Retrospective #2b: New Zealand, the South Island

In last week’s episode of “Beth catches up,” I wrote about the first half of my trip to New Zealand. Namely, my time on the North Island, ending in Wellington. 

Picking up from there… I took the Interislander ferry from Wellington to Picton, on the South Island. The three-hour trip was lovely, with beautiful scenery and dolphin sightings.

This is probably a good point to mention that I met a ton of friendly people on this trip – mostly Australians, but also people from England, the Netherlands, Canada and the U.S. And in the continuing saga of “the world is small” – At Hobbiton, I met an American couple who used to live in Virginia and an Australian lady who was about to visit her friends in Spokane, Washington (very close to my alma mater of Washington State University). And on the ferry, the couple I met from the Netherlands used to live in Chehalis, Washington, where I lived for 5 years during elementary school.

From Picton, I took the Coastal Pacific train to Christchurch. The train ride was fun and beautiful. The train travels along the coast, going by sea lions, the pink salt plains and one of the main wine regions of New Zealand. I also saw tons of roly-poly sheep! (Side note: In Hobbiton, I learned that the sheep of the North Island weren’t considered rustic enough for the LOTR movies, so they imported sheep from the South Island for the movies.)

Sadly, the November 2016 7.8-magnitude earthquake raised the seabed two meters and caused significant damage to the rail line, so the line is closed for repairs. Current expectation is that it will reopen in mid-2018. For a rather dramatic picture of how the coastline changed from when I saw it, you can see a CNN picture here. I don’t know if it still looks like that, but it’s pretty dramatic.

So then I arrived in Christchurch. Since it was a holiday, there were very few taxis available. I ended up sharing a taxi with some nice British ladies I had met on the ferry. I just had the evening in Christchurch, so I walked around the business center a little. What amazed me was how much devastation still remained from the 2011 6.3-magnitude earthquake. A lot of the business center was still closed off or slated for demolition. They’d decorated the walls blocking off the buildings quite a lot, so it was very colorful. But it seemed like the entire business center was a temporary memorial of that earthquake. Granted, it was a holiday, so maybe it would have a slightly different feel on a workday. I asked the taxi driver why they were still waiting to do the repairs/demolitions, and he said it was because of insurance. Every time there was an aftershock – and there were many – the insurance companies would require a new assessment. Apparently, a lot of people have moved away from Christchurch, because they’d become discouraged or were afraid of the earthquakes. But one thing that Christchurch has done that’s pretty cool is to paint murals in various places. I was given a little map of all the locations of those murals when I arrived.

The following day, I drove to Queenstown. That drive is gorgeous. Beautiful mountains and lakes and rivers and mountain passes and vineyards. I stopped for a little picnic at Lake Tekapo, which was beautiful. I made an impromptu stop when I caught a glimpse of Mt. Cook and was going “MUST STOP MUST STOP MUST STOP to take pictures.” Thankfully, there was a little pull off to park at soon thereafter, so I didn’t cause any traffic accidents.

Mt. Cook

I adored Queenstown. It was so pretty. I walked to the gondola and rode it up the mountain to see the view. I couldn’t do the stargazing – for which Queenstown is famous – because it was all booked out. Next time, I’ll get those tickets well in advance. The following day, I went on the Glenorchy tour. Again in the realm of small world, our driver/tour guide was from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the other people in my car were all from Japan (Nagoya and Yokohama)! So that was super fun. A lot of different movies have filmed in the Queenstown area, so it was fun to see where those movies were filmed and learn a little about how they did it. But it was also wonderful to just see the gorgeous scenery. 

"Welcome, my lords, to Isengard." 

On the Milford Track

After the tour, I drove to Te Anau, the “gateway” to Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound. The national park is also home to the famous Milford Track, New Zealand’s most famous walk. It’s a four-day, 33-mile walk from the head of Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound. When I was planning my trip, I seriously considered doing that walk. But there were so many things that I wanted to see in New Zealand, and not knowing if I’d get the opportunity to go back, I decided to just get a tiny taste of it and did a one day Milford Track and Cruise instead. In the morning, I hiked the very end of the Milford Track – five kilometers from the end of the track at Sandfly Point to Giants Gate, a beautiful waterfall, and then back out. The guide was a guy who grew up in the area and was a former park ranger, so he knew all about the plants and birds and history of the area. It was fascinating. 

Milford Sound

In the afternoon, I took the cruise through Milford Sound to the Tasman Sea. The morning hike was delayed an hour due to weather, which was great for not having to get up before dawn, but also meant that the boat I was on in the afternoon was one hour later. And that turned out to be a great thing. The boat I would have been on was PACKED with Chinese tourists (because of Chinese New Year), whereas the boat I ended up with was nearly empty. It did rain a little during the cruise, but it was a light rain, so no big deal. Apparently, Milford Sound is the rainiest populated area in the world. It lived up to it, but it was still beautiful. You could see how the glaciers carved through the rock. There were lovely waterfalls. We went right up to one where local legend says that, if you get touched by the spray of the waterfall, you’ll wake up the next day ten years younger. That didn’t happen. But it was still pretty cool.

And that was my trip to New Zealand! The next day, I drove back to Queenstown and flew to Sydney, Australia, where a dear friend from when we both lived in Brazil met me for a girls’ weekend. It’s such a blessing to have friends where you can be separated for seven years and just pick right up. It was a wonderful way to end my trip. I hope I’ll be able to go back again before another seven years have passed. 

A beautiful day in Sydney

Retrospective #2a: New Zealand, the North Island

This is the second of two retrospective posts on travels I took while I was in Japan, which I promised to write a year ago. I’ve managed to narrow down my thousands of pictures to around 20, which was half the battle in writing this. But since this was a two-week trip, and I’ve talked to a number of people who were interested in getting ideas for their own trips to New Zealand, I think I’m going to split this blog into two posts. So here we go!

I’d been interested in going to New Zealand for a long time, so I decided to prioritize that trip while living in Japan. Although 10 hours on a plane is a long time, it’s a whole lot better than the >24 hours that I’d spend traveling there if I waited until I returned to DC. So in February 2016, I went to New Zealand.

While I looked at some group tours, I ended up creating my own trip in order to maximize my time and get in everything that I really cared about. One of my colleagues in Tokyo spent a number of years working for the Embassy of New Zealand, so she gave me some good tips about interesting things to do. In the end, I had an itinerary that looked – from a logistics standpoint – about as complicated as a senior official visit, with thirteen hotels, five tours, three planes, two rental cars, one boat and one train. 

I started my trip with one day in Auckland. Except that it wasn’t that simple. Because one hour before I was supposed to leave for the airport, a lady in my building left something on the stove while she went downstairs to pick up her son from the preschool. PSA: Do not do that. It’s the #1 cause of fires in the United States, and #2 cause of fires at our overseas posts. Black smoke was billowing out of her apartment. That apartment was pretty much destroyed; neighboring apartments had a ton of smoke damage. Thankfully, it was Japan, and we had a bunch of large fire trucks on the scene within minutes. Fire was put out. Nobody was hurt. I left the cat (in her carrier) with a friend, while I was escorted in to the building to grab my suitcase. Cat wouldn’t look at me when I left, but I got off to the airport on time!

So… Auckland. My entire experience with Auckland was a walk around the city center. It was kind of an interesting mix: casual restaurants, pubs, cafes, backpacker outfitting shops, surfing shops, souvenir stores, Gucci, Dior, etc. It struck me as a combo of southern California beach and Pacific Northwest granola. There were some people wearing suits, but New Zealand clearly caters itself to the outdoor adventure crowd. And it delivers!

Day two, I got in my rental car and headed south. First stop, Hobbiton! My plan was to drive to Hobbiton, check in, and then have lunch at the café before starting the tour. It was a grand plan. But I think my GPS was programmed to avoid all highways, because it took me on a very scenic, lovely drive consisting of a lot of back roads driving by a lot of dairy cows. I loved it. But I arrived just in time for the tour. The tour was wonderful. The LOTR fan in me was SO EXCITED. The setting was beautiful. I had hard cider and a beef and ale pie at The Green Dragon. It was great. 

This tour was also the beginning of me meeting a number of very friendly couples over the course of my travels. There was one elderly Australian lady who was about as excited to be there as I was who told her husband “No grumps!” before the tour started. He had never seen the movies (gasp!), but I found out that he had worked on creating the set for “Man from Snowy River,” which was pretty awesome. At one point, we were talking, and I was telling him what I do. He looked at me and said, “what an exciting life.” Sometimes, I get too focused on the details, and I can start feeling lonely or sorry for myself over this or that. And in addition, I had been going through a stretch of time where most of the people I interacted with either a) had a similar life or b) who heard what I did and had a look on their faces that was a mix of "why would you do that"/"I couldn't leave me home." So that one comment – said so genuinely – was really timely and encouraging for me. The setting probably didn’t hurt either!

From Hobbiton, I drove south to Rotorua, where I went on the Te Po tour (Indigenous Evening Experience) at Te Puia. I got to see Maori cultural performances, eat a Maori feast, and walk down to the Pohutu Geyser, which is the largest active geyser in the southern hemisphere. The cultural performances reminded me a lot of Hawaii. Which all made sense when I saw the map that showed the Polynesian Triangle, with Hawaii at the north end and New Zealand at the south end. Don’t know why I never realized that before. 

"One does not simply walk into Mordor."

The following day, I drove to Turangi, which is apparently a trout fisherman’s paradise.  For me though, it was a base for going on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Tongariro National Park is a World Heritage site and home to three volcanoes. It’s amazing. It was also Mordor in LOTR. Mt. Ngauruhoe was Mt. Doom, except that the top of the mountain was always CGI, because it’s sacred to the Maori (if I remember correctly). 

See those little tiny people walking on the ridge?
That's where I was going.

Red Crater

I was not in sufficient shape for this hike. So the first hour or so of flat was great, the next couple hours of going UP was hell, followed by the start of a migraine that I killed over lunch, and then the rest of the day was really nice. All told, about 8 hours of walking, because I’m slow. I loved it though. It was beautiful. I met some more very nice people – including two couples from Copenhagen that lived a few miles from each other, had mutual friends, and had never met before that day.

To recap, I walked from the left side of this picture to the right side of this picture.

Wellington, from the botanical gardens

The following day, I drove to Wellington. I finally started to see lots and lots of sheep. Wellington looked like a pretty town. Sadly, I didn’t realize when I planned this that everything closes by 5pm on Sunday. So I took the cable car up to the botanical garden, but I needed to eat and the restaurant was closed, so I went back down after a short walk around. (And my legs were still tight from the trek the day before, so I wasn’t convinced that I’d be able to walk back up the hill if I walked down to look at some of the gardens.) Eventually I found a place down by the water for dinner, which was very nice. And my hotel was a historical building with gorgeous rooms. With no staff, because it was Sunday. I feel like I need to give Wellington another try, because it had the potential to be great.

And on Monday, I took the ferry to the South Island. 

To be continued… 

A year of transition

I am embarrassed to see that it has been a year since I last wrote a blog post.  It’s been a busy year of transition. So in an effort to get caught up, we’re just going to do a quick synopsis of this eventful year.

As noted in my last blog post, I departed Tokyo at the beginning of June 2016 and began a month of home leave. This included time in Virginia, buying a car (a light blue Honda CRV, for those who are dying to know), and going about the business of transitioning my life (temporarily) to the U.S. I then took my new car on a road trip. I spent one night in Hilton Head on my way down to spend close to a week with some dear friends in Florida. We had a good time hanging out, including a trip to the beach and another trip to see the mermaids at Weeki Wachee.  

On the way back north, I spent two nights in the historic district in Savannah. I took one of those hop-on-hop-off bus tours (rode it all the way around once and then got off at a couple places the second time around) and did a ghost tour (primarily so that I could get inside of one of the houses). I’d love to go back some day when I can take the time to stroll, do more tours, and sit and watch people while drinking peach sangria. 

In July, I moved into temp quarters in Pentagon City. My home leave ended with a visit to the Tidal Basin to ride the paddle boats and watching the fireworks from the Air Force memorial on July 4^th. Over the next six months, I took (abbreviated) Spanish and other trainings, took care of all of those doctor appointments that we FSOs do when we are back in the States, and visited with as many friends as I could get in. I hosted my Florida friends for a week in the fall. I went to DCI in Annapolis and watched the children of various friends in band concerts, basketball games, Nutcracker performances, etc. And after spending 15 years or so saying that I wanted to take one of those Sur La Table cooking classes, I took three. All told, it was a good time of both very useful training, but also of rejuvenating the soul - soaking in as much time with friends and American experiences as possible. 

In January, I moved to Santo Domingo. Less than a week later, I went to Jamaica for a very short trip. In retrospect, I should have delayed that trip a week or so. Live and learn. As close as our two islands are, it takes all day to get there, because we have to fly up to Miami and then back down. So two days of travel for one day on the ground. But I had a bunch of meetings in the embassy and met some key contacts. My household effects were shipped from Tokyo to Miami, so they were delivered to my apartment two weeks after I arrived. Also in January, I went on the 27 Waterfalls adventure with a group from the Embassy. We hiked in and then hiked down the river, jumping off of or sliding down 27 waterfalls in the process. I have a slight fear of heights, so I liked the sliding better than the jumping, and I chose to walk around the two tallest waterfalls. But it was still a great adventure. 

Commuting

I spent the first week of February in Haiti visiting our McGovern-Dole school feeding program there. That was a fascinating trip. The Dominican Republic and Haiti share one island, but they feel like different worlds. We spent a couple days in Port au Prince and then drove north, ending in Cap Haitien. It was amazing to see how life is in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and to see the impact of the school feeding program – to see the children, some of whom are only sent to school because their parents know that they will receive a meal there, possibly their only meal of the day. 

Lunch time at a rural school in a church

Also in February, I joined a couple friends for an amazing girls’ weekend at Disney World (so much fun!!!!), and I went on a tour of a rum factory with a group from the Embassy. 

In March, I went on a whale watching trip in Samana. The Bay of Samana is the breeding ground of the Atlantic Humpback whales (slightly smaller than the Pacific Humpback). We were able to see some whales swimming along and a number of babies playing. (The whales were always on the other side of the boat, so I don't have any good pictures.) Then we had lunch and a couple hours of beach time. It was the only time I’ve made it to a beach since I arrived. Also in March, I visited a chocolate factory (love my job!), finally hired a maid to come in once a week, and got pictures put up on the walls. And then the Embassy told me that they were breaking my housing assignment and making me move. (Long story.)

April was spent getting more settled, looking at possible homes for me to move to, and getting introduced to the game of bunco (and a lot of great ladies) at an Embassy Ladies’ Bunco Night.

Prawn motorcycle at the NRA show

May began with a fun Kentucky Derby party, complete with mint juleps. Then I went to Chicago for the first time to attend the National Restaurant Association (NRA) show. The NRA show is huge and very impressive. I’m glad I’ve finally seen it so that I can better promote it to potential buyers. While in Chicago, I also managed to sneak in a quick boat tour (recommended by several taxi drivers), Chicago-style pizza, and a game at Wrigley Field - complete with a hot dog, although I skipped the mustard. I’d love to go back to Chicago some day so that I can see more of the city.

June began with a spa day at the CLO's house - wonderful ladies, food and mimosas, manicures, pedicures, facials and a 1-hour massage, all for about $50. I also discovered that I can hire somebody to come to my house and give me a 1-hour massage for about $15. I am definitely going to look into doing that on a regular basis! 

In Port Royal

I then went to Jamaica for a week – so, three days on the ground. This time, I was able to get out and have more meetings. We went to the east end of the island to see some sugar and dairy. We visited the APHIS pre-clearance site near Kingston’s airport and had lunch in Port Royal. Port Royal is a fishing village, but it was once the home base of Henry Morgan and was known as “the richest and wickedest city” in the world. I went straight from Jamaica back to the U.S. to see a dear friend’s oldest son – who’s been showing me how to operate tech gadgets since he could walk – graduate from high school. So proud of him, and so excited to see what he does at Virginia Tech in the coming years!

And now we are in July. I was in DC for 10 days for an Ag Attaché conference (great to see so many friends from all over the world!), followed by a quiet week of vacation before heading back to Santo Domingo on Tuesday. My new deputy will arrive at the end of August, and I'll move to a new house sometime this fall. So I have high expectations that the transitioning will end (for the next three years) by the end of the year.