ChCh

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=christchurch&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

From Wikipedia ...

Christchurch (Māori: Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area. It is one third the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch.

The city was named by the Canterbury Association, which settled the surrounding province of Canterbury. The name of Christchurch was agreed on at the first meeting of the association on 27 March 1848. It was suggested by John Robert Godley, who had attended Christ Church, Oxford. Some early writers called the town Christ Church, but it was recorded as Christchurch in the minutes of the management committee of the association.^[2]

The river which flows through the centre of the city (its banks now largely forming an urban park) was named Avon at the request of the pioneering Deans brothers to commemorate the Scottish Avon, which rises in the Ayrshire hills near what was their grandfathers' farm and flows into the Clyde.^[2]

The usual Māori name for Christchurch is Ōtautahi ("the place of Tautahi"). This was originally the name of a specific site by the Avon River near present-day Kilmore Street and the Christchurch Central Fire Station. The site was a seasonal dwelling of Ngāi Tahu chief Te Potiki Tautahi, whose main home was Port Levy on Banks Peninsula. The Ōtautahi name was adopted in the 1930s. Prior to that the Ngāi Tahu generally referred to the Christchurch area as Karaitiana,^[3] a transliteration of the English name.

Arthur's Pass

I have scheduled this posting to go online as we are in Arthur's Pass.  I am not planning on brining my computer with me during this trip so thought I would pre-arrange a few postings to highlight our trip.

http://www.arthurspass.com/

Lets hope for no avalanches while we are there!

Lookie here

We are in this train ...

Hold on there!  You are supposed to be looking at the train not the background!

For day two of our vacation we are taking the train from Greymouth to Christchurch with a stop at Aruthur's Pass.  Kiwi's have voted Arthur's Pass as one of the most beautiful must see places in all of New Zealand.

Lookie here

We are in this plane ....

Over this body of water ...

A kiwi Christmas!

Asking around I was told that Christmas at the beach is the ultimate Kiwi experience.  I was also told to choose two beaches one that is protected from a Northerly and the other protected from a Southerly.  As there will be wind.  Well I took the first bit of advice and selected a beach, I ignored the second and we were blasted with the northerly all day.  But man did we have a good time.

Typical picnic faire.  Ham sammies (sandwiches to you folks up north) cold slaw, kumra salad and crisps (chips to you folks up north.)  To drink we had L&P (no translation to you folks up north you will just have to come down and try some) and bubbly.  Desert was strawberries and pineapple dipped in chocolate.

 

The beach was deserted and man did Dennis have some fun!  Here he is showing off his first creation with his sand castle kit he received for Christmas.

We spent four hours or so at the beach and a good time was had by all.  I was completely wiped and pretty much fell asleep by 7:00pm and was out until the next morning.

Popcorn

You should have seen the smile on his face when I told him to go ahead and make a mess.  Part of me wishes the picture had turned out better, however the affect is great.  Snowing in the house.

A well earned rest after making such a mess.

Wine of free pardon

Went to the candlelight service at the church up the road from us.  Once again it is a beautiful summer night here in Wellington; warm, a bit cloudy and a gentle breeze.  The service, much as you may expect, was a mixture christmas carols, scripture reading about a babe in the manger, sermon all this accompanied by posture changes, standing, kneeling, sitting. What stood out this year was communion, I don't remember if they served communition last year, but this year it stood out as the high point of the service.

Communion service was in the high church tradition.  Come up to the front and they give you a wafter and a challace.   I think I was the only non-regular there tonight, so I was paying quite close attention to the custom up front.  When the eucarist was offered I put out my hands and looked her in the eye and said 'hand or mouth wherever you would prefer.'  She put it in my mouth (probably to shut me up.)  A minute later the wine came, in a silver challace, presented to me with the words 'the blood of Christ for the forgivness of sins.'

The only thing I could say was 'WOW.' 

What prompted that 'wow' was not the challace.  It was the thought of forgiveness of sins through this wine.  The wine of free pardon for me and everyone.  I drank that wine deeply, probably a bit too deeply for her, thinking of that forgiveness.  It truly moved me at the time.

May you drink freely of the wine of free pardon this Christmas day.

A leaf!

At church over the weekend I made a few good leaves, a couple were ogled (much to my delight) by the crowd.  However I left my cell phone back at the chair so did not manage to get a picture.  :(

Well today we had some friends over, John and Lilly, and, as I do from time to time, I made coffee for the four of us.  The first coffee came out pretty bad, I ended up drinking that, second and third looked okay.  But the fourth well that was a special one!  A real honest to goodness leaf!

Still some work to do before that turns into a fern but you get the idea but those who see the fern on a regular basis (and coffee's with ferns in them) see the resemblance.  I figure I have a good six months of coffee making before I will make my goal of the fern.  But then again drinking the coffee is half the fun!

Going to church

Today is the last Church service of the year.  New Zealand pretty much shuts down late December early January so Church takes a few weeks off.  The service will be short, a children's recital, and plenty of mince pies and other Christmas treats to enjoy.

Starting time today is 11:00am; however as a parent I have to get there at 10:15 so my son can practice for the children's recital (singing silent night.)  I will be hanging around with the other parents and those who have forgotten the late start and will arrive at the normal time of 10:00am.

I am on coffee duty today which I think will be particularly fun this end of year Christmas party.  I always enjoy chatting with the congregation one by one as they wait for their coffees.  I also have another objective for today, I have managed to make one fern leaf (at least something that would pass in a darkened room) so today it will practice ... practice ... practice.  If I get a good one I will take a picture and post it!

Sunday Concert

It had been a long time since Tom and I went to a classical music concert. We heard the Bachoir and the Chiesa Ensemble perform Coronation Anthems by Handel and Come Ye Sons of Art by Purcell. The concert took place at St. Andrews on the Terrace, a lovely church with great acoustics. Dennis was home with a sitter. We fed our souls with beautiful music. Then we fed our stomachs at Wagamama Asian cuisine. The restaurant also had a harbor view. So we had some special treats and relaxation.

We stopped at the video rental place and got the movie The King of Kong. It's about the video game Donkey Kong and who holds the highest score. Quite an entertaining and interesting documentary style film. It's not so much about the game as it is the egos of the top contenders.

We've got more movies for later in the week since they had a special 4 for $10 but don't tell Dennis that. He gets jealous that we adults get to watch movies when we want but he has to wait for the weekend.

Perseverance

There are five tenants of Tae-Kwon-Do - Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, Indomitable Spirit.  Today at the Christmas party an award was given for each, I received Perseverance.

The fact that I was going to be given an award was known in the first sentence.  "This award is going to the biggest man in our class, who sweats the most."  The children giggled and looked at me.  The he said a few other nice things that were about me before he got around to mentioning my name.

In reflection later today it seemed an apt award.  I have pushed my way through the general limitations of  30 years of lethargy and my size.  TKD is a sport for fit slim folks.  It is all about speed and flexibility, my kicks may hurt more than the little guys I just can't hit them!  They move around way too fast and in the interim put their foot into my face ... as I found much to my dismay during my Blue belt test last week.

Why do I keep at it?  Well I have lost weight, can balance myself on one foot, learned how not to fight (still working on how to,) learned how to kick property, have managed five push-ups (press-ups for those down under reading this) in a row, but mostly I have learned how to get myself there twice a week, take a beating either (literally or figuratively,) and smile through the pain.

I am certainly a beginner in this.  Today at the party a motivational speaker showed up.  He said something which made me smile, "An amateur practices until he does it right, a professional practices until he can not do it wrong."

I realized that I have not even made it to amateur status ... yet!

Summer shakes

There was an earthquake here on Thursday.  Not a huge one but enough to send our Christmas tree crashing to the ground.  No one else was home so I had moved myself to the lounge sofa as I was working on a proposal when the quake hit.  I just happened to be looking in the way of the tree and saw it fall down.  Kind of slow motion, I may have been able to catch it if I wasn't juggling a cup of coffee and my laptop at the time.

Nothing broke, no glass ordainments here; however the water was a mess to clean up.

I now have the tree balanced in the stand a bit better, and tied up.  So bring on the next earthquake!

Ratatouille!

No preamble required ... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10614103

Getting the Christmas Tree

Saturday in the midst of everything else we went and purchased a christmas tree.  It was strange getting one, this was the first time for me to get a tree down here.  Last year Chris and Dennis did it alone.  So what struck me was:

• First is the weather.  Never purchased a tree while wearing shorts and a tee shirt before.  It was quite warm here in Wellington last Saturday.
• Second is the scale.  While we did pass three side-of-the-road tree lots they were all small.   I swear the first one we saw had about a dozen trees in the lot.  
• Third were the trees.  Only two species 'kiwi classic' tree and frazer fur.  Kiwi classic being something I had never seen before we got that.  (It didn't hurt that it was less than half the price of the other!)  

So $30 later we had a Kiwi Christmas Tree, another $30 for the stand (a real nice one made in Houston TX) and we were off!

The service was minimal.  No fancy wrapping for the tree to make it transport nicely.   No fresh cut so it stays supple longer.  Nope just grab the tree and run.  So I ties it to the roof of the car and came home where Dennis and I took turns giving it a fresh cut.

Once inside the house Dennis was  bit upset that we were not decorating it right away.  In the US it was our custom to give the tree a day to 'warm up.'  That would literally mean warm up and give the branches a chance to lower as US trees tend to be cram packed and therefore compressed.  The next day the branches had lowered and tree does look fuller.  So that much improved.  The biggest benefit is that we are sure that it would stay upright in the stand.

The Tree

I like how we decorated the tree this year (and last for that matter) it was really simple.  The 'tinsel' was some ribbon we had in the house cut them to 700mm, the ornaments were mostly hand made.  Many of them from items we had around the house, old wrapping paper bows etc.; others were kits that we purchased which made great craft projects.

Keeping it simple makes the season more enjoyable for me.  I can not stand the commercialization of Christmas; it takes my attention from whole point of the season.

No tree is complete without one or two gifts under it.  They are from Dennis two to Chris and one to me!

Wood Gas Stove

The following stove was a great father and son project; however much more importantly, it is a way for Dennis to roast marshmallows that does not require me to fire up the barbie!

Making it required three cans, a can opener, and a means to punch small holes in the cans, I used an 8 penny nail and a hammer.  To fire it up put in a load of twigs and some fire starter on top.  The fire starter that I use is that clear gel hand-cleaner (it is 70% ethanol.)   The fire burns from the top down and generates smoke which is then mixed with air for a secondary burn.

This particular model works well I was able to get blue flame from the smoke for about five minutes in the middle of a 20 minute burn time.  (think of that twenty minutes of fire from hand full or two of twigs.)  I think I have a bit too much air coming into the internal can so for my next version I will put in a few less holes.

Okay so now some pictures, please forgive the quality, they were taken with camera on an old cell phone.

The top can is simply an offset for a pot.

The holes in the top of the can are so heated air can get into the gas.  When working properly it appears as if the flame is coming into the can via those holes.

Held the camera up-side-down to get a better picture :)

Twas a fun project ...

... and very satisfying for the pyromanic in me!

Opera House

With our good friend Monica in front of the Sydney Opera House this past August.

Back a Week

Well one week ago, I was getting off the ferry after 21 days of Outward Bound. It was a challenging experience physically, mentally and emotionally. It was hard, yet I'm glad I went. I came home fit, tan and tired.

My challenge going forward is to follow through on the goals I set. I learned lots: to try new things, to persevere, to get organized quickly, to appreciate basics, and to live simply. I got to experience the mind and body connection, so I plan to apply that to my Taekwondo training. I am also trying to keep up some running, since I'm enjoying my higher level of physical fitness. (Now if Wellington weather would be a bit drier and warmer!)

Last Thursday Tom greeted me with flowers and a picnic. We went to the top of Mt. Victoria where we had a panoramic view of Wellington and I was treated to wonderful cheeses, bread and some bubbly.

On Saturday we prepared a Thanksgiving Dinner. I made pumpkin pies, stuffing and rolls. Tom barbecued a turkey. We invited 8 people over. A delicious culinary experience was enjoyed by all. We chatted and laughed.

On Monday I returned to the regular weekly schedule as home school mum and taxi driver.

We are preparing for Tom's parents' visit for Christmas. I'm looking into some touring options. We will need to book soon since it will be school holidays and high season.

Summer

is almost here.  They declare it December 1st down here.  A bit disorientating as I would expect it to arrive with the equinox on December 22nd.  But the day is glorious.  Just beautiful sunny and warm.  This is one of those 'good days' where you cannot find a better place in all the world to be than Wellington.

Inward Bound

Chris is inward bound tomorrow.  Dennis and I spent a good amount of time this evening getting the house in order.  It is now to the point where any self-respecting female would die if they had let the house go to this.  As opposed to two males who are too caught up in playing games and figuring out how to open canned beans for dinner.

We have survived our three weeks without Chris.  I will know if Chris has survived her event at 4:20pm when the ferry unloads.  Or if I get a call earlier saying everything belly-up.  (kiwi's have another term that means the same thing however my american sentiments prevent me from putting it in writing even as it would be appropriate term here for what goes up is something only found on the female anatomy.)

In addition to making the house presentable there are a few other things to get done in the morning.  Than Dennis goes to swimming class and after that we meet Chris.  Oh tomorrow will be a busy busy day.

View from the road

This linked picture from the Wellington Daily Photo, it is a production of my good friend Jeremy.  This is the view I see if I walk up the hill the "long way" from Wellington.

http://blandforddailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/11/904-kaiwharawhara.html

The word is pronounced Kai-fara-fara.

You know you are in the 21st century when ...

You are upset that you can only have a phone call between New Zealand and Chicago because your personal video conference system (this case google video) is not working!

Beaujolais Nouveaux

Is pretty good this year.  I had a couple of glasses today as Wellington has the first official opening in the world.  We open up the bottles at noon today which co-insides with Beaujolais doing so at midnight.

In France they go to bed after tasting theirs; we drink the stock dry with wild boar sausages (you read that right - wild boar sausages.)  In France they open them in a cold damp cellar because it is better than being out doors in November; we do so outdoors and enjoy the glorious Wellington spring.

This is the second year in a row I have gone to this event.  Both times were great fun.

I was reminded today just how small Wellington is.  Last year I met some new people, this year I put names to familiar faces I had seen on the street.  It was fun to figure out where we had met, one was at the event last year.  The most interesting is someone I met through my father-in law.  This man worked at the 'Black Harp' the Irish bar in town (BTW they have the best Steak and Guinness Pies)  After he told me, I proceeded to tell him the story about taking my father-in-law who lives in Atlanta there and as I was going to say "and it turns out your bar tender had lived in Atlanta" he said "I lived in Atlanta for eight years!"  Yep it is a small town I live in here.  Oh by the way Don, Steve says "Hi."

It is amazing how much has changed in a year.  Last year I didn't even know where Woodward Street was located, that it ran between the two main roads in Wellington (Lampton Quay and The Terrace.)  This year I know my way around the city!  But what was most telling about my transition into a Wellintonian is that I put names to faces that I recognized from walking in the CBD!

Earthquake!

Two of them today.  A 5.3 at 7:05am and a 4.8 at 8:05am.  The first was quite the shaker, it seemed to go on for two minutes.   It hit when I was in bed and I was startled at how gentle the shaking was.  Almost like someone tenderly coming in and shaking you on the shoulder, or should I say the bed, the room, the house, the hill, the city, the island ...

Outward Bound

Chris has written a few letters from outward bound.  I can report that she is having fun.  She is learning how to shovel out chicken coops, make cement, and row kayaks.  She has tramped up mountains and can now find here way through the woods with a compass and a map.  She has been rained upon with some amazing downpours and enjoyed glorious sunny days in one of the most beautiful places in the country

The trip is proving to be more emotionally and mentally stressful than physically, which means it is working as designed.

She craves chocolate and licorice; the care package will be on its way tomorrow.

Lake Ferry

This past weekend (Saturday through Monday) Dennis and I went to Lake Ferry.  For those who do not know New Zealand Geography (and I suppose for those who do) Lake Ferry is about 20 miles from Wellington ... if you were to fly East South East over the bay and over the Rumitucka mountains.

It is a 90 minute drive.

You have to go all the way to Upper Hutt, and then over the mountains, and then all the way down Martinbrough Valley to the water.  There are two bridges over the river that runs down the valley so choose your route, and your bridge wisely.  (BTW Google shows another bridge which doesn't exist, mercifully I spoke with some friends who have family who live down by Lake Ferry.)

We stayed in a tent at the Gateway Holiday Park (www.gatewayholidaypark.co.nz) the park is small even by New Zealand standards however we had a great time.  This is so typical New Zealand.  We arrived an the inn keeper was in Wellington for the soccer game.  He left a sign on the door saying to text him if you needed a room, and if you wanted to camp just have at it and come find him in the morning.  This place is so trusting!


So we choose a well sheltered place from the wind.  And a good thing we did as the winds were upwards of 70mph over the weekend.  I was waken up more than once as the tent attempted to fly away with me in it.  Yes they were very strong winds.  Dennis enjoyed the trampoline and meeting the other guests at the park.  There were no other children which was disappointing but he made up for it by befriending the park dog.


On Sunday Dennis and I went to the Seal Colony and light house.  This is the furthest south on the north island.  Desolate is the word that comes to mind.  The road goes right along the ocean for most of the drive and there is no one there.  One town outside of Lake Ferry and a few Batchs (summer homes) here and there.


The Seals were the hit of the day.  Dennis loved them and wants to go back.  I am quite keen to do so for there are a few other sites down there which I would like to explore.

Life on the Ridge Line

We live on the ridge line on a minor hill here in Wellington area.  Today's weather is rainy and there is some strange, but typical weather patterns.

The rain came in from the East.  That means the valley to the east of the house was raining well before the valley to the west of the house.  Which translates into our Deck and Lounge Windows were drenched with driving rain and the Breakfast nook windows and patio were dry.  Not only were they dry but the cars below us on the road were dry as well.

While Dennis and I were looking to the West we saw the rain start to come over the house.  This was a good five minutes after the downpour on the East side of the house.  I had never berfore seen such a marked contrast as today.

Bill boards kiwi style ...

I've seen this around town a couple of times over the past year.  Thought you may get a kick out of it...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/3042467/Paris-not-laughing-at-vacant-Kiwi-billboards

Passed the test

Chris took her Tae Kwon Do test for a "Green Tip" (orange belt for you folks up north) and did great.  Here she is receiving her certificate!  She has a great smile ...

Joshua is the blackbelt in the picture, the two instructors are David (left) and Mark.

Lazy Thursday Morning

It is a quiet gray morning no sign of blue sky at all; nor is there any wind this morning.  Dennis and I are sitting down on the sofa chatting away this morning.  Chris is out running around Otari Wilton Bush in her last push in preparation for Outward Bound.  (she leaves tomorrow morning about this time.)

Time to make my second cup of coffee and get some grub before I start the work of the day.

Cheers!

Dry Riesling

In a world of great white wines it is rare that one stands out. So I
was quite surprised, and pleased, when I tasted Waimea Dry Riesling
for the first time last week. This wine is made in Nelson, far North
end of the South Island of New Zealand.  Nelson is always in
the top five of the sunniest places in New Zealand so as you can
imagine there are plenty of vineyards in the area. Just google
"vineyards nelson new zealand" and see for yourself!

I had not heard of Waimea before last week when our friends served us
a glass. I found out that they were on sale ($12.99) at the local
supermarket so we ran out and picked up a dozen.

Describing wines is not my forte - so please bear with me. This is a
rich wine with a pleasant fruity bouquet, it has a surprisingly heavy
body for a white wine which only adds to the character. It goes well
with the typical New Zealand cheeses and we enjoyed it with an
Asparagus Quiche for lunch this weekend. A much more technical
description from the wine maker can be found here ... http://www.waimeaestates.co.nz/tastingnotes/pdfdocs/WAIMEA%202005%20DRY%20RIESLING.pdf

If you find it in North America please let me know!

All Saints Eve

Today is Halloween, and what a difference from the US!  This is our first halloween here in New Zealand. Last one if you recall (and if you don't go look up the blog entry) was a party at a friends house.  This is our first one trick-or-treating around the block.

So how is it different?  I am glad you asked, let me tell you.  The first thing that strikes me as strange, which is the same of all these fall/winter (or shall I say spring/summer holidays) is the light.  As I type this it is 8:15pm and still light out.  Second reason is that when Dennis and I went out door to door we only went to 13 houses in an hour of walking.  Granted that hour had a few good conversations with neighbors I had just met, however it did include a fair bit of walking.

We did not knock on every door in the neighborhood, someone had canvased the neighborhood asking adults who wanted to give away candy to identify the houses by balloons on the gates and for the kids to come between 4-6.  Really nice touch.

While Dennis and I were out Chris manned the fort here at home.  She had two groups of children show up.  We didn't expect a large turn out but that was pretty small!  But not to worry it did double while Chris and Dennis were at the Church All Saint's Eve party.  Two more groups of kids showed up!  I think we had a total of 14 kids at the door this year.

Our next door neighbor lilly thought we would get 20 kids showing.  So in the ball park just a bit light.  I do hear some children running around outside but I have taken our balloons down so maybe they are just passing us by.

Very low key holiday by US standards.

My respect has gone down a notch ...

While the chips were pretty good I can't imagine why in the world they have to import them from literally the other side of the world.  New Zealand is a huge exporter of food their potatoes are as good as any Idaho Gold I have ever had.

(See the bold type in the picture below ...)

Saturday 24 October 2009

Today was a lovely day.  The weather was perfect and we spent a considerable amout of time outside enjoying it.

Early afternoon while Chris was going door-to-door handing out flyers for the annual Quilt sales event here in Wellington; Dennis and I were playing base-ball at one of the few flat pieces of land here in Wellington.  Later in the day we went over to the city library and learned about Galileo and his telescope. I got to hold a strut from the lunar lander.  I mean a real strut that was on the moon!  Quite cool.  After a few hours talking to the presenters we went home but not without having found out another set of activities for the day.

This evening we went to the King Observatory over at the Botanical Gardens.  http://www.was.org.nz/01TKOImages.htm  The 1870 telescope was open to the public!  We saw the moon up close and personal through a 140 year old telescope!  On the way out of the Botanical Gardens were were able to look at Jupiter through a modern telescope or two.

Dennis had a great big grin on his face for most of the evening.  He really liked looking through the telescopes.

For the last part of the evening we sat around the house reading books and making blog entries.

You can't beat a good day in Wellington!

Until you have been here you cannot appreciate the phrase "You can't beat a good day in Wellington!"  Today is one of those "good" days.

It is perfect.

Today it is sunny and mild.  As we had rain all weekend it has the fresh damp look to it.  There is  no wind it will be a high of 61F however with the sun it will seem like mid-70's.

The plants are in bloom.  Everywhere I look there are blossoms of all the colors of the rainbow and more.

It truly is hard to explain come on down and enjoy it for yourself!

Bush Walks

In preparation for Outward Bound I'm doing more walking through the bush. Near us is Otari-Wilton's Bush. Today I got a great workout climbing up and down hills. The trails are stair stepped in many areas. As an added bonus I saw a mother duck and her two black-and-white ducklings. They weren't too sure about me, so I changed direction. Other bonuses on my walk were seeing frilly fungus on a tree and smelling flowering bushes.

World of Wearable Art

Last Sunday we all had the treat of seeing the World of Wearable Art show (WOW). See my previous post about my involvement as a dresser.

It was neat to see it all together. Actors and dancers were milling around doing a bit of a preshow. I got a kick out of the lady dressed in a bathrobe, slippers, and hair curlers; she acted like I was an old friend she hadn't seen in a while. Dennis enjoyed it and wants to go again.

Being behind the stage, I saw the costumes but I didn't see the choreography or the props. It was quite a show; the time flew quickly. I hear from Wellingtonians that it keeps getting better. I bought a DVD featuring some of the past shows.

Traffic Jams

About two weeks ago, Dennis and I were in an unusual traffic jam. Usually it takes us 10-15 minutes to get to Karori for our taekwondo class on Mondays. So we left at our normal time. It took us 45 minutes to get there and then I found out why it took so long. One of the main roads that leads to the motorway was closed due to a truck oil spill. That meant a lot more traffic was using the back roads which happened to be in my neighborhood!

Earthquake Today

We felt a 4.8 this evening in Wellington. Dennis was eating a bowl of cereal at the time. It scared him a bit when I told him to stand in a doorframe. Tomorrow we will ask our friends, "did you feel the quake?" Some areas of Wellington feel them more than others. All's well here.

Kiwi psyche

It is hard to describe the kiwi psyche.

There is the "Tall Poppy Syndrome" of which I often hear.  That is defined as taking someone who is successful down a notch or two.

However it is not what I think of most when I think of the difference between Kiwi's and American's.  What I think of most is the Kiwi's ability to laugh at themselves, and it comes out in some of the most delightful ways.

For instance ... http://blandforddailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/09/843-spotted.html

Yesterday when Chris and I were walking around we walked by this building.  It is surreal.  We rounded the corner and there it was.  A huge building covered in polka-dots.  It is definitely a kiwi thing.

I truly love this place!

St. Johns on the water

Last night we went out to celebrate our anniversary (anniversary was Monday) as Dennis is at a friends house for the afternoon and evening.  Truth be told our choice of restaurant was primarily driven by the coupon book we purchased to support Dennis' soccer club.

St Johns is located on the water front just west of Te Papa (the national museum.)  The restaurant is setback a distance from the water itself; however it has great views of the mountains across the water.  As it was our anniversary we did not go to the restaurant to look at the water or the mountains (we can do that from our lounge) we went for a quiet evening celebrating 24 years.

The food was very good.  Chris had an entree of tomatoes and basil, followed a main which was the catch of the day (some fish whose name I cannot remember;)  I had capriccio followed by pan friend pork belly.  We shared a bottle of French wine and a chocolate cake for desert.

After dinner we wandered on the water front and reflected on our life together over the years.

Traffic Jam

Today I hit a traffic jam on the way to the Hutt Valley from Wellington.  This is the road that runs North along the bay.  About one Kilometer from the exit the traffic came to a grinding halt.  As I was running late I looked at the clock and saw it was 9:30am, which gave me little comfort as I wanted to be at my destination at 9:30!

So I sat there fuming until the traffic started to move again.  Unfortunately for me it was an unusually long traffic jam.  Not that we have many, just the occasional in the city during rush hour.  This one really surprised me given the time of day and location.

As would be expected the traffic cleared just before the exit with everything running smoothly again.  I had to sit through the whole thing!  While on the exit ramp I checked the time again and saw that it was 9:33am.

I couldn't believe three minutes to go what should have taken about 40seconds.  Sometimes Wellington deals bum cards.

Outward Bound

I'm going on an Outward Bound in November. After hearing about it from four different attendees, I thought, I'd like to do it.

I'll be going to the school at the top of the South Island for 21 days in November. I've passed my physical and paid my money. I still need to gather together gear, book my ferry ticket and do extra jogging and hiking.

My understanding is that we will spend half the time at the base and half time on outings. I'll get to sail, kayak, swim, run, hike, sleep solo under the stars, rock climb and do high ropes. It will be challenging physically, mentally and emotionally. I'm sure the spiritual element will be there too--I will be praying for help with the challenges!

I'm excited about it. It's a great motivator to get some extra exercise.

World of Wearable Art (aka WOW)

Last week and this week the World of Wearable Art show is on in Wellington. I got an inside look into the show last week. I was a volunteer dresser for one of the models. The show ran for 5 nights in a row so it was like having a part-time job.

http://www.worldofwearableart.com/home

People from all over the world design costumes and enter them into the show. Not all designs entered become part of the show. The show has different sections. The children's theme was "At the Bottom of the Garden." The South Pacific section was "Patterns of the Pacific." Open Section has no theme boundaries. The Illumination Section uses UV light to "Float, Fly, Flow." Creative Excellence section had to do with "folding." Other sections are "Magnificent Men" and Avant Garde. Designs are chosen for the show for each of the sections, then music and choreography, lighting, models and lots of cast and crew put together an incredible show. We will be seeing the show on Sunday, 4 October.

For an idea of what the costumes are like, go to the website above and look at the tab of the award winners. The models in the photos are not those in the show, the photos are from the program which was printed up back in June.

As a dresser, I got to see costumes up close. Some other perks were: a ticket to the show, a program, and a T-shirt. Oh, I can't forget the cast and crew party coming up Sunday night.

Certainly costumes entered were wearable. However, my inside look showed that they weren't necessarily comfortable. One dress, Queen Adelaide" required 4 people to get it on the model because it was so heavy.

More to come next week after we see the show.

I'm not a kiwi!

I learned an important lesson this past weekend.  When someone offers you a free ticket to the rugby you go.  Especially if it is the last game of the All Black's season or they are playing against Australia and never ever turn down the ticket when both of those conditions occur.

I turned down a ticket to the NZ/Australia Rugby game this weekend.  I had plans with some friends in the afternoon and could not be sure of returning in time for the game (nor did I.)  However my friends informed me that I should have taken the ticket; and this was repeated by everyone who heard throughout the weekend.  More than once I was told that I was not a true kiwi bloke.

The Chicagoland comparison is to turn down the last football game of the season between the Bears/Packers for all intended purposes.  Except that everyone in Wellington is an All Blacks fan.

A major cultural faux-pas!

Early in the morning ...

Playing hooky with Dennis

Today Dennis and I took some time for good old fashioned male bonding as Chris is at a home schooling conference in Palmerson North.  Our time together actually started last night when Chris went to an Art Party at our church.  Somehow Dennis and I managed to feed ourselves and then we played computer games for the rest of the evening.

This morning we ended up rolling out of bed around 8:30am and after tending to the normal morning routine we planned our day ... as only boys can ... by a game of paper-scissors-rock which I won by producing a paper to cover Dennis' rock.

So according to the rules of the day I choose our first activity which was fishing.  Dennis eagerly agreed to accompany me to the fishing spot.  Which for today I changed from our normal.  We went to the Seatoun Pier which is strangely enough located in Seatoun.  The morning consisted of me baiting hooks while Dennis tangled fishing line.  My line was the first to hook a fish which gave me an excellent fight.  In fact more than once I thought the line was going to break.  I eventually prevailed and was able to land a 8" Gurnard which was quite lovely to look at.  While Dennis and I were staring at the fish and I was being reminded of the fact that I did not bring the appropriate gear to take a fish home with us, Dennis pole started to wiggle and he had his turn to land a fish.

After Dennis got the fish out of the water, but before it was on land he had a problem with his fishing tackle.  I looked over to see Dennis reeling in the fish as fast as he could and the fish just keeping above the water.  His line was a tangled mess down by the reel and was slipping off as fast as he could pull it back.  I came over and helped Dennis, together we got the fish on the pier.  Dennis caught a Spotty about six inches long.

Dennis later commented that we both had caught appropriate size fishes.  Right after we released these fish and got our hooks back in the water the weather changed as only it can do in Wellington.  It was warm and sunny with a cool breeze and suddenly the wind picked up dark clouds rolled in and we were cold.  Dennis kept on fishing whilst I cleaned up our tackle.

We left and it was Dennis turn to choose the next activity.  Which he did within 10 minutes.  Dennis and I took an indirect route home via Moa Point road which brought us though Wahine Memoral park and then by some tidal pools.  Dennis saw the pools and declared our next bit of fun was to play in (I said around) the pools.  So we stopped and spent about a half hour crawling on the rocks in a very rugged section of New Zealand.

After Dennis was too cold to throw another rock into the water we headed off to the car and to lunch.   We had Fish and Chips in Island Bay (town not the water) and went to the Island Bay Butcher where I picked up some Italian Sausages that look just amazing!

Then it was my turn to choose what to do for fun.  I choose to go to the top of Mount Victoria.  This would have been hotly contensted by Dennis as he did not consider it all too fun.  However I was driving - he actually suggested that I let him drive to get out of going.  It took a while to find Alexandra Road which is the way to the summit.

When we were at the top Dennis was not overly keen on getting out of the car so I coaxed him out by yelling "last one to touch the totem-pole is a rotten egg" as I left the car.  Dennis is always game for a race so he jumped out of the car after me and raced to the totem-pole.  Needless to say he was the first to touch the pole (it was fairly far away and up the hill.)  I never touched the pole myself so I tried to convince Dennis that he was the "last" one to touch it therefore he is the rotten egg.  That did not go over too well.

The views were amazing from up top Mount Vic.  Wow.

Back in the car it was Dennis turn to choose what to do for fun.  He asked to drive back to the house where we played a game of soccer in the back yard.  I am pleased to say that I won 10-9 which was mostly because Dennis fell down during a crucial play (my winning goal.)

Coming back in the house it is my turn to choose the fun activity.  I selected writing this blog entry.  Dennis has been sitting next to me the whole time (30 minutes or so) suggesting phrases to include in the narrative.  He very interested in describing the fishing correctly and displayed patience (and a bit of nagging) as I kept on writing about our day.

Now it is Dennis turn to select something fun to do.  He is requesting video games.  Which I think as this is a special situation I will let him have 30 minutes of mid-week screen time ... he will be a happy camper.

Tom (& Dennis)

Google Wellington

Google has updated the arial views of Wellington.  You can see our green Rav4 parked near the house.  The quality of the pictures are amazing.  Go ahead take a look at it and be sure to use the street view, it is lovely here at Wellington.

Spring

This morning I was awaken by the birds.  Spring has arrived and the morning song is returning.  There are many trees around the house, and bush not a half kilometer away (1/3 of a mile) so we have birds.

The sunrise itself I missed as I stayed in bed listening to the birds.  (That is my story and I am sticking with it.)  But I did notice that the sun is warming the house.  During the winter the morning sun is sickly and does not give warmth to the lounge.  Today it did.  It felt good to stand in the sun and soak up some of the heat.

As i walked down to Wellington this morning I was struck by the "weeds" on the side of the road.  They are flowering with the loveliest flowers that you guys up North spend hundreds of dollars on at the nursery to plant around your house for one season.  Here I can pick them up with a shovel.

Gone fishing

Took some time this afternoon to go fishing with Dennis.  I had made a few calls and can get some paperwork done this evening after he goes to bed so asked him for an hour then we went.

Chris wanted to go with us, not to go fishing but to go shopping.  She figured while we were out on the pier wresting with a spotty or two she could be browsing through the various shops on Jackson Street.

The drive to Petone was beautiful; the sky was clear, the mountains were a stark contrast to the sky and the water was alive with white caps as the southerly was blowing hard.  Dennis and I left the car at the pier to start our fishing adventure.  As soon as we walked through the gate to the pier we could feel the full force of that southerly blowing in our face!

Truth is we did not last until the end of the pier.  About 50 feet (16 meters) onto the pier Dennis put on his coat.  Another 100' (32 meters) he said he was too cold and wanted to turn back.  Thank God for cell phones.  By the time we got to the end of the pier we could see Chris coming to retrieve us.

It was a short fishing trip.  (Much to my relief)  And I am sure there will be more!

Spring

Today is officially the first day of spring here in Wellington. I still have not come to grips with spring arriving three weeks prior to the equinox. However spring it is! The flowers are in bloom the sun is warm and Wellington is beautiful.

Holiday (Vacation) Reflections

Re. Dennis Theme - Whitewater World is a park with lots of water slides located in the Gold Coast. Luna Park is an old-fashioned 1930s style amusement park in Sydney.

I noticed that my packing list had some new terminology in it. I have taken on the kiwi terms jandals for flip flop sandals and togs for swimsuits. The term holiday is used for vacation.

We have been back home about a week now. The break from routine was welcomed. The top thing I wanted to do was to go to the Great Barrier Reef. We did that day two of the trip. We were picked up by a bus and then rode a big boat out to the reef. It was an overcast and windy day. The charter company has their own pontoon island which had snorkeling area marked. Tom and I snorkeled and Dennis went on one of the glass bottom boats. It was pretty cool to see the fish and corals in their home environment. Being nearsighted and without my glasses snorkeling, I didn't notice as much as Tom and Dennis. Near the end of the time on the "island" Dennis got more interested in snorkeling. We wore blue anti-stinger suits as an extra layer of protection.

When visiting our friends in Sydney, we decided that Australia is the land of "suits." The blue suits were for snorkeling. When surfing people wear wet suits. At the beach people wear rash tops or high SPF suits to protect from the sun. When we climbed the bridge we got to wear a special blue grey suit, so we would blend in with the bridge and so that we could attach hats, glasses and gear to it.

I did a couple of things that were up high. One was riding the cable car over the rain forest in Cairns. It was a three part ride with two breaks to walk on boardwalks in the rain forest. We ended in a small town called Kuranda. I enjoyed browsing the shops. We returned on a scenic rail tour. It was a pleasant day out.

You've seen the photos. I actually climbed the bridge in Sydney. I admitted to being nervous and so I got to be first climbing. One steep section, when I could see through the stairs, I had to breathe deep and just keep going. The guide told me afterwards that that was the worst part for those of us with height issues. She was right. However, the parts where we walked over steel mesh, I did not look down. Other climbers took this approach too. We were physically attached to the bridge the whole time. A roller mechanism was attached to our belts. It was like having an umbilical cord. Afterwards, we fondly admired the bridge and were glad the attachment was now emotional rather than physical.

I bought myself a piece of aboriginal art for a souvenir. I have to get it framed and then it will be a colorful addition to our lounge. Dennis would have liked to get a didgeridoo which is a long wooden musical instrument. Tom got around that one by saying we couldn't bring wood back into NZ. Dennis does just fine making noise without the assistance of a didgeridoo.

There was only one thing I wouldn't repeat. One night we stayed in a little trailer in a holiday park. The stove was gas and the flames were a bit wild. The sheets weren't soft. Tom was sick with a nasty cold virus and I was just starting to get it too.

Kiwi'isms

I learned two new Kiwi phrases today ...

An oily rag - to be frugal.

As in: I am running my engine on an oily rag.

Mooted - open for discussion.

As in: We recently mooted the going to Madrid next year.

Dennis' Theme

My Theme Australia

I like Whitewater World.

I also like Luna Park and I like making sand castles.

Down to One Mouse

Our mouse sitters thought they had a dead mouse on day 3. The small one, Sasha, had been sick and recovered, then became sick again when we went to bring the mice home. This morning our sick mouse was a stiff mouse. Dennis dug a hole and we buried her in the back yard. Of the two, Sasha was Dennis' favorite mouse. Right now the one mouse left, Missy, seems healthy. Dennis wants to get another mouse. I told him he has to wait three weeks; we have to wait and see if Missy gets sick or not.

The Haka

At the start of every All Blacks Rugby game the All Blacks perform the Haka. The Haka is a traditional Maori war challenge. I have had the privilege of watching one Haka in person (the rest of them I have seen on youtube!)

Following is a video of the Haka as it was performed in Ireland a few years ago. Each one is unique so I suggest that you click on a few of the links that come up at the end.

Here is more information than you wanted to know about the Haka.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka

The Haka

Tuesday

Today is the last day of our vacation. We have packed our bags and are ready for the taxi to pick us up. Chris and Dennis are over at a park and I am writing out last blog entry while in Oz.

I can truly say that Australia has been amazing! We have had a great time, met some great people, and seen some great sights. I was talking about what we have done last night with our Sydney hostess Monica. We have:

Snorkeled on the great barrier reef

Took a cable car above the rain forest

Took a scenic train through Baron Gorge

Pet Kangaroo's

Got lost in a Giant Maze

Seen the Australia Zoo and the infamous Crocodile Show!

Swam in the Tasman Sea.

Made Sand Castles too numerous to count

Seen a glorious Light House

Watched the Sun Rise over Australia

Went to a water park

Pet a Dolphin and a Seal

Rode Camels

Toured the Powerhouse Museum

Climbed the Sydney Bridge (oh my we really did that!)

Walked around Darling Harbour

Taken multiple boats on Sydney Harbour

Got up close to the famous Opera house

Explored Downtown Sydney

Went to an Amusement Park

Wandered around Manly Beach

And today we went to the Australian Maritime Museum here in Sydney.

It has a wonderful tribute to the USA exploring the ties that bind the two countries from the 1700's through to today. We also were able to get onto decommissioned post WWII class Destroyer and Submarine.

It was a good day, however it is sad day in that we are leaving. As much as I love New Zealand and our adopted city of Wellington there is something about being on vacation ...

Shopping!

Shopping is such a bore. Even when it is for my own clothing. I will not bore you (or myself) by writing out the details. I was in and out in 45 minutes and exchanged looks with an Aussie bloke who apparently hates shopping as much as this American counterpart. We left the goods behind (by design) and went to Luna Park.

Luna Park is an amusement park between the Sydney bridge and the Waterfront on in North Sydney. You can read all about it at (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_Park_Sydney.) Dennis had a great time running between all the rides. He made a new friend Jacob who was on holiday in Sydney like Dennis. Chris and I shadowed them and chatted with Jacob's parents.

After Luna Park it was off to Manly Beach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manly_beach) where we met Monica. We walked one kilometer on the Corso from the ferry terminal to Manly beach itself; where we had Fish and Chips for lunch. After lunch we wandered around for an hour or so while Dennis payed in the sand.

The way back was a quick 20 minute bus ride! Boy do Kurt and Monica live in a great location!

Sadness

It is with great regret that I inform you that we did not build a sandcastle today. I would have liked to however we left pretty early and did not get back until late.

Of course we did start the day with the Climb of our Life on The Sydney Bridge!

Wow was that a climb! Chris lead the way with me as number two and twelve others somewhere behind us. We started on the South side of the bridge and worked our way to the top, the very top. Along the way they explained a few things about the bridge and the sights; and of course took the obligatory pictures of us ($20 each.)

Our guide, Dee, was great. She had an excellent sense of humor that kept me laughing. Her knowledge of the bridge, its history, and Sydney in general made the trip go quickly. I also appreciated how she helped Chris, who is afraid of heights, with the climb. I am glad she was my guide.

After the climb we met Kurt, Monica and Dennis and wandered through "The Rocks" together. As today is Sunday "The Rocks" was alive with a street fair. We wandered trough the general stuff: food, clothing, wind chimes, etc. until hunger dictated that we sit down somewhere and have a bite to eat. I took everyone off the street through a side building. In this building Chris was enticed by a Aboriginal Art Gallery where Chris succumbed and purchased a piece! I am sure that you will see a picture soon enough!

For lunch we choose "The Argyle." Which is located, strangely enough, Argyle Street. Argyle has the distinction of having a unisex community bathroom. I wish I had taken a picture of this but without one here it goes. A long trough in the middle for washing your hands. Little rooms with either "W+M" on them or "W" (I will let you figure out the significance; and a series of pods with a urinal on the back side.

After lunch we walked to the waterfront and worked our way to the Opera House via Circle Quay. There are shops galore and other distractions which made it a much longer walk than expected! Dennis climbed the Opera House. We wandered through the lobby for a while and

took in the sights. And like my first time at Sydney the air temperature around the opera house seemed to drop by 5F or so.

After the opera house we caught a bus back to Kurt and Monica's and went over the bridge again. Amazing how easily I can spot the bridge climbers now!

Sydney!

We have a great picture of Dennis and I with the Sydney Opera House over our right shoulder. This was taken on the ferry ride back to Neutral Bay after a delightful day wandering around the city.

We started our day at the Powerhouse Museum (http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/) The Museum of Science and Industry was Dennis' favorite back in Chicago so we thought he would enjoy this one as well. What I did not expect was how much fun I would have at this museum! There were plenty of interactive exhibits for the children that entertained me as well. (No comments from the peanut gallery please!)

The exhibit I liked the best was the space exhibit. They showed a Russian Lunar Lander. (I didn't even know they had one, did you?) A whole bunch of replica manmade satellites including a replica of Freedom One the current habitable orbiter.

After the museum we met Monica and Kurt at Hanna's Hot Pies (http://www.hannahs.com.au/) and I had a beef pie with Mushy Peas. Quite tasty I highly recommend it.

AFter lunch we started a two hour walk to circle quay and the warf. We wandered through Hyde Park. Then up Macquarie Street where we saw the Sydney Hospital, Library, Parliament House, and the Cathedral. We then took a detour through the Hotel Sofitel and to an aboriginal art gallery. I just managed to get Chris out of there without buying anything. We ended up at the Custom's House where they have a three dimensional model of Sydney under a glass floor. From there across the street to the Wharf and our boat home!

Iceberg

Part of what I love about Wellintonians is their sense of humor. For instance a fake iceberg in the harbour ...

You can see this in all its glory, and read about the reason why, over at my friends Jeremy's blog The Wellington Daily Photo. http://blandforddailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/08/798-oriental-iceberg.html

First day in Sydney

We arrived in Sydney around 11:00am today after a non-descript drive from Terrigal. We are staying at the home of Chicago friends, Kurt and Monica, who moved in June of 2008. They are on their own great adventure! Half the reason for going to Australia was to spend time with this great couple!

First order of business (after unloading the car) was to eat a bag of Doritos! Turns out they are sold here in Australia, I know what I am going to use to fill out my suitcase. After catching up with Monica (Kurt is at work) and planning when we were going to make the Sydney Bridge climb it was off to drop off the car.

I drove across the Sydney Bridge with a view of the Opera house on my left. Wow! It was magical to be on that bridge and to see the Opera house again. Even though I had been here before it still is amazing view. After dropping off the car I walked back through Sydney to catch the bus back. My route took me through Hyde Park.

Hyde Park is a large park (2x10 blocks) in the center of the Central Business District. It has two large groves of trees that run parallel up the center of the park with a large walkway between them. As it was lunch time there were tons of business men and women enjoying a quick bite to eat on the lawn and benches.

The bus was simplicity itself. Monica's directions were perfect and 10 minutes later I was back in their home in Neutral Bay. We took a 20 minute walk down to Neutral Bay (the waterfront) for some coffee and to give Dennis the opportunity to build a Sand Castle!

The walk through Neutral Bay (the suburb) was delightful. The architecture is stunning many old Brick Victorians with Iron Lacework surrounded by Tropical flowers. When we arrived we took a few pictures and then had Coffees and Hot Chocolate on a balcany over the water. We gazed at Sydney across the bay and watched the pedestrians exit and board the commuter ferry. A very relaxing afternoon.

Right now (5:45pm) Chirs and Dennis are playing a card game, Kurt is on his way back from work, and Monica is making something for dinner that smells very very good ...

Thursday

Thursday started with a Sand Castle (what else?) We are staying at the Terrigal Pacific Resort (more of a hotel really) which is about a half mile from the sea. Finding our way to the sea was easy as and we went out to a very active beach. Not in terms of people but wave action! Boy was the surf rolling in! We managed to just stay dry and build our best sand castle yet.

After the sand castle it was time to find a place to eat. Parking was free and a couple blocks from the waterfront. We had Thai on the beach front watching the people walk by.

The afternoon was spent alternating between the pool and hot tub at our 'Resort.' The pool is sterilized by salt not chlorine which makes for a much more enjoyable swim. The hot tub was nice and hot!

Dinner was Fish and Chips while watching a Rugby game in the room.

A very enjoyable day it was!

Hoosh!

Today (Wednesday) I woke up feeling pretty good, which was good. For the first words out of Dennis mouth when he saw me was “Dad are you well enough to make a sand castle this morning?” I said “Yes!”

After breakfast Dennis and went looking for the beach. A short walk later we found a completely empty beach that leant itself very nicely to making a sand castle. We scoped out the best spot and built the best sand castle ever! I am sure that it ultimately succumbed to the waves ... however it would have taken a while! The 'ideal' spot was on top of a one foot ledge of sand that ran the whole length of the beach. The water has to rise a long way then overcome our wall!

After the sand castle we were off to ride the camels! So we packed up, loaded up the car and went back to the beach (a different beach.) John runs the camel rides on the beach from 8:30am to 2:00pm every day of the week. He is quite the character and showed it real quick when he told Dennis to help himself to anything he can find the lucky dip bag located right underneath the camel’s tail. We had to sign something which basically said if we get hurt tough. We were fitted out with helmets (I thanked him and tossed it aside) and we went over to the camels.

I have a video of Chris and Dennis getting on their camels when it was my turn I found out why he kept on saying lean back. When the camel gets up he does it rear legs first. If you lean forward you will end up in the sand. Once up John had a few things to do so we just sat there waiting for him. While we sat there the Camels stood still. I could have been on a statue for all it moved. This was not a long period of time, say two minutes, however I was shocked that the camel just stood there without moving for two minutes with me on its back. When I have ridden horses they always seem to move around.

Then we were off for a 30 minute walk up and down the beach. The walk was very entertaining with John telling us about Camels, their history in Australia, his customers, and a bit about himself. At the apex of the walk he took my camera and photographed the three of us together and individually. The most interesting fact that I heard was that it was a camel that delivered the first piano in New South Whales. They strapped it to a camel’s back and off they went. The largest recorded weight in Australia is one ton. (I suppose that would have been a regular US Ton as it was recorded in the 1800’s not a metric one.) They strapped a ton onto a camel, it stood up, walked a mile or so to win the prize for its owner.

These camels were not quite up to that game but impressive non-the-less.

When we arrived back John gave the camels their last command with us on board. Hoosh! That means kneel. So the beasts kneeled down and we stepped off. Nothing to it!

The (very) long day ...

I watched the sunrise on Tuesday. I was up before dawn and thought of the light house and figured that there would be no better way to start the day than watch the sunrise from the lighthouse. So off I went! The sunrise was what you would expect on the ocean with a light layer of clouds on the horizon. Suppose you could complain about the clouds blocking a total view of the sun itself. However I was more than compensated by the watching the clouds run through the hues of orange.

I thought Chris and Dennis would like some pastries for breakfast so I looked for one the way back. It took me 10 minutes (glad the town wasn’t any bigger I drove on every side street) to find a bakery. I arrived back with Croissants, Muffins, and a vanilla glaze donut. Everyone was pleased!

For me the day went downhill from there. I have had a cough for the past week; yesterday morning it morphed into a fever. I had been driving for about an hour when I pulled over to let Chris take over the driving responsibilities - the day literally becomes a blur after that.

I was either sleeping in the car; sweating in the car, or freezing in the car. Dennis and Chris were either too cold or too hot and were constantly asking me to adjust the cabin temperature! When we arrived a the Pet Porpoise Pool I just stayed in the car. I slept most of the time and have a very vague memory of the cars moving on either side of me.

All I know about the Pet Porpoise Pool are the great pictures of Dennis and Chris interacting with seals and dolphins (Yes the Pet Porpoise Pool has Dolphins.) They were chatting away very excitedly about what happened; however I was still half out of it, so while I listened quite intently, I don’t remember a word of it!

As ability to travel was in doubt we drove all the way to Port Macquarie while we could. The rest of the day was uneventful. I was able to keep down dinner (soup) and fell asleep very early 7:00pm.

Castle to Castle

This morning the first words out of Dennis mouth were ‘Hey dad ... Can we make a sand castle?’ As we had not missed a day yet I of course said ‘Yes – after you eat breakfast.’ Dennis wolfed down a box of ‘Coco Pops’ with the last of the milk that Chris and I had been saving for this very occasion. (As an aside here I do have to ask the question why Coco Pops have the same name as the US version while Rice Bubbles are named Rice Krispies in the US?)

The normal morning. Sand Castle wall or two to keep out the waves and a couple of dips in the Tasman Sea. What was different is that I can honestly say today’s Sand Castle did not succumb to the onslaught of the tide. We built the wall quite thick and tall so that when we were done with our second dip the castle was holding its own quite well. So Dennis and I basking in our glory choose to crush the castle walls and rob the tide of its prize.

We left the Dicky Beach holiday park at exactly 10:00am. On our way to White Water World we stopped at Glass House Mountain scenic lookout. The drive to and from the lookout was amazing! We went through some Queensland back roads what were only paved because of the lookout, and they were appropriately devoid of traffic. The lookout was all but empty with great views of all the mountains.

It was another 90 minutes to White Water World. We arrived at 12:30pm and Dennis was wet by 12:35pm. The only thing worth mentioning about White Water World is that they have merchandized the rides. There is a preschooler area stamped with a household Australian Children's Show (I refuse to promote them here!) And there is a school age area that has modern day cartoon characters that are household names to everyone who is reading this blog (Yes even you Dad!)

We finally left (Yes that is an editorial comment by the author) the water park at 3:30pm. Having ridden everything that was open (well Dennis and Chris did, I limited myself to select rides.) one ride is worth talking about - ‘The Ripper.’ This ride was quite simple. A four person inter-tube (yes 4) that went down a very steep chute with one turn. Let me explain. We walked up Seven flights of stairs to the launch. They pushed us out into the dark tube. Just about the time we could not see anymore light from the launch the bottom of the tube fell out and we dropped five stories. Then a sharp right turn (well left as I was going backwards) and we were shot into what is best described as a toilet bowl. A few revolutions around the bowl and a quick drop to the finish.

After the water park we drove 50km to Byron Beach. Byron Beach has the honor of being the eastern most point on the Australian Mainland. We wanted to arrive before night fall, and just barely managed to do so! Because Byron Beach has a light house. I like light houses and this was a working light house. That we got to see in its full glory for by the time we got back from the lookout on the furthest east point of the mainland it was night.

The light house looks like a turret on top of a castle. The lighthouse itself was picturesque against the backdrop of the mountains. I wish we had arrived many hours earlier so we could have looked around the grounds and all the buildings. But as we are staying the night in Byron Bay we plan on another trip in the morning!

Watch this space ...

Steve Irwin's Shrine

That would be an apt way to describe Australia Zoo. A better way would be Steve Irwins most excellent amazing shrine! I expected a something or another about the crocodile hunter; it came off as a tribute to Steve and his family. Now with that out let me tell you about one of the best Zoo’s I have ever attended...

The Australia Zoo is 1600 acres big; that would be approximately 2/3 of a mile square. This place is huge and not all too crowded either. The Zoo is relatively new and is laid out very very well. The buildings are modern and shiny; the grounds are well tended loaded with local floral and fauna. Walking through the Zoo was a pleasure and well worth the side trip in and of itself.

As you may expect from the crocodile hunter there is a disproportionately large area devoted to reptiles - yes and crocodiles. The crocodiles all have names and are displayed in their own pens like Steve’s trophies. Complete with a description of how Steve captured them accompanied by a picture of Steve. With the exception of Elephants and Tigers the rest of the Zoo is devoted to animals found in the Australian Outback.

The real attraction of the Zoo are shows!

There are Turtle Shows, Elephant Shows, Camel Shows, Fox Shows, Birds of Prey Shows, Koala Shows, Tiger Shows, Crocodile Shows, Bird Shows and a few others we did not see. To write a paragraph for each would clearly give me the record for the single biggest blog entry for the year. So let me tell you this

1. Even without Steve Irwin, somehow the Crocodile show is still very compelling.
2. The Elephant show included an opportunity to feed them. Looking an elephant in the eye while they take their lunch from your hand is quite an experience, and to do it four times is four times as fun!
3. I think the most interesting show was the Birds of Prey. Having a staring contest with an owl flying directly towards me, with their claws out is cause for alarm (and a very quick duck for both Dennis and me.) FYI - the bird handler was about 7’ behind us.
   

All the Zoo employees were great! Many were out there talking with the patrons usually holding a bird or small reptile; sometimes escorting a camel or elephant around the Zoo. After the shows the presenters were accessible and eager to answer our questions.

And in addition to the great grounds, caretakers, animals the weather cooperated. It was a perfect day 70F in the shade and 80F in the sun.

Wow what a day!