. To the left was an expansive view of the bay and the peninsula. Then there were four horses. I was a bit startled and so was the horse who’d been asleep on his feet when we popped into view. He jumped and skittered over to the side closer to the other 3. As soon as I saw them I started talking to them. Those of you who know me well know that horses kind of scare me and I just have this feeling that they know it too. I just start talking in a soft soothing, nice voice, more to calm me down than them. We slowly made our was pat them and crawled under a hot wire fence before plodding up some more. Then we reached a levelled off spot and could see a house up higher to our right. There was a driveway closed off with a gate labelled private and straight ahead was another hill that tilted our heads back. A well maintained gravel road led up this hill with even more spectacular views of the peninsula. On we went and then the road began winding around the back of the hill and we were treated to a bit of shelter from the wind and a view of the opposite shoreline. On a bit further through the shade and up some more we arrived at the driveway to Lanarch castle. It took us just about an hour but it was strenuous enough that we weren’t too cold.
View from track on our way to Larnach castle
Peninsula and bay from track to Larnach castle
Road to Larnach castle
Crossing the horse paddock on track to Larnach castle
We spent some time wandering around the gardens before taking a quick self-guided tour of the castle. It was pretty cool, but the views were even more amazing and it was awesome that you could climb all the way up on the tower. We’d hoped to make it back down in time to drive out and see the blue penguins. Apparently the nesting sites of these adorable little creatures are protected and the only access allowed is by guided tour. Worried that the weather was going to turn we wanted to get as much sightseeing in as possible. So we limited ourselves to an hour in the castle before making a 40 minute descent back down the trail I described earlier. This time we had to walk in between the horses, and yes I was talking nonstop until they were well behind us.
Larnach castle
Larnach castle selfie
View from Larnach castle, with happy tourist.
The clouds started building as we got back to the loft and we debated whether to try and get down to the end of the peninsula to see the penguins. We decided to go for it and grabbed the laundry from the line, some not quite dry and spread it around in the loft, layered wool, upon wool, upon wool, topped with ski pants, down coats and wind breakers. I had an added thick heavy scarf and hand warmers, thank goodness. The drive along Portobello was the same as the first section, I was thankful to be the passenger and not the driver. Throw in a lot of road construction a bit of traffic, including some big trucks and that made the drive even more exciting, I think I only actually gasped out loud twice.
Portobello road
By the time we reached the wildlife center for the tour the clouds didn’t look as threatening but the wind was atrocious. We got inside and purchased our tickets and the kind lady at the café served us two bowls of soup even though she was in the process of closing. It really was good soup and a very generous serving of it–pumpkin soup. The tour was supposed to leave around 5:15 but they pushed it back to 5:30. Not surprisingly a small group consisting of the 2 of us and a handful of Japanese tourists plus 2 guides. The guides did offer us an extra coat, which I actually considered for a moment even as I stood there in all the layers I mapped out earlier. Off we went on the short walkway down to a viewing platform that was completely unprotected from the ferocious cold wind. To my surprise and delight I was relatively comfortable with all my layers.
Blue penguin viewing platform
The guides had warned us that they had been seeing fewer and fewer penguins in recent days but we’d only been standing on the platform for a few minutes when Paul spotted the first one. The best way I could think to describe them is simply adorable. They are little miniature penguins about a foot tall with dark blue feathers on their back and white feathers on their little bellies. The viewing platform was equipped with special lights that apparently the little guys cannot see, yet it allows humans to watch them as they hop and waddle their way up the shore to find a place to burrow in and nest for the night. Watching them, despite the near freezing temperatures and howling winds has been one of my favorite things so far. We were fortunate to get some video and even though it’s not awesome, we felt like it was pretty darn good considering the conditions. Click for link to video Blue penguins, Dunedin.
The next day, our adventures continued after Paul finished work, the weather was still cloudy and rainy. We decided to take a drive and see about some of the inlets on the peninsula. The first one we attempted, we abandoned part way up the first road since our Camry doesn’t have 4WD and the road was steep, wet, narrow and muddy. Paul found a slightly wider place in the road and did a 8 or 10 point turnabout and we carried on along Portobello road. Then we made our way across the peninsula on another narrow dirt road to go see Allen’s beach. On the way a big tandem dump truck appeared behind us, seemingly out of nowhere going much faster than we were. Paul pulled off the next chance he got to let the truck go around. It was really amazing how those guys can drive that fast on those kinds of roads and keep their truck and load under control. We’d brought all the same gear to keep warm if we chose to get out and about, parked at the carpark for Allen’s beach and put it all on. When we stepped out of the car to head down the trail to the beach we could see and hear the next round of precipitation blowing toward us. Five feet from the car, we did a 180 degree turn and got back inside for another 10 minutes or so while the little pellets pinged off the car. It settled enough we headed back out and arrived at the beach, welcomed by sand blown into our faces. We could imagine what a beautiful place it could be on a nice day, but only stayed long enough to take a handful of pictures and turn around.
Allens beach, Dunedin peninsula. Even with this on, we were getting sand in our eyeballs.
Allans beach, Dunedin peninsula. Just like on the rest of this road, we were hoping we didn’t meet any other cars.
Thought we’d try one of the 2 restaurants that our host had suggested for dinner, only to locate one, arrive and find it closed. Not wanting to drive into the city for dinner, we used the last 2 avocados to make guacamole to accompany a couple kinds of crackers and raw carrot sticks to eat from our “table” the trusty cooler that does fit in our car, by the way.
Posted in New Zealand
We are free to roam in our “new to us” 2007 Toyota.
Our new ride.
After jumping through the hoops of both American and NZ banks we finally were able to get money transferred to buy the Camry from another Peter. Having gotten this accomplished on a day of sunshine and blue sky, which we haven’t seen too much of in the last 10 days, we headed up the highway to Milford Sound. It’s about 2 hours from TeAnau with breathtaking views throughout. The trip re-ignited my desire to work on my photography skills and there was no shortage of material as we made our way up and back down the sparsely travelled road. Seeing the famous Mitre peak towering overhead just fills one’s soul with awe. We are both looking forward more than ever to seeing it in December, in the summer when we plan to bring some friends along with us.
Entering the Homer tunnel on our way to Milford sound.
Exiting the Homer tunnel on our way to Milford sound. You may be able to make out the tunnel exit on the left side of the photo.
The majestic Mitre peak at Milford sound.
A strategically placed selfie pose at Milford Sound.
On the walkway from the carpark the loading platform at Milford sound. Check out all those beautifully woven webs illuminated by the sun.
Prior to the car purchase, we had the good fortune of borrowing a car from our generous hosts here and on one of our trips into town to get the bank accounts sorted, we picked up a portable cooler with which to cart our food around the country. We opted for the sturdier NZ brand over the familiar Coleman label and walked across the street to pop it in the boot (to those of you in the States that’s the trunk). Well, that wasn’t as easy as. No matter which way we turned it, the large rigid super sturdy cooler was not going to fit–We looked at each other and shrugged. Without saying a word we just moved together to the side door to slide it in the back seat. I reached in to tilt the seat forward only to find that it slid a few inches. This time laughing as we looked at each other, I poked my leg in behind the seat and slithered into the back seat, pulled the front passenger seat back and Paul plopped our new “Chillzone” in the front seat. Only as we were driving away did Paul make the comment, “hopefully it’ll fit in our car.” Another entertaining story of shopping here was observing how we adjusted very slowly to the layout of a new supermarket. Now, this could happen anywhere, not just a different country because it always takes a while to find the products you’re looking for in an unfamiliar store. It was on about our sixth trip to the store that we discovered there was an entire section housing pre-packaged bread where we could have browsed a large selection of breads of different grains rather than standing and staring at mostly empty bakery case before picking up the last two mini “farmhouse” loaves.
Apologies for the repetition, but neither one of us has gotten used to the sun not coming up until after 8am, this transition only complicated by coming from where we did. Literally an overnight change from the longest to the shortest day of the year. The short days do, however, make it easier to get to bed early so Paul can have a reasonable night’s sleep before his alarm at 3am. So far, I feel like we haven’t gotten out much, but to keep it in perspective, we’ve only just gotten a car and getting out is dependent on what elements you are willing and prepared deal with. On one of the other partially sunny days, we helped Peter “shift” his cattle. It didn’t take us long to reposition the posts and run the wire for a new section of fence as it was only a few acres and a handful of cattle. Still it was fun to get out and help a bit and see how very different it is driving plastic posts into soft moist ground with one step of a foot as compared to driving steel posts with a sledge hammer into partially frozen ground on the plains of Colorado. On the other hand in walking up and down the hills in Peter’s paddock it was more like hiking than strolling along the long stretches of fields we’re used to. We were stepping over big rocks here like we do cactus on the prairie. We were not willing to go hike in cold wind and rain yesterday, so we stayed in and enjoyed another day of the view from our little cabin as the rain fell and fell and fell. Today we may decide to just suck it up and go out anyway as our days in TeAnau are drawing to a close for now and there’s a reason the walking tracks here are world famous. It may be worth it to get a little chilly and wet. Those days make me very grateful that we are not on a backpacking trip, though the days of sunshine make me want to, until I browse the websites about all the great walks warning of avalanche danger during the winter season. I’m perfectly content to gaze at the snow covered peaks from a safe distance standing between a coffee shop and a wood-fired pizza restaurant after a short walk on the Kepler track.
Helping shift the cattle to a new place to graze in the paddock.
Departing from the control gates at Lake TeAnau on the Kepler track.
Lush moss and ferns cover the forest floor along the Kepler track.
I’ve tried to stop asking the question that was constant for months before we arrived here. What are we doing? Neither of us has an answer to this other than “living” Simply going through life and “living” and I have been more convinced in recent years that there is not an answer to the mystery of life. If an answer were indeed revealed, wouldn’t that indicate that life is not a mystery after all and how disappointing that would that be?
Here are a few things I do know for sure. The eggs we’ve had here are amazing. They are delicious with tangible substance in your mouth. Pizza is delicious, and it’s still one of my favorite foods, no matter where I eat it. Same goes for coffee, I simply love it. You can find almost anything in apricot flavor. Yum! Gas is expensive. I’ve gotten a bit creative in the kitchen and managed to prepare some decent meals with a microwave, electric kettle and electric skillet. Maybe by the end of this travelling I could compile a new recipe book and call it “No-bake NZ.” I need a lot more practice to get used to estimating distances that actually make sense to me in meters and kilometers. I’ve started trying to do a rough estimation and conversion in my head before confirming with the phone app in hopes of soon becoming less reliant on the app. It is amazing and somewhat frightening how dependent we are on technology on keeping us connected to our family and friends, but I for one am extremely grateful for the “magic.”
I’ve dreamt twice already about being a unorganized, unprepared college student and I can’t help but wonder if this is in some way paralleling my feelings about being here. In a somewhat unfamiliar place, not only a different country but in this place in my life, unemployed and feeling so dependent on others. I feel unprepared and unorganized, but that just adds to the adventure, right? Is there a better place to foster creativity than to arrive at a more pronounced awareness of dependence on my creator? Somehow I believe that something good is going to come of this, a life lesson that I could not otherwise experience. For the most part I am enjoying the lack of structure, by making my way in the simple daily activities of drinking coffee, writing, reading, taking pictures and no-baking in the kitchen. It is refreshing to have time to ponder and reflect.
Here comes the rain again….
Experience a new zeal and adventure 