Christmas

Christmas Eve we went to a carolling concert at the local community centre. About 200 people were there – they are streaming into the community now, and kids are everywhere. (am missing my grandchildren and great grand-children right now.) A Christmas pageant was integrated into the concert, and the shepherds were played by two great big men in gum-boots, a NZ fashion statement. Mary and Joseph were played by a well-respected couple in the 70's; Joseph's only role was to burp the baby – he told me so, later. Our friend Krishna was in the choir, and she had a great time.
Christmas morning, we went to a Roman Catholic church service in Wahai, a tiny Maori village nearby. The church was full, and the service was noisy, informal in a formal sort of way – not nearly as restrained as the Protestant service we attended later that week. I took photos of the interior of the church – the walls were decorated with traditional Maori weavings and carvings, each panel unique, each representing an important symbol of Maori life. For example one panel pattern represented a flounder, another a fern, and the 'stairway to heaven' decorated the panel behind the altar. As well, the rafters supporting the roof were carved and painted in traditional fashion, each one different from the other in pattern and colour. Very rich in colour, symbolism, but no velvet, no gold. . . . Lovely.
And to top off the morning, we put our feet into one of the thermal pools on the lakeshore in front of the church. Hot, hot, hot. Graham (a Maori), says the women used to cook in the thermal pools, and build steam cookers over them. I can see why!!
For Christmas dinner, we grilled vegetables and Graham barbecued a WONDERFUL beef roast – rare, lightly spiced – yum. And for dessert, a Pavlova, which is a meringue filled with fruit and whip cream – lots of whip cream. Santa found each of us, though we were far from home.
And, next day I got up early to call home – see the sunrise?
How much I have to be grateful for.

Dec 18

December 18, 2009
Went to Taupo today – a friend of Dave and Colleen's named Tony was taking someone else to the airport, and offered to take us sight-seeing. It's a 40 km drive, but slow even though SH – 1 is the main highway between Wellington (capitol city) and Auckland (largest city). The highway takes us north, winding between the lakeshore and high hills, mostly covered with pine trees. Some areas have been clear-cut – what an ugly sight! Owned by Maori Trust organizations, they're mostly replanted, but still need another 15 years or so until the scars heal.
Taupo is a tourist town, making its living on fishing, hiking (tramping in NZ-speak) in the summer, and nearby skiing in the winter. Lots of souvenir shops, good coffee shops, some of the major NZ stores. Prices are lower here than in Wellington, but still higher than in Ottawa, even if you count the 20% difference in our dollars. Their sales tax (GST) is included in all prices, so the price you see is the price you pay, unless there's a small rounding up or down to the nearest 5 cents. No pennies in NZ; the coin that is copper-coloured and looks like our penny is a 10 cent piece. Very confusing.
After Taupo, Tony took us to Huka Falls, an important waterway here. Much of NZ's electricity is generated by water, or by thermal hot water. Huka Falls is the sole exit from Lake Taupo, and the water does race through the narrow channel – maybe 20 feet across at its narrowest.
Also saw the huge thermal power generation plant – one of many through-out the country. Being built on a volcanic region sure helps the national government generate power.
On the way back to Omori, Tony made sure we had time to take photos of two fascinating sights – first, Mount Ruapehu, which even now is snow-covered. It's about 50 km south of us, and is one of three active volcanoes in this area. It's about 2700 Metres high (a little less than 10,000 feet.) It last erupted in a major way in 1995, covering the area in clouds of ash and steam. The 1996 ski season was a write-off, as eruptions continued to cover the ski slopes in ash. It erupted without warning in 2007, accompanied by a small earthquake, injuring one person. Hmm – so much for civil defence and warning systems. Ah well.
The second sight, related to the first is the thermal fields which underlie the hills surrounding Omori. As you may be able to see in the photo, the steam rises from them, through-out the forest. Evidently the fire service gets several calls each year from tourists, telling them that there's a fire in the forest – the fire services goes to the spot on the road where the steam can be seen, but ignores it. It's too dangerous to go up there, as one might fall into a steam vent – poached firemen anyone? Sorry, that's grim humour.
So, thanks to Tony who has the last word. When I asked him how would we know if a volcano was erupting, he said "if you can see it, it's too late." Ha!

Tuesday

Our social life is picking up some. Rosemary and Graham were up for the week-end, and we enjoyed ourselves cooking together, helping move appliances (refrigerators and washing machines!), watching a DVD of an Eagles concert – good company, good food, good music.
Graham barbecued some chicken for us, and we devoured some kumara chips (kumara is a yam-type vegetable that is a staple here.)

On Saturday, Rosemary took us into Turangi (10 miles distant), for shopping etc. To our surprise almost all the shops closed by 1:00 p.m. It's been a long time since I've been in villages that do that. On the way back, we saw again the steam venting from the thermal fields of the near-by volanoes – will put up a picture as soon as I get one. And, we drove to a nearby hill-top which has been sectioned off for more high-end housing development. I'll try to include some of the better photos of the view from that beautiful spot.

And, yesterday (Sunday), Dave and Colleen who run the Omori store, invited us for fish and chips. Dave has just opened a Chip Stand, and had some fish from Saturday that needed to be eaten – we were willing guests. Yum – a fine moist reddish tinged ocean fish (Tilapia?), in a light crispy batter, perfectly golden brown, cooked to a T. And the accompanying french fries were equally well prepared – the chip stand is open on Friday and Saturday nights, so we know where we're going for dinner this Friday!

While we ate at the picnic table near the store, Krishna joined us – she's a new employee for Dave and Colleen and will be doing the cooking at the chip stand – she's of Italian and Maori descent, and acquired her name from her Italian yoga-practicing mother. About 25 – 30 years old, Krishna has just returned to Omori which is the seat of her father's "Iwi" (tribe), after living in the bush (woods / forest / remote area), in a community where many live in shipping containers. She was without running water for a number of years. That was her choice – she'd grown up in the City of Wellington, and decided to go 'back to the land', as part of her commitment to the environment. I understand that shipping containers are a ready solution to housing shortages, one that is used in many countries where the climate allows. Krishna had several windows in her, and found it quite acceptable. She talked of her great appreciation for running water and flush toilets, grown from the necessity of carrying buckets from the creek some distance from her home. Her commitment to the environment continues to be strong – she'll move to a home with composting toilet as soon as possible. She is particularly interested in how art reflects culture. We talked briefly about the different experience of aboriginal peoples in NZ, Aus, Canada and U.S., and I know we'll have lots more conversations.

I spent more than an hour on the phone yesterday with Colleen's internet help desk, trying to figure out why my laptop wouldn't connect with her router. After lots of conversation and experiments, the fellow concluded that her router is higher security than my laptop could connect with – ah well. However, she offered to let us check our mail when we go to the store (which is at least daily, if not more often). So Margaret continues working on her book, and sending chapters off to her editor, and I continue blogging!!!

Are any of you putting comments up? I'm not seeing any, but wonder if you're seeing the "Comment" box at the very end of the blog?? Pls let me know if you see it, because I can try to figure out how to put it up top. Also forgive placement of pictures – haven't mastered that yet.

Saturday, here

Resting, relaxing, sitting in the sun – the last few days have been low key, easy in all ways. The sun is so bright that a hat is needed at all times – and the NZ slogan to combat skin cancer – slip, slap, slop (cover up, put on a hat, put on sun screen) – is worth following. I was surprised to get a sunburn in about 30 minutes. Not that I'm complaining – did I hear that some parts of the U.S. are experiencing a fierce winter storm?? How about Canada? Does it please you to read that we're expecting heavy rain this week-end?

Went for a bit of a walk today along the shore of Lake Taupo. Much of the shore near us is very steep, and covered with trees and bush. Look on Google Earth, for Omori, NZ, and you'll see what I mean. But there is a public trail that goes along the lakeshore, then up some stairs to go along the hillside. Some animal traps are set along the pathside – rabbits that evidently are taking quite a toll on the flowers and other plant life, though it doesn't show at all; and ferrets take a toll on birds – saw lots of broken bird eggs along the pavement today, but no other evidence.

We're hoping to find a bird book, so we can identify some of the many different ones we see and hear. So far we've identified a Tui (also known as a parson-bird); and a fantail. Another we think is a chaffinch; and attached is a picture of a quail-like critter.

Other 'wild-life' include sheep and beef from a near-by farm – we can hear their bleats and moo's on a quiet night. One lamb is definitely a split-personality – see the photo of him, with his black front-half, and white back-half.

The farm provided the land-based for the Omori community which is a high-end housing development.. The development is sort of strange – most of the 200 homes are very up-scale – huge, for the most part over 2,000 square feet. Lawns, grounds, houses well-kept;. But, 90% of them are unoccupied – they're summer homes, don't know who owns them. Summer is just beginning, and now on a Friday afternoon we're seeing some families drive in. A few retirees are here year-round; fewer local workers (the one corner store; the one property-manager. . . .) But the community is pretty much empty. Very strange. There is NO commercial activity (other than the tiny corner store); no real estate offices, no community facilities such as community hall or churches. The nearest town is Turangi, about 10 miles away. I can't think of a similar example near any place I've lived. How about you folks?

The house we're staying is NOT one of the upscale examples; it's a fully-furnished 2-bedroom, large living room, medium sized kitchen; large porch. Very comfortable, nicely furnished, used as a summer retreat by our host Graham, who has just married Marg's friend Rosemary. As with most of the houses here, there's a 'batch', behind the house – a self-contained bachelor apartment attached to the garage. We have TV with 3 channels; a golden oldies radio station, no internet, cell-phone access if we stand in a certain spot 200 yards down the street.

We have everything we need (other than internet).

December 7, 2009

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.

Friday

Have been with Rosemary and Graham in Wanganui (wong a new ee); seeing the sights, eating great food. see http://www.whanganui.com
Am learning lots about Maori culture - If I understand correctly the Maori believed they were descended from mountains, and that there is no separation between humans and the earth. This is not like our Canadian First Nation beliefs, where the interdependence of nature and human is the foundational belief. Rather, it is that the earth/sky/people are one - so when one enters a Maori home with ancestoral carvings on the wall, it is the ancestors themselves who are seen to be there, not a representation of them. Sure makes you think about what "we" do to the environment, doesn't it?
Off to Omori today, and a few day of just sitting. Margaret and I are hoping for warmer weather - it has been between 10 and 12 degrees celsius, which I know is warm for Ottawa and Northern Minnesota at this time of year, but seems chilly in this place.
Don't know what the internet options are in Omori. That will determine how frequently I post from now on.
Bye for now

Tuesday December 1

The wedding was truly a grand event – Rosemary and Graham went all out to celebrate their marriage, and we who were guests benefited from their open-handed approach to the festivities. The wedding service itself was held in St. Andrew's on the Terrace, a Presbyterian church of some note. About 100 guests were present, and the ceremony was presided over by Rev John Murray, a long time friend of Rosemary's – he approached the service as an informal one, speaking in both English and Maori through-out the proceedings. One of the songs we sang during the proceedings was written for the event by John's wife – Shirley Erena Murray, whom First United folks will recognize as a writer of some of our favourite hymns. The ceremony was followed by a champagne and cake reception – the wedding cake was a dark chocolate, substantial, not fluffy – truly yummy.

After the reception, we gathered again back at the hotel, for nibbles, then a buffet dinner. Again, about 100 people. The food was marvellous – seafood including at least 3 types of salmon, shrimp; beef, ham, endless salads; pastas; and a separate dessert buffet provided us all with lots of opportunity to overdo it. Wine accompanied each part of the dinner. Rosemary's brother Richard em-ceed the event, and kept all on track; it was a well-managed affair. It was interesting to see the Maori custom of people coming in and out of the dinner - one brother would stay for the first course, then he'd leave, going off to another engagement; but replaced by a sister and her child. That's the way things are done, I'm told. I can't imagine our 'upright' people following that method of proceeding! Dancing followed, but I'd had a full day.

Sunday we were included in Rosemary's family breakfast at the hotel – a good chance to talk to people I hadn't met, and eat a little more – as if I hadn't had enough the night before.

Spent the rest of Sunday, and Monday touring – visited the Wellington City and Sky museum, and saw again a film of a shipwreck – this one in the Wellington Harbour, as recently as 1968, where 50 people died – the storms are so severe, that no ship can withstand their fury, with winds sometimes exceeding 150 mph,\. As in the film from last week, the tragedy was filmed – because the ship was trapped in the middle of the harbour, it was less than ½ mile off shore, and within easy camera distance; but those on shore were powerless to rescue some passengers. Many lifeboats capsized as they were launched due to the huge waves. I think that Mother Nature often reminds New Zealanders of who's in charge. One of the TV news clips showed the then-mayor saying 'we can take 70 mph winds in our stride – it's a usual event; but no one can withstand 150 mph winds.'

Toured by some govt buildings - the 'beehive' on the left is the Parliament building, and that beside the beehive is another administrative building - interesting contrast in architecture, don't you think?

Also visited Old St. Paul's, an early church nearby city centre. Built of many kinds of wood, the interior resembles the ribs of a wooden ship. Dating from 1846, it has somehow withstood the earthquakes – I'll have to look into that – was the wooden construction more flexible than stone or concrete? I wonder.

Couldn't resist showing the contrast between Old St. Paul's and the new construction going on in the background.

Am doing internet from the local library – it is very expensive in NZ, and I haven't found free access anywhere. The library is cheapest, as $.10/minute. For me who is used to spending an hour at a time several times a day, it's quite a shock. One of the things I appreciate even more now is the free internet access I enjoyed in any public library in Canada or the U.S. I've visited.

We're moving on now to Wanganui, about 200 km north of Wellington to visit with Rosemary and Graham. It should be warmer there, and less wet - as we move away from Antartica, the weather improves!!!