We've been in Omori several days, and are settling into a routine. I hadn't realized how much the back and forth, up and down, being in others' space tired me out. Really appreciated being with Rosemary and Graham in Wanganui; their sharing of their lovely home, and showing around the area really helped us get into the NZ way of life. We walked, ate, walked, sat, ate. . . . Here in Omori, Margaret and I eat, walk, rest, sit in the sun, eat, walk . . . . Margaret's work on her book is going well, and I'm enjoying just doing nothing!
Rosemary drove us up to Omori on Friday; it's a 3 hour drive, and we passed through what is called a desert – big, empty plateau land, much of which is a military training area. Not much to see, though had it been clear, we would have been able to see the 3 active volcanoes in the area.
As we got close to Turangi, we could see steam venting from underground caverns – this whole area is known as a thermal area, with hot springs, hot mud soaks, thermal pools – all fed by the volcanic structures under the earth. Seeing the steam coming out of the hillsides was a little freaky -
So far, the food is quite similar to home, though there's lots more seafood (those of you on the West Coast would find it very familiar.) There are a lot of British brands, and foods – Marmite ( a yeasty vegetable spread); lots of tea; worcestershire sauce; curry, chutney . . . And, packaging is in metric, so that too is familiar. Most food is imported – remember that we're hours from the nearest source of food – Australia supplies a lot, and of course the U.S. Haven't seen any Canadian food – I brought some maple syrup as a 'hostess gift', and that was much appreciated as it's hard to find here. NZ does produce a lot of dairy products, and the green vegetables are all local. Great apples– Gala, Braeburn and others grow locally.
I would say that the climate is similar to that of Seattle / Bremerton / Victoria in that it's moderate – not too hot, not too cold. In the sea-coast areas there is lots of rain; and here on the volcanic plateau, and in the 'southern alps' on the south island, there is snow during the winter. But, here in Omori, the rhododendrons, azaleas are intermixed with palm trees and flax plants.
Bye for now.
Rosemary drove us up to Omori on Friday; it's a 3 hour drive, and we passed through what is called a desert – big, empty plateau land, much of which is a military training area. Not much to see, though had it been clear, we would have been able to see the 3 active volcanoes in the area.
As we got close to Turangi, we could see steam venting from underground caverns – this whole area is known as a thermal area, with hot springs, hot mud soaks, thermal pools – all fed by the volcanic structures under the earth. Seeing the steam coming out of the hillsides was a little freaky -
So far, the food is quite similar to home, though there's lots more seafood (those of you on the West Coast would find it very familiar.) There are a lot of British brands, and foods – Marmite ( a yeasty vegetable spread); lots of tea; worcestershire sauce; curry, chutney . . . And, packaging is in metric, so that too is familiar. Most food is imported – remember that we're hours from the nearest source of food – Australia supplies a lot, and of course the U.S. Haven't seen any Canadian food – I brought some maple syrup as a 'hostess gift', and that was much appreciated as it's hard to find here. NZ does produce a lot of dairy products, and the green vegetables are all local. Great apples– Gala, Braeburn and others grow locally.
I would say that the climate is similar to that of Seattle / Bremerton / Victoria in that it's moderate – not too hot, not too cold. In the sea-coast areas there is lots of rain; and here on the volcanic plateau, and in the 'southern alps' on the south island, there is snow during the winter. But, here in Omori, the rhododendrons, azaleas are intermixed with palm trees and flax plants.
Bye for now.
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