Stewart Island

May 23, 2011

I left Te Anau today.  I’m going to miss that place.  It’s so beautiful.  My hope is that someday I can go back and do some of the tramps.  Maybe go on a tramping holiday!

We left Te Anau on the Stray Bus at 9am.  We had a lovely drive through rolling hills filled with sheep farms and dairy farms.  We took an extra long toilet break in Winton because they had fancy electronic bathrooms that talk to you and tell you how to lock the door among other instructions.  You even have to press a button to get toilet paper.  Half the bus used the toilets just to try them out.  It gave me a chance to get to know our driver a bit better.  His name is Spike.  He used to drive regularly for Stray about five or six years ago.  He’s just filling in now for fun and to earn some extra money for a holiday to the UK.  Because of this he’s a lot more fun than the other drivers I have had.

Only four of us decided to go to Stewart Island and not stay in Invercargill.  The other three are all from England.  There’s Sam, Fiona, and Hannah.  Spike also came over to the Island.  The four of us passengers took a plane to the island.  The plane only held ten people including the pilot.  It was amazing.  I never imagined I would fly in such a small plane and I never imagined I would take a plane to the island.  I had assumed I would take the ferry, but it wouldn’t get me there in time to enjoy the island.  And the plane wasn’t that much more expensive and totally worth the price!  

To top it all off it was a beautiful, gorgeous, sunny, warm day.  We had beautiful views and the flight wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be!  We arrived and checked into our hostel.  Then we went to the DOC and found out about some lovely walks.  We walked over a good portion of the island and took in some lovely views.  We got bit up by some lovely New Zealand sandflies!  

After our walk back to Oban, the name of the town, we split up.  I walked up the other hill on the other side of town to the Presbyterian church.  I walked around the corner and then went to a secluded bathing beach.  No one else was there so I just had some quiet time with God.  It was the kind of beach where any minute I expected a mermaid to come up out of the water to sunbathe.  But I suppose I came too late in the day and all the mermaids had returned to sea.

We went out to dinner at the Pub.  I had some lovely blue cod with veggies.  We followed that up with a drink in the bar section.  We laughed and talked.  Spike joined us for dinner and drinks.  He’s so fun and knowledgeable and not crazy like my last driver!  I am very happy!  Tomorrow we go to Dunedin.  Sam and Fiona are going to stay a few days longer and I’m a bit jealous, but I think I will still have a great time!

Saying Goodbye to Distinction

May 20, 2011

At 1:30 this afternoon I couldn’t wait until work came to an end.  I was so bored.  Bored. Bored. Bored.  I knew it was the end.  The end of working for Distinction Hotels.  The end of working for the rest of my time in New Zealand.  Even possibly the end of working for a while.  But I still couldn’t wait to be done!

Then at 2:30 my boss, Jocelyn brought in a chocolate frosted banana bread cake and coffee.  She even gave me a present.  All the staff around the office congregated in the back and we chatted and said our goodbyes.  Jocelyn gave me a book about Fiordland and some Manuka honey lotion.  I feel so loved.

I also feel a bit sad that it’s all over.  I might work again in New Zealand, but if I can I’d like not to.  Distinction Hotels have been my home here in this foreign country.  They have housed me and fed me.  A good number of my friends in New Zealand I met through working for them.  Distinction has been a bit of an anchor for me and now I’m leaving it behind.

It’s time to step out in faith again.  It’s time to take a leap almost as big as my first leap I took to come here.  I’m letting go of my security blanket and stepping out into a bit of the unknown.  

Unknown, here I come!

So if you’re interested in what that unknown will probably be here is a kind of itinerary -- if nothing changes!

Monday, May 23, 2011 Stewart Island

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Dunedin

Wednesday, May 25 Mt. Cook

Thursday, May 26 Rangitata

Friday, May 27 Kaikura

Saturday May 28 Blenheim

Staying Kiwi

May 17, 2011

How I’m going to stay Kiwi in the US.

I’m not technically a Kiwi, but I’ve been living with a few of them for a few months now.  And I only have a couple of weeks left here in New Zealand and I’m beginning to think about my life after this adventure.  One thing I know for sure is that I want to take the attitude and the good qualities of New Zealanders back home with me.  

Most of all I admire how New Zealanders just go with the flow.  They often stay cool in situations where I would panic.  And they don’t play the rat race, which I appreciate incredibly.  It isn’t that they don’t want to do their jobs well or be successful, but they seem to appreciate that there is more to life than a career.  I’m sick of trying to measure up to the standards of my American culture and working in New Zealand has been a breath of fresh air.  So when I go home my main goal is to not try and play in the rat race either.

This ties in with the other qualities I appreciate about New Zealanders which is their love of life and food!  New Zealanders love food.  They love food and wine and coffee!  I have so many recipes and food that I want to bring home and enjoy regularly.  Anzac and afghan cookies and savory muffins/scones are on the top of my list.  

I want to cherish the outdoors like Kiwis do.  I want to appreciate getting out and enjoying nature.  I also want to remember to be adventurous and do some things that might scare me a little bit.  That adventurous spirit of New Zealand is going to come home with me to the US.

When I go back to the US my priorities are going to be different.  No more trying to be better than my peers.  My career is not going to be my focus and priority in life.  Work will not be the end all be all of my life.  I want to appreciate my food more, my life more, my family more, and my time more!  Help me stay true to these goals and priorities!

Friends

May 14, 2011

Well, I’ve had some very exciting couple of days.  Well, compared to my normal boring life!

Sunday I visited a different church and had a fabulous time.  Wonderful worship and prayer.  I got some words from people from God and just enjoyed fellowship.  I met two lovely ladies: Sandra and Nita.  Nita invited me over to her home for dinner on Thursday night.

She picked me up after her kids were finished with school.  She has three daughters: Esther, Debbie, and Hannah.  Hannah is only four months old.  We visited Sandra.  Sandra has a few kids too!  When we got to Nita’s house I helped the girls with their reading and spelling homework.  Then they took me out to get the eggs from the chickens and feed the chickens.  Well, that was truly a new experience to me!  I’m such a city slicker!

We had a nice simple dinner and played Monopoly Deal.  It’s like Monopoly but with playing cards and the game doesn’t last forever.  But it took me a really long time to figure out how to play!  It was wonderful and cozy in their home.  We had a wood-burning stove and watched a movie.  Poor Nita fell asleep on the couch after breast feeding Hannah and I had to wake her up to take me home!

My former co-worker from Fox Glacier, Caroline, has come to town for a visit.  She ended up missing her Doubtful Sound overnight cruise yesterday and had to postpone it to today.  In the end I think it worked out better because the weather is much nicer today.  She and I had coffee and hung out before I had to go to work.  It was great to catch up with her and hear about all the going-ons in Fox.  She’ll be back next week so we’ll hang out again then.  Maybe go for dinner.

I only have a week left here in Te Anau and only seven days left of work.  I’m going to miss this beautiful place and the lovely people I’ve met.  Maybe I can come back someday!

My Castle

May 4, 2011

Do you ever have moments when you realize how wonderful life is?  Tears well up in your eyes because life is so beautiful in just that moment?  Life suddenly blazes forward and you see it for what it is.  You see past all the bad stuff and circumstances and you know that life is worth living?

I had one of those moments this morning.  I suddenly realized how happy I am.  I’d known for a few days that I was starting to really feel settled and comfortable in Te Anau.  But today it was like fire welling up in me warming me and comforting me.

I brought one fiction book with me to New Zealand.  It’s very small, and pretty short so it tucked in nicely in my bag.  It’s my favorite book.  I hadn’t picked it up to read it at all since I left home, but I decided it was lame to bring a book half way around the world and not read it!

So a few days ago I picked it up and started reading.  Since it’s my favorite book I didn’t start at the beginning and I skipped the parts that break my heart.  I wanted to read the good stuff.  I think I can be excused since I’ve read the book so many times.

This morning I as I read it I came to a passage that just makes me exult to be alive!  It rings so true to my life.  That’s why I’ve always loved this book: it’s so full of truth for me. It’s like my life with small varying differences.  While it is fiction there is so much truth in it.  I think that’s probably a major reason why we all have our favorite books, they ring true in our hearts.  

Today I read this: “no one else could ever have this perfect hour.  She surrendered herself utterly to the charm of the moment.”  And later in the same passage another character says this: “ ‘That’s true,’ said Barney.  ‘If you buy your experience it’s your own.  So it’s no matter how much you pay for it.  Somebody else’s experience can never be yours.’” 

That just touches your heart.  It may not touch your heart.  But that’s okay.  You probably have passages in your favorite book that touch your heart and change you.  Perhaps today is a good day to pull out that old favorite and remember how great it is to be alive in this “funny old world”.

PS: It’s called The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery.

Doubtful Sound part 3

The night before the crew had warned us that we didn’t need a wake-up call or alarm set because they would be turning on the engines at 6:30 am!  Sure enough at 6:30 the engines started and away we went.  I didn’t want to miss anything so I tried to get ready as quickly as possible.

It was hard even to stop to eat breakfast and not turn my full attention on the views and scenery.  I wasn’t too hungry though because of the feast we’d had the night before!  It was clear and beautiful again.  I spent time on the deck and then went inside to warm up before going out on the deck again and repeating the process over and over again as we sailed Doubtful Sound.  

At one point I was going inside to get more hot beverages when someone asked me if I was Annemarie.  He was a tall, older guy.  I was surprised but said yes I was.  He smiled and introduced himself.  He was also from Seattle and had met the family from Wellington who told him about me.  We had a nice chat about Seattle, living in New Zealand, traveling, and all that kind of thing.  He was on a backpacker’s holiday because his work had told him he had two weeks off and his girlfriend works for Amazon.com and apparently they never get vacation.  So off to New Zealand he came!   

We sailed into one of the arms of the fiord and right into the sunshine!  It was amazing.  I had a cup of tea in my hand and I sat on the deck.  Here we all observed a moment of silence to really experience the sounds of nature.  It was lovely and peaceful.  A moment to be remembered.

Then we slowly sailed back to Deep Cove where the cruise ship harbours.  It was just about time to say goodbye.  I sure wasn’t ready.  I’d been on Doubtful Sound 20 hours, but it wasn’t nearly enough time.  But we had to head back to the buses which would whisk us back to Lake Manapouri.  My new friend from Seattle sat next to me on the bus and boat ride back to Manapouri village.  By now he’s probably back in Seattle.  It just reminds me how great an experience I’m having here in New Zealand.  He only got to spend 10 days or so on the South Island.  He wasn’t even getting to see the North Island.  And here I am still in New Zealand enjoying everything it has to offer!

Doubtful Sound will definitely be a special memory for me here in New Zealand.  I’m starting to really collect them!  

Doubtful Sound part 2

May 1

After kayaking, I changed into some dry clothes and the staff served us soup to warm us up.  We all gathered in the dining room.  I sat with a couple from Dunedin, New Zealand, and a couple from Australia.  Well the wife was Swedish and the husband Irish.  We had a lovely leek, potato, and mushroom soup.  

After soup we had a couple more hours until the main dinner was to be served.  We sailed out to the mouth of Doubtful Sound.  There are some rocks out there where baby seals played in the shallow waters while their parents lazed about on the rocks.  When we reached the mouth of the fiord the sun was lowering in the sky.  It was a beautiful sight to see the sun dip into the sea and set.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a sunset quite like it before and the crew claimed it was the best sunset they had seen all season.  

Soon it was dinner time, and what a dinner!  I sat with the family I was sharing the quad share room with.  They were from Wellington, New Zealand.  But the daughter who was about my age had just returned from living in Vancouver, BC.  We had a lot to talk about.  As far as New Zealanders went, I think they had traveled more in the US than any other New Zealander I had met so far.  They had been to places I haven’t had the chance to go to yet!

For dinner we had a lovely buffet with salads, roasted vegetables, sauces, carvery meats, vegetable options, and smoked salmon.  And so many more things that I can’t remember all of them!  I went back for seconds.  Dessert was also really nice.  I was so full by that time that I didn’t try everything.  I just had a slice of cheesecake and a fruit crumble.  But they also had chocolate cake, pavlova, and fruit salad on offer.

After the dinner we were invited to a nature presentation slideshow. I wasn’t expecting much -- I thought it might be like the slideshows the rangers used to put on at Lake Chelan.  But in fact it was much better and way more informative.  I’ve heard a lot of information and facts about New Zealand’s native flora and fauna, but never so in depth and interesting as this presentation.  I could tell that the presenter really cared about New Zealand’s wildlife and the things that are deteriorating it.

After the presentation I could barely keep my eyes open.  But since we were in the middle of nowhere I decided to go out on the deck and check out the stars.  They were beautiful, but I didn’t think they were any more stunning than they are in Te Anau.  I did see one shooting star though.  Before I knew it I was cuddled up in bed asleep.