Journey is change

France changed me.  Well, not really.  I feel like I'm changing - finally - and one of the factors was my recent trip to France.  Yes, I know I haven't written anything about that here yet, and I had told people that I would blog and share and I didn't and that was largely because the trip was contributing to so much change inside me that I couldn't even digest it all while it was happening, let alone write about it, and least of all share it.  It's starting to really sink in now, not just about the amount of change, but the kind of change. 

Someone at work asked how my vacation went, and when I told him that it was life-changing, he said "Wow.  I'd love to talk with you about that some time, about what that means to you".  And that's when it hit me that I really hadn't been able to absorb the magnitude of it all yet.  Now that I'm starting to figure that out, I want to write it down and hopefully say it so that in a few years, I'll remember it.  And the change (which I believe to be positive and beneficial) becomes more permanent.

So.  Went to France a couple of weeks ago.  It was something that kind of happened out of the blue, and when I first signed up, I didn't think I was ready for it yet.  It wasn't just a vacation, it was a Photography Retreat.  Since getting sort of serious about photography a couple of years ago, and going through various phases of seriousness, interwoven with bouts of pipe dream and laced with moments of you-must-be-crazy-you'll-never-make-this-happen, I realized that the path I was on was fun.  I loved it, and I wanted more.  I was making connections with really cool people, and discovering the creative side of me and realizing that other people kind of liked that side of me.  And that the path was a whole lot longer than I ever dreamed it would be, so I better get my ass in gear and start walking that path.

France.  Photography retreat.  Doesn't sound like it's going to be life-changing.  It wasn't just about the place - although if you ever do go there, and let it soak into your being, you'll discover that it can have that power.  It wasn't just about the photography, although my creative side was a big part of what changed.  Being influenced/guided/coached by the magical Karen Hutton?  In 5 days I learned more from just watching her and listening to her than I could have possibly imagined, and she gave so much more.  It wasn't just about the people that I met, amazing as they are, and as much fun as we had, and the way that we all wound up kind of taking care of each other.  Rowan/Robin, Lieke/Lola, Rozelle/Sophia, Tanya/Taylor, Jim/McGruff, Resi dear Resi, the amazing Karen, Brian (the invisible, the invincible)...all the most incredible souls. 

My life changed?  I changed?  More like, I accepted the invitation to change, to feel the change, to change more quickly, to start the process of change.  What changed?  I think first, my spirit.  I think my spirit finally started to calm down.  Resi, at one point during the week, said that she liked me because I am a "sturdy" person.  I'm pretty sure she meant that as a compliment, and it really kind of surprised me, because I don't think of myself that way at all.  But seeing the whirlwind that was her life made me feel like a rock set in concrete.  Karen gave me this phrase to start believing in:  "I am Unbound Creativity".  Wow.  Me?  I'm just discovering that I have any creativity at all!  And someone already sees that in me? 

I am changing.  I am finding courage in my creativity.  I am seeing myself differently.  I am worrying less about what others may think of me because it's a lot better than what I thought it was, and I am beginning to FEEL (and not just know in my head) that what others think is less important than how I think about myself.  I am more comfortable being the me that I am, and not spending so much time trying to be the me that I want to be for others.  Why did I have to get so old to figure all this out?  And it's still an ongoing process. 

France.  Ah France.  Ooh la la.  It's a part of me, and I need to try and catch the memories and write them down here so that I remember those parts better, while it's still kind of fresh.  Already I have lost so many of the details, and it has only been a couple of weeks.  But for now, I need to take one of the pieces out and care for it.  It's nice outside, a rarity for mid-October, and I want to take the camera for a walk.

Trusting my journey - Day 2, four months later....

OK, dear blog.

When I was a kid, the big thing was for a young lady (now we think of them as "tweens") to have a diary.  I'm reasonably certain this was a carryover from previous generations, when young women were meant to stay at home under the care of their father until a gentleman chose her, and a diary was a way to pour out one's deepest secrets without fear of anyone overhearing and judging.  Now, people pour out their deepest secrets to the whole world via social media, and then get upset because their privacy has been violated.  How times have changed.

So don't expect to read any deep secrets here, but I do enjoy writing to get the weird thoughts out of my head.  I don't really care if anyone else reads what I write, and less if they agree.  Everyone has their own experience, has come to their own conclusions, and I'm more than happy to hear someone else's perspective, with which I may agree, or not.

My grandmother kept a diary.  Or rather several.  When she filled one, she would start another.  She would record the weather, who came to visit, or community events, births and weddings and deaths.  It held virtually no inner thoughts, let alone deep secrets.  The diary I kept when I was a teenager was practically empty.  There was no way I was going to risk writing anything down that I might be held accountable for later, just in case anyone ever found it.

Over the years, diaries turned into journals, and keeping a journal was "discovered" to have great mental health benefits.  Ya.  Then along came the web, and logging your life, web log became blog.  And I finally figured out what a great tool this is to, well, get the weird stuff out of my head.  Which is what young women used to do with their diaries, and psychologists encouraged their patients to do with their journals.  Except that if you look at enough blogs, you'll see that weird is relative - almost nothing is weird because almost everything is, and there really isn't any such thing as normal.  But what do I know?  Just spouting random thoughts, getting them out of my head so I can focus on other things.  The difference between a blog and a diary?  I can type faster than I can write, almost as fast as the thoughts come into my head.  My pen could never keep up.

So, in a couple of days, I can once again get out the Peter Pan Getaway boots.  Road trip!  Chicago this time.  Can't wait, even though it's only for a long weekend.  It's wonderful to have amazing and generous friends who invite me to stay with them, and ride on the tall ship.  Linda (New Zealand Linda) is coming along and we are all singing friends, so what better way to spend a few days than singing, traveling, taking amazing photographs of places I've never been and things I've never seen, sharing time with wonderful and beautiful people, and who knows, maybe the weird stuff will get replaced with cool stuff.

Trusting my journey - Day 1

"Nothing changes if you don't change anything".  Or something like that.  It might be more appropriate to say that, as we get older, if we don't change anything, things will change but not the way we want them too.  This has been my experience in the last few years, as I've hit the dreaded "M" word (that would be menopause, just to be clear), and my body has suddenly started hoarding calories and fat in the form of extra pounds, accumulating exponentially.

It would be really easy to make excuses, like "oh, I never used to have to exercise and so now it's taking a long time to work exercise into my routine", or "now that I've downsized to an apartment I don't have as much housework or outside home maintenance to keep me active".  But the bottom line is that I've gotten lazy, and tired, and the less active I am, the lazier I get.  And I know that if I got off my ass and moved more, I would not feel as tired - opposite to what one would expect.  And beneath that layer, I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, and having it be such an effort to appear happy and well-balanced, when I'm not.

OK, so let's be real.  I have been making excuses.  But it's not easy to just stop making excuses.  Essentially, excuses are somewhat invalid reasons for not doing something.  Is there any underlying valid reason?  Semantics?  So, this is the first thing I need to change, in order to change the changes.  Let's face it, I'm not old.  Not even a little bit.  I'm only 55.  That means, according to standard life expectancy, I'm really only 2/3 of the way through life.  Heck, I still have to work and earn a living for a few years before I can afford to retire.  Do I want to still be healthy and active at that point?  Damn straight.  And that means I need to be more healthy and active now, otherwise another 10 years of this bullshit is going to see me not enjoying my retirement doing the things I love, because I won't be able to.

So setting a lot of other goals, like travelling, photography, hiking and adventuring, seeing places others don't get to see, won't be possible if I can't walk/maneuver because of my weight (no I'm not that big yet), or because my knee has gone completely arthritic, or my feet are in pain all the time.

Excuses.  Yes, and I hate when others use them.  So another change will be to lose the hypocrisy.

What are my excuses?  One is the dreaded "change of life".  Although I managed to avoid most of the commonly related symptoms of menopause, the weight gain made up for it.  The onset of this magical time in every woman's life coincided exactly with my move to a condo apartment in a highrise, and although the living space I have now is almost what it was in my last place, I have no outside lawn care or snow removal to keep me active.  And living on the 15th floor makes it less "available" to simply step outside for a bit of a walk.

Enough excuses.  I need to substitute other activity if I'm not getting it by necessity.  And I haven't been.  And there are no excuses for that.  So I joined a Zumba class.  And that's when the plantar fasciitis kicked in yet again.  (another excuse?  Excuse me, but...)

OK, let's start fixing this shit.  If it means I can't do any weight-bearing exercise or activity, then I will work first on healing this damn heel, and eat less to compensate.  Starting today.  That's right, not tomorrow.

This blog will hopefully give me the support that I need to keep motivated, and stay on track.  First the heel, and the diet, then the exercise.  Today went well.  Kept my foot elevated for most of the day, and purchased some gel arch supports designed for this condition.  I can wear them even if I'm not wearing shoes.  Went outside and clambered about through a farmer's field shooting a sunset (with the camera).  Felt great.  Came home, ate a healthy snack, and now on my way to bed for a decent sleep.  Tomorrow, ah, what will you bring me tomorrow?

The ferry ride

I never did get a chance to either blog or post pictures between San Fran and Blenheim.  Just a blurb I think.  It is absolutely essential that I try to catch this stuff as I think about it, so anyone who may be reading, forgive the ramblings of an eccentric old woman.  Oh wait, I'm not quite there yet.  OK, a nutso middle-aged broad.

We finally did arrive in Auckland, and the airport at 9 a.m. is nothing amazing.  The last time I was here I arrived at around sunrise, and remember sitting outside, basking in the warmth and sipping a flat white while waiting till it was time to get to the other terminal (domestic) for my next flight to Blenheim.  This time, we had only a brief respite to haul butts over, no time for a flat white or indulging the warmth.  Actually, this first day in Auckland was pretty darn warm and the trek (missed the terminal shuttle) was a bit overheating, albeit good movement after sitting on a plane for 12 hours.

Finally arrived in Wellington, noon-ish, and now, because we weren't staying for the night (we had done that in Frisco), we had no place to store our bags other than the ferry by checking them in.  It was a bit of a taxi ride from the airport to the Interislander Ferry, although I'm sure the driver took the longest way possible, and we enjoyed the incredible scenery.  Wellington is a beautiful city, especially midday, or really any time of day or night, and the ride was enjoyable and relaxing.  Got to the ferry, and found that we were early enough to catch the earlier ferry.  We could have done that, but I was pretty sure I wanted to catch the sunset from the boat, coming through the Marlborough Sounds.  The sun was due to set around an hour before landing in Picton, and there were a few clouds, so with any luck, we would see some amazing views.

The day was fairly clear, and the sun was warm, and we needed to recharge our batteries.  No, literally, our cell phones were almost dead.  So we settled into the Interislander lounge, found some outlets, and proceeded to charge up.  We had a few hours, but decided that a walk back into the downtown area for lunch (or another taxi ride) would be less enjoyable than relaxing by the harbour, breathing the fresh sea air, and basking in the warm sun.  We would eat on the boat during the brief period that we were mostly surrounded by water.  And so we sat and relaxed, enjoying the view of Wellington.

Then, suddenly it seemed, we were on our way.  Once out on the open water, the wind was pretty strong - and cool - but the view was worth it.  Staying on the second level down sheltered by the cabin helped a bit so that's where we stayed until we were out of sight of most land - or at least scenic views - like this one.

After grabbing a bite to eat at the small cafe on board, we ventured again outside to catch the sunset, as we were nearing the entrance to the Marlborough Sounds, a very scenic area with hills on both sides, and virtually uninhabited.  Lush green awaited us, and the sun was getting quite low in the sky.  Unfortunately, with no cloud, and not much colour, the long-anticipated sunset cruise was a bit of a wash, but still lovely.

By now, it was pretty cool on the deck, so we went inside for a glass of wine before docking.  Our friend Gary had said that we would have a great view through the glassed in deck at the stern (back) of the boat, but all the glass was completely dirty, and you could barely see through it.  Oh well, next time!

Looking back.... and forward

So.  Now that I'm back in the land of flat earth.  Having left the land of Middle Earth.  As seen on the terminal at the Wellington NZ airport.

What a joy and blessing to have experienced such a fantastic adventure.  And yes, adventure it has been.  So much so, that I never really had time to capture everything that I wanted to, as I was simply too busy adventuring.  And no, I don't really care that "adventuring" is not a real word.  It should be.

Did I mention that the whole thing started off with a bang?  Or rather, a really long wait in an airport.  Followed by an even longer wait on an airplane.  Followed by a really late (or early?) arrival in San Francisco.  Followed by an unexpected and delightful day in a city that I had never been to.  Although I wasn't able to catch the Golden Gate swathed in golden hour light, I did have the chance to cross it - while not driving myself - and therefore catch a couple of shots that most other people may not get.  How cool is that?

So, to start back at the beginning, and try to share the photos that I wasn't able to share before due to poor connectivity (or no connectivity, or no time), hopefully anyone who has chosen to follow along will not get too bored with the rhetoric, but as I have mentioned, I write this only for my own memories, and share to those who may have a passing interest.  (I should note at this point however, that if you are following, please click the "follow" button, then I don't have to share the link all the time.  Also, feel free to comment.  That way it becomes more of a conversation instead of me doing all the talking.  Blah blah.)

Maybe I should also mention that I'd like to try and keep the feeling alive.  Not only keep it alive, but keep it burning.  Keep the passion.  Keep the focus.  Make the memories stay brilliant.  Use this to launch the next adventure.  Which is what I wonder?  As soon as I'm done with this, I'm going to check my lottery tickets...

So I'm on one of those Hop on Hop off bus tours of San Francisco, instead of touring Wellington NZ, making the best of it on one of the coldest days in SF for eons.  And I was trying to escape the cold by going south.  So much for that.  But there I am with my friend and traveling companion Linda on the open top of a double-decker tour bus, freezing our butts off having not dressed for winter but for SF.  Go figure.  And the bus driver starts driving right across that old iconic bridge the Golden Gate.  No idea why they called it that, anyone else know?  I did read why they left it painted orange (strictly aesthetics, it looks really cool against the foliage and landscape on the "other" side of the bridge).

The wind is blowing hard (nothing to stop it), but somehow I manage to hold on to the camera, which I'm still getting used to (only had it a couple of weeks), set the exposure, and grab a few shots here and there.  I love this one for it's asymmetry, the colours, and the perspective.  It's a little unexpected.  But the light was right and I was having a blast.  I was riding across the Golden Gate bridge for pete's sake!

OK, now off to bed.  Need to get my body back into EST.  Wish me luck.

Nearing the beginning of the next journey

There is a sign (advertisement) in the Christchurch airport that reads "The end of every journey marks the beginning of the next one".  So on Wednesday (I think) we started approaching the beginning of the next journey.  Because that's way better than thinking that we are nearing the end of this journey.

Let me start with the morning after Mount Cook.  So sad to have to leave such a beautiful place.  So tempted to stay an extra half a day, go back up to the mountain in the hopes of seeing it in full daylight, so worth missing the Maori experience that is already booked and paid for in Christchurch for that evening.  But the chances of seeing it cloud free the second day in a row is, we know, very slim indeed.  So we press on, and leave Twizel, and our friend Ian, for a long drive back to Christchurch.

Driving across the country shows us yet another landscape, and the sky is blue with incredible clouds, it is very warm and very windy, and the driving is easy on relatively "flat" and "straight" roads.  Comparatively speaking anyway.  We do find a scenic lookout, and interestingly, one of the best photos of the day comes from looking in the opposite direction.

For the most part, this is a bit of a lunchbag letdown after the scenery we've been seeing for the last couple of weeks. It's still beautiful, just in a much different way.

Driving back into Christchurch, things seem familiar, and at the same time, it feels like it has been weeks since we were last here.  As we approach the hotel, we recognize many of the places our friend Ed showed us a few days ago, the Transitional Church, the tram, New Regent Street where we had coffee while trying to warm up and get dry.  That day it had been very cool and rainy, but today it's sunny and very warm, about 28 C.  No time to think about that, we have booked a package at Willowbank Nature Reserve, complete with a Kiwi tour, a Maori welcome and Haka and Hangi meal.  It starts at 4:30 and we have to battle rush hour traffic.  Which seems incredibly odd considering how little traffic we've had to contend with in the past week or more.

The Nature Reserve is a bit like a miniature African Lion Safari, with great learning programs for kids, very focused on conservation and also on making visitors feel that they are in an authentic environment.  It feels a a bit like we are walking through rainforest or jungle.  After meeting a number of  long-fin eels, several Kea (one of who tried to bite my butt, and another who tried to steal Linda's new necklace while sitting on her shoulder), a Tuatara, and a kiwi, we are treated to a traditional Maori welcoming ceremony, complete with chants and a scary looking chief.  This is followed by a very interesting musical performance and a real haka chant, then a wonderful Hangi meal (food cooked in pots that are buried in coals and earth for several hours), topped with New Zealand Pavlova and Hokey Pokey ice cream.  Tired and happy, we make our way back to the hotel, have a quick glass of wine and hit the sack.  

We had planned to meet our friend Ed for breakfast early this morning, so I got up as early as possible, and just barely caught the sunrise.  The room faces the largest area of devastation from the last earthquake, an area that used to be full of buildings, some of them very tall, that have since been cleared away, leaving an empty hole in the middle of the city where bustling activity used to be.  There are efforts being made to rebuild, but it's going to take a long time I think.  The emptiness and void were very glaring in the early morning light.

We have a wondeful breakfast with Ed, during which we recount our adventures of the past week and a bit, both Linda and I admit a desire to return and hit all the things we missed.  I love the smiles we get from him as we describe the places we saw, some of which he didn't even know about.  Now he is also keen to visit the Maoraki town lighthouse and The Chasm near Milford Sound.  So cool to inspire adventure in someone else.

All too soon it's time to hug farewell, vow to stay in touch, and then part ways.  Since the day has shaped up to be a deliciously warm and sunny day, we decide to revisit some of the places we saw with Ed in the rain.  The old church that was destroyed, and the 185 Chairs memorial.  It's a very different view of things, especially when I realize that all the chairs are facing the "temporary" Transitional Church (a.k.a. the Cardboard Church).  

A tiny bit more shopping in New Regent Street, and then it's time to return the rental car, 3,563 km after we picked it up.  We realize that we have driven in the past 12 days a distance equivalent to Niagara Falls to Calgary.  That doesn't include the miles we were passengers with Gary and Bridget, or with Ian.  Or the miles to get here to this unbelievable country.  

The statue at the Christchurch airport is stunning with the blue sky and green grass reflected in it.  I do a facebook live video and share this with everyone who might be interested by walking all around it.  

All too soon it's time to check our bags and head to Wellington.  The flight is quick, only 35 minutes.  But it's almost dinner time, and although it feels like we've already had a long day, we're hungry.  There's a burger joint not far, and we discover Cuba St. on our way.  After a great burger at BurgerFuel, we explore Cuba St. more carefully.  Most of it is closed off to traffic and is very multi-cultural.  Old buildings, some with date stones that go back more than a century (one was 1903), some art deco, and a Night Market that, if we had known about it, would have skipped the burgers.  There were street vendors all along from just about every country, street musicians, used book stores and vintage clothing stores.

Nothing fancy, but everyone there was having a good time, and we were no exception.  I introduce Linda to churros, and although already stuffed from excellent burgers, we delight in the freshly made cinnamon sugar twists with caramel sauce.

The topping on the cake (yes, even better than churros because there were no calories) was a young man playing a hanging drum - what are the odds?  We had just seen someone in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago playing this unique and hauntingly beautiful instrument, and now we see someone else playing, just as beautifully.  We contribute to his "hat" and learn that he is from Sweden, and as we are chatting with him, another couple approach and ask if he would be interested in working with them in their recording studio as they were looking for interesting and unusual musicians.  Fantastic.

I really do not want this to end, but tomorrow we will fly out, and I will have to catch up when we get home in a couple of days.  It will be time to start a new journey.

A stunning summer day

This was probably the most incredible day of the journey.  I crossed two big things off my bucket list - the Wanaka Tree and Mount Cook.  Yes, THE Mount Cook.

I'm too tired to tell everything, it will have to wait until another day.  But here's the RDCV:

Drive from Queenstown - the Crown Range road was recommended, GPS took a while to get us there, and when we did, hairpin turns all the way up at about 20 degrees.  Insane, but insanely beautiful at the top.  Then coming down was even more amazing.  The rest of the drive to Wanaka was stunning.  Got to Wanaka and found a parking spot fairly quickly, even though the place seemed incredibly busy.  Great restaurant for lunch, Big Fig, "slow food served fast".  Wonderful, and again the food was different here than anywhere else.

Messaged my friend to find out where the tree was, and he gave us very good instructions, which somehow we messed up, but eventually we found THE tree.  Cross one off the bucket list, although it was the middle of the day so lots of other people around, but it was sunny, and about 30 C.  So even though the lake was choppy, and the light wasn't great, I did get a few shots that I was fairly ok with.

After getting a quick sunburn, we carry on towards Twizel.  The Lindis Pass is between and we've been warned that we won't have a cell phone signal through the area.  We don't care, it is so beautiful.  Lots of lupins again, and the drive is fantastic.  Will post photos later.

But when we get to Twizel, it is wonderful to finally meet a friend that I made on facebook - but now in person.  Ian Riddler is a photography friend that I had hoped to meet while I was here.  Not only did he meet us joyfully, but he then drove us up to Mount Cook - and stopped at all the best vantage points along the way so I could get all the iconic shots.  It was amazing.  Especially since for most of the way, there was virtually no cloud on him, which is incredibly unusual, plus we had great sun and sky.

So I did get quite a few shots, and hopefully they turned out well enough to work with them.  This one is SOC, but it's not bad.  What an incredible day.

Filling my eyes, my tummy and my day

This morning we slept in.  Again.  This is vacation after all.  And although Queenstown has a ton of things to do and see, we loved Arrowtown so much last evening wandering around after dinner, that we decide to head back there for breakfast and browse through the shops while they are open.  There was a wool shop that I had seen that I would love to explore, and a couple of other interesting places.  So off we toddle, and the day is beautiful.  Warm, sunny with just a few delicate clouds, and it's almost hard to believe but it actually feels a bit like summer.

Breakfast is wonderful.  The food here is amazing, even in places that, back home, look to be "holes in the wall" or "greasy spoons".  Although they may not appear fancy, the care that is taken in the preparation is fantastic.  Most places serve home made baked goods, everything is prepared fresh it seems, and each place has it's own unique dishes.  We marvel at this, because it seems that back home, you get basically the same menu items everywhere, perhaps prepared slightly differently, but there is not as much variety.  So refreshing.  As an example, this morning, I have corn fritters, served with salsa and sour cream, "streaky" bacon (slices) and sauteed spinach.  So yummy!

After breakfast, the wool shop, "The Stitching Post" calls.  I find a few balls of the most wonderful 100% merino wool that is so soft it's like a cloud.  She has an amazing selection of New Zealand yarn, colours that I haven't seen in any other wool shops, and the shop is spacious and well laid out.  If this place was at home, I would visit frequently.  She also has lots of quilting supplies, and it's hard to resist buying much more than I know I can work with before I return here (yes, this is a must).  If you are ever in Arrowtown, and have even the slightest interest in needleworks, you simply must visit, it's delightful!

Then we find a little Jade store.  There are many stores here in NZ that sell jade (greenstone) since it is as common here as it is in BC, probably moreso.  And beautiful.  The same stores sell paua (like abalone) shell jewellery, an usually other local "stones" such as cats eye shells and pink coral.  All very lovely, and very hard to resist.  Soon it is time to head back to Queenstown, as we are being picked up by Nomad Safaris for the Glenorchy Lord of the Rings Tour.

After a quick freshen-up, we head out to the front of the lodge just moments before the Land Rover pulls up, and the driver is delightful.  A gentleman originally from Argentina, he informs us that we are the only ones on this particular tour.  Yayyyy!  This means we will have a great view of the ride up to Glenorchy and a somewhat more relaxed and less rushed trip, since there are only two of us getting in and out to take photos.

The tour consists of a number of stops, where the guide (Santiago) shows us photos of scenes from the LOTR movies, as well as other movies that have used the very same scenes. We have lots of fun shooting our own photos, from lookouts like "the million dollar view", "Paradise" and "Lothlorien".  When we get to the Beechwood forest that served as the location for the Elvin forest, Santiago pulls out capes and swords and tea and coffee and cookies and banana bread, and we have afternoon tea in Lothlorien.  A couple of locals stop in as well, a small wood mouse, and a couple of South Island robins (so cute) hoping for a few crumbs.

The scenery is breathtaking, and we fill our eyes on the four hour plus tour.  As for most days on this amazing trip, we have already had a very full day, but with only one meal in us for the day, it's also time to fill our tummies.

After freshening up, we make our way back downtown (thankfully it's only about a 15 minute walk into downtlown Queenstwon), to have some dinner on the harbourfront.  Since I haven't had any seafood yet, I choose the prawns with linguine in a garlic and white wine cream sauce.  Scrumptuous!

So, another night when internet is somewhat limited, so I will have to post a few photos later.

Some summer....

Back a few months ago, my friend Gary mentioned that when the Santa Ana winds are giving North Americans a milder than usual climate, that the southern hemisphere can often see the opposite effect.  I wondered at the time if that meant that when visiting New Zealand, it could be a yucky summer and he thought it could.  Hmmmm...

So far, since being here, it has been summer-like weather about a total of 1 day.  And we've been here for 11 days.  It has been cloudy, cool, and often wet (although never pouring rain) or at least damp.  But yesterday was the most interesting.

At breakfast, our host at Shakespeare House B and B in Te Anau asked what our plans were and we mentioned that we were heading for the Glowworm Caves.  He suggested we dress warm because the caves could be quite cool.  Little did we know that it was actually going to be the ride down to the caves on a boat that would be blistering cold.  It felt like being in a snowstorm without the snow.  The wind out on the lake was incredibly strong, to the point where the tour commentator suggested that anyone on the top deck outside (us of course) make sure they hang on to everything that wasn't attached to make sure it didn't blow away.  Yup.  This is summer?  The sunny south?  At least it didn't rain.

The Glowworm caves were amazing, even though I had seen them before.  In many ways, it was even better this time.  I knew what to expect, and I knew that I needed to "fill my eyes" as Linda says, and try to remember everything I see.  There are no cameras of any kind allowed to be used in the caves, so everything we see we will need to try and remember.  So as we see the delicate "fishlines", like incredibly tiny strings of diamonds, and the lights from countless glowworms, including some larger bright ones and some smaller not so bright ones, it really does look like stars in the sky.  It even looks like some constellations at times.  I see Orion, and the Little Dipper, Andromeda, and even my own sign, Cancer.  They glow greenish (to my eyes) and the effect is so magical, it almost brings tears to my eyes.  The thought that passed through my tiny brain is "Thank you God for giving these magical tiny creatures to a people and country that will care for them and protect them".  I imagine that in many countries, they would be exploited until they are extinct.  But here, they are well cared for, and much work is being done to preserve their habitat.

After returning to Te Anau, we opt for lunch, and I'm hopeful that we can find the place that I remember from my last visit to this lovely town.  The name escapes me, until I notice a small alley with a sign that points toward a restaurant.  It looks familiar so we check it out.  As soon as we enter, I recognize the decor, and it seems that the tables have not even moved in 7 years.  This was the place that I first had Pavlova, that lovely dessert that I have pined for ever since.  The weather has finally brightened up, and warmed up, so we sit outside.  Lunch is fabulous, and although we had tried pavlova at the New Years Eve get together at Gary and Bridget's, I insist that we have it here, as I'm convinced it will be different.  Better.  And it was.  Amazing.  Light and fluffy and marshmallow-y on the inside, and slightly crunchy on the outside like a meringue cookie.  With fresh, in season, blueberries to boot.

After lunch, we do a bit of souvenir hunting, and then we are off to Queenstown.  The weather has turned gray and cool again as we drive northward, but we stop occasionally anyway to grab some shots.  The ever-present sheep are everywhere, and the terrain changes as we drive, from mountains to plains and valleys and back again to mountains.  We even see an alpaca farm.

As we get closer to Queenstown, I find myself remembering much of the route, obviously it had made an impression on me.  I even take a couple of the same shots.  Seemingly with the same weather.  Hopefully this time, I can improve them a bit better with the new knowledge I have of photography and the software to use to clean up the photos.

Finally we are in Queenstown, and Google maps has been pointed to our resting place for the next few days.  One thing to note when booking accomodation is that sometimes, it's worth it to pay a bit more.  Just sayin'.  Driving along, and miss google maps telling me to turn right then left then right then left makes sense in a city that is basically built on the side of a mountain range and around a lake.  But when it tells us that we have reached our destination, and there is a 30 degreen hill in front of us, well, it's a bit disconcerting.  Keep in mind, when we arrived in Christchurch, the car rental place had indicated they were all out of Corollas, and wondered if we would be ok with a free upgrade to a Highlander 4x4, which of course we were, we didn't realize WHY.  Both of us believing strongly that everything happens for a reason, we had no idea that a 4x4 would be required just to get to one of our hotels.  Even this huge thing that is meant for climbing is whining at the steep hill we go up.  Then, there's no visible parking.  A kind gentleman who has just arrived as a guest points us toward a second lot, that is in behind the building, but the squeeze is tight, and I have to drive quite slowly to maneuver between the building and the retaining wall to get to that second lot.  We get the very last spot it seems, at least, the last spot that this big beast will fit into.

The room is not luxurious, but it's clean and we find the bar for a quick pizza before heading to bed.

This morning started off partly sunny and fairly warm.  Finally summer!  But we take jackets just in case, and since the forecast is for rain, we opt to take our time and just take a day off to do some shopping.  There is so much to do in Queenstown, but we've been going at it pretty hard, and we need a break.  My friend Ian has recommended a place called Ivy and Lola's for breakfast or lunch, and so far, he has been dead on.  Although the walk seems daunting (if the car whined about coming up the hill to the hotel, we are likely to as well) but since it's reasonable, we can at least walk down, and then bring an Uber or taxi back up if required.  Off we go, Ian is right again, and we revel in a marvelous brunch, one is a brioche french toast, the other is a smoked potato and feta croquette with poached eggs and hollandaise.  Fantastic.

We buy a few treasures, mostly wander about, are entertained at a pub where we stop for a drink by a couple of happy drunks who get cut off and asked to leave, then discover a fellow Canadian working at a liquor store where we stop for a bottle of wine to share later.  By now, the weather has finally cleared (it was raining as we ate brunch), and warmed up quite a bit.  Head back to the hotel, then decide to go to Arrowtown for a bit of supper, not much required after the huge brunch.  The Blue Door was recommended by Ian, and now by us.  Fantastic.  Definitely coming back here on my next visit to NZ!!!

We wander about Arrowtown for a bit, and discover a lovely cottage for sale that was a B and B at one point, but looks to be somewhat abandoned.  If only.  Gotta check those lotto tickets.  Such a beautiful little town, a little bit like Niagara on the Lake, a little St. Jacobs, a little bit Fergus/Elora.  All the shops are closed, but we have nothing planned for tomorrow morning, so we could come up here for a little bit, since there is a yarn shop....(those who know me understand this).

We end the day by discovering a fairly decent spot to shoot the sunset, but unfortunately, the sunset doesn't turn out to be much but cloud.  One shot that's not too bad, but will need to take some more, hopefully tomorrow evening will pan out.

Tomorrow is LOTR tour in the afternoon, and hopefully the gondolas/skyline adventure in the evening.  Perhaps it will be nice out!

How many times in a day can you say "Wow!"?

Ok, so I know haven't written anything in a couple of days, so I'll try to get it all in here, hoping that my internet connection stays strong.

The plan on Thursday was to drive from Dunedin down to some place called "Nugget Point Lighthouse", which I had seen on the "things to do in NZ" website, but didn't really have any sense of what it was like.  Although I had also seen a number of other possible things to do in the area, the lighthouse was pretty high on the list.  Having already learned that the "scenic route" anywhere was worth taking, we were keeping our eyes open.  And we hadn't even gotten onto the highway when we saw one, so off to the left towards the ocean we drove.

Within minutes there was a sign for "Tunnel Beach", one of the things that I had hoped to see, and another thing that I didn't really know much about except that I had seen a photo online and it looked pretty.  When we got to the parking area it was pretty full, only one spot left.  The sign said "Beach, 1 hour return".  Hmmm.  I think I can do that, and we have a fair bit of time.  So off we go.  The first section is gravelly, loose, and fairly steep, and it quickly becomes apparent that the 1 hour return is probably going to be 15 minutes down and 45 minutes back up.  So we keep going.  Down.  Further.  Down some more.  And more.  More steeply, and soon we realize that it''s probably more than 1 hour unless you're an Olympic athlete, which neither of us is.  Uh oh.  But then we get a glimpse of the tunnel.  And the trek back up is definitely going to be worth it.  We hope.

This is unreal.  Wow.  Down some more.  And more.  And more.  Beginning to wonder if these new-fangled leg muscles are actually defective.  But then we're there, and it's amazing.  Wow.

Now that I see the pictures I took, I can't believe I ddn't take more.  But I think I was simply awestruck.  Seeing people on top of the formation as tiny specks, then looking up at where we had come from, and it just put things in a whole new perspective.  I wish I could post all my photos, but you'll just have to keep watching for later posts.  The trek back up is long, arduous, and character-building.  But I think my stamina is starting to return.  I only stop a couple of times for air, and wish mildly for a defibrillator.

Back in the car, we are silent for a while, it was just too much to take in the grandeur.  Too bad the sky was so gray, but the weather doesn't always cooperate with travel plans.  Next stop, Nugget Point Lighthouse.  

Although I have punched in the destination into Google maps on my phone, we don't really need it.  There are signs that make it quite clear where to go.  Sort of.  But of course, the drive there is half the fun, and we find some lovely scenery along the way.  The sun has decided to finally cooperate, and the tide is on it's way out.  

The drive up to the top of the "hill" to see Nugget Point Lighthouse is at times somewhat narrow and not for the faint of heart.  But this pales in comparison to yet another long hike and climb.  A sign warns "beware of cliffs", another "caution, exposed sections".  Ok, so we'll stay to the inside, and to hell with the "keep to the left" shit.  The view is stunning, and we haven't even gotten there yet.

Hiking out to the lighthouse is not as steep, either up or down, as the previous walk of the day at Tunnel Beach.  But once out there, it is much more apparent how incredibly high up we are.  The sign "beware of cliffs" takes on more meaning.  The sea is an amazing shade of blue-green, and we can see a few seals way down on the beach.  The wind is so strong that it feels like it could blow away anything you haven't got a good grip on.  It is mesmerizing.  Wow.

Time to head back.  We have a long drive to Te Anau yet, and we're not sure of what we'll find for supper.  But it's all good.  We roll in about 7 p.m., and the host at Shakespeare House B&B assures us that we should be able to find something to eat, most places are open till 9 (and it is Friday night).

This morning we woke early to make sure we had breakfast (it was awesome, thanks Ray!) and head out to have lots of time to stop on the way to Milford Sound.  The tickets are for the 1:35 cruise, but it's a couple of hours drive time, and I'm pretty sure we'll need an extra couple of hours to stop and gawk at the scenery.  I wasn't wrong. But the wind is strong along Lake Te Anau and quite cold.  So we don't stay anywhere very long.  Even so, by the time we get closer (about 2/3 of the way) to the departure point, we find we are getting pretty low on time.  So it makes sense to keep going, and then stop on the way back at the scenic lookouts.

The drive itself, as my friend Ian had mentioned, was worth it.  Every five minutes, one of us is saying "Wow!".  The mountains, the plains, the clouds, the raw beauty, is simply breathtaking.  And it just keeps getting more amazing the further we go.  Finally, we reach the parking lot and it is packed, but a young lad helps us find a spot.  Then we have to rush to get our boarding pass, and it is only a few minutes till we are safely tucked on the Real Journeys M.V. Sinbad.

It is raining and very chilly, but then, we are in a temperate rain forest.  The advantage to rain here is that there will be many extra waterfalls.  There are five permanent waterfalls, but many narrow (but very long/tall/high?) waterfalls that are mostly just runoff.  For the most part, we don't even take too many pictures, because it's not possible, even with a wide-angle lens, to capture what we're seeing, it's simply too big, and we are too close.  Wow.

More photos to follow.  There are a few, but because of the rain, my lens had some water spotting that was hard to keep up with, so I need to take care of many photos before sharing.

On the way back to Te Anau after the cruise, we do take time to stop at a couple of the places we missed going up to the Sound.  The best was The Chasm.  Or maybe it was the field of lupins.  Or maybe it was the kea (mountain parrot).  Well, anyway, we kept saying "Wow!" every few minutes.

Moeraki to Dunedin

It is absolutely astounding how quickly time flies when you're having fun.  And packing the days full of activity, or like Linda says "filling my eyes".  Our eyes have most definitely been filling up.  So today, I will just try to capture what I did today, and will try to catch up on the past week as I go.  Just to make sure I don't lose it however....

Wellington to Picton on the ferry, Gary and Bridget pick us up and we go to Westview for a couple of days.  We spend New Year's Eve day tasting wines and olive oils and generally exploring the Marlborough wine country area.  New Year's Eve is spent with Gary and Bridget, Bridget's sister and brother-in-law, and a couple of friends.  Food is awesome, lots of wine, great conversation.  New Year's Day we pack a picnic lunch and head out to Wairau Beach, then White's Bay where we hike up an enormous hill and then down the other side, have lunch, see a starfish and a tunnel through the rocks, then drive around the top of the Marlborough Sounds seeing some phenomenal scenery.

Late supper, sound asleep, then on a plane to Christchurch.  We pick up the car and start finding our way around, find a sculpture garden, a great beach, marvel at how cold it is in the summer, then go to Linda's friend Ed's house.  Very cool place.  We walk to the nearby pub for supper, laugh and laugh and laugh and have a few drinks.  Out cold very quickly.  Next day we drive into downtown Christchurch and see the damage from the 2010 earthquake.  A lot of buildings are still there, damaged.  Many buildings are now empty lots.  Lunch, then we drive out to Lyttelton and Akaroa.  Fantastic day.  Come back and have supper at a fabulous Indian place, then pass out.

Next day we drive down to Oamaru and past to Hampden.  The hotel we have booked is a lovely old Mill House, right on a river, very historic and beautiful, out in the country, miles from town.  Perfect for our first night "on our own".  We zip into town and find a tavern that serves remarkable fish and chips, and then, because it's still light out, drive slightly further to the Moeraki Boulders.  I've been told they are a "must see", but the light isn't great for photography, so I vow to return at sunrise  Which brings me to today.

I awake at 5 a.m., because the sun will rise at 5:55.  I've already learned that the tide will be fairly low, and the weather is to be slightly cloudy.  You can't get much better than that.  I get to the beach with the Moeraki boulders, which are very round, like huge stone balls, hoping for a shot with the sunrise and the boulders.  The sunrise is a bit disappointing, lovely, but not very colourful.  However, I do manage to catch a few good ones, and it will be fun to work with a couple of them and turn them into pieces of art.  Hopefully I will soon have a strong internet connection and can upload some of the pics.

After getting as many pics of the boulders that I can (there are several other photographers there as well), I decide to try another spot for some wildlife that a friend had told me about.  He said "go down to the township and look for the lighthouse, you won't regret it".  So I drove a bit further south, found the lighthouse road, and a walk down the hill a ways showed me a colony of seals.  There was a penguin blind as well, but no penguins to be seen.  But the surf was up, and the scenery on the way was enough to make me think I should go back to the hotel and get Linda and bring her to see the seals.  So off I went.  We packed up, had breakfast, and headed down the lighthouse road.  

Wow.  We discovered a trail that led off along the side of the hill, and all of a sudden we found ourselves in the midst of some of the most amazing scenery on a wind-swept cliff topped with a few seals.  We had to be careful to heed the signs posted saying to keep 10 meters distance from all wildlife - that was difficult to do as the seals were less than 20 meters apart!  Unbelievable.  They were just sleeping mostly, and didn't seem to mind us walking around.  

After getting our eyes filled here, we opt to keep driving south towards Dunedin, where we have a room booked for this evening.  We find a "scenic route" and a "lookout" and are stunned by the vista.  Although it has taken a bit longer, it is worth every minute, especially since we have lots of time.  Dunedin is only an hour away and we have nothing else planned, although we have a couple of options, such as driving straight through town and going down to the Catlins.

When we arrive in Dunedin however, we are quite impressed with the beautiful architecture, and decide to check into the Sahara Hotel, which is a Victorian home on an older street.  Stained glass windows and lots of detailed woodwork make it a lovely choice.  But now what?  There seem to be many choices, but we choose the Larnach Castle.  Awesome.  Although the drive up to the top of the "hill" is pretty intense, driving along the edge of cliffs on very narrow roads in a big car, it is worth the trip.  The castle is New Zealand's only castle, and is really just a very large home built in the style of a castle.  Similar to Casa Loma in Toronto.  But stunning.  The grounds are well kept and the castle itself is gorgeous.  We spend a couple of hours wandering around and taking photos (allowed without flash), and then through the gardens as well.  

Now we're starving though, as we haven't eaten since breakfast.  So we are on our way back into Dunedin and see a sign for "Signal Hill Lookout".  It seems that Lookouts here are worth taking the time for, so up we go, more driving along very narrow roads next to sheer drops, but find the view of Dunedin from a few hundred feet above sea level is stunning.

Finally we find Buddha Stix for supper, a Thai/Asian/Fusion place with great music, lovely decor, great food and wine, and it's across the street from the hotel.  And now it's time for bed.  Tomorrow morning we hope to get down to Nugget Point Lighthouse early enough at least for some golden hour shots.  :)

Getting there is half the fun!

Well, depends on how you look at it.   First, warning, this is a long post, as I'm catching up on three days (really?  It's only been 3 days?) of adventure.  (Note, I am at the posting of this, now about 6 days behind....)

So, Linda (my friend and traveling companion) sent me an email a few days before we left, and said Mercury is in retrograde which means travel delays.  Ever the optimist, I was undeterred, or maybe just not as much of a believer in such portents.  The weather was promising to be quite good, with no snow  in the forecast, and relatively "not cold" temperatures.  We should be fine, right?

We meet at the airport with lots of time to spare to get checked in and through security, and the wait for boarding is much easier with someone to explore and talk with.  We discover Wahlburgers (wonderful, you must try), and then hunt for the boarding gate for the first leg of the journey.  By the time we reach the gate, we discover that it has been changed, pretty much across the hall, so far so good.  When we get to the real gate, however, we learn that the incoming flight has been delayed, and our flight time has been pushed out by 15 minutes.  Not good.  We only have an hour in San Francisco to change planes, so a 15 minute delay could make it pretty tight.  Then the flight gets moved again.  And again.  The plane still has not arrived, and we are already past our original boarding time.  Uh oh.  Doesn't look good at all.

Finally we are able to board, wondering what we will face in San Fran as far as options for connecting flights to Auckland.  The flight attendants and airline staff continue to assure a very full flight that anyone with connections will be taken care of, but that they will wait until we have taken off to make those arrangements.  Settled in for a five hour flight, and it's now after 8 p.m., the original flight time being 7.  We are told that we will first need to de-ice the wings, expected, but a further delay.  Finally taxi out to the runway, and we wait till we are second in line.  The Captain now announces that the weather forecast was slightly less than accurate, and that the previous plane to take off had informed ATC that there was freezing rain on the runway, and we would now need to wait further until the runway was also de-iced.  

Now at about two hours past our original flight time, we know that we won't make our connection.  The plane shuts down to conserve fuel, and we're allowed to get up, move around, although most people are starting to nap, myself included.  Some time later, the cockpit announces that Canadian government regulations state that any flight is not allowed to keep passengers on the plane without moving for more than four hours, and if we reach that time limit, we would need to return to the terminal to refuel etc.  So hopefully the runway would be cleared for use shortly.  However, we would need to probably go back to de-ice the wings again.  Mercury in retrograde, eh?

Finally, we get the word that we will be allowed to take off, and it is now almost midnight, close to five hours after our original takeoff time, and about the time we were supposed to be landing in San Francisco.  Connections, we are told, will be re-arranged by Air Canada staff.  There is no word on what else they will take care of, and all we can do is wait and see what awaits us once we get there.  

No worries.  We arrive in San Francisco, tired, a bit frustrated, concerned but not worried, and follow the yellow brick road to the airline service counter along with about 50 other people who have missed their connections, probably half of whom were also headed to NZ it seems.  We are told that our flights have all been taken care of, and we will be in San Fran until 10 p.m. that night - flights to Auckland happen only every 24 hours - so they set us up in a room at the Hyatt, with some money for food, and shuttle us off for a chance at a shower and a brief nap.

We decide that if we have to miss our day in Wellington, we should try to see some of San Francisco.  I've never been there, actually never been in California, and Linda has been there but not for many years.  So after a bit of a nap and a shower we pick out a Ho-on-hop-off city tour, grab an Uber to the first stop and off we go.  First stop is close to the Fisherman's Wharf, and we find some fabulous and famous sights, some wonderful lunch at what we find out later is an excellent and well-established restaurant, watch a seal playing in the marina, ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, see Alcatraz from a distance, experience an exquisite performance of a hanging drum musician in Golden Gate Park, get a great history of the city from a very good tour guide, and manage to get back to the airport in time for our 11 p.m. flight.

And off we go to New Zealand, a day late and a dollar poorer, but richer for having had a surprise tour of San Francisco.  How cool is that?

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