August 29, 2005
Beautiful Vanuatu
We left Aukland for beautiful Vanuatu! Vanuatu is an island in the south pacific with friendly melanesian Ni Vanuatu people. The culture is really unique with its own set of tribes spread out over the islands.
A few highlights:
Learning about Ni Vanuatu culture in dance, food and interacttions with people in the market.
A visit to a village for a taste of the traditional way of life.
Enjoying coconut creame fish in a beachside cafe with the tranquil sounds of a string band.
Swimming in the crystal clear blue pacific water.
Finding starfish.
Snorkeling at hideaway island where the fish eat the food from your hands.
Swimming the waterfalls of the crystal clear cascades.
I love Vanuautu!
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August 22, 2005
Blessed
A heaping big thank you to all our kiwi friends who blessed us this week. We love you all and we will miss you so much! Come visit us in the US soon!
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August 19, 2005
Highlights of Tauranga
I’m done! I worked my last shift in our Down Under year long adventure! It felt sad to leave the hosptial on multiple levels. I will miss the interactions of colleagues that I have worked side by side for the past 6 months. I will miss many of the personalities. My pet peves of the hospital, I will gladly leave behind. I thought I would reflect on the best parts of this experience…
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August 13, 2005
Final Days in Aotearoa
It’s hard to believe that its been over a year since we left our home in Kansas City for a year of adventure Down Under. We have had some incredible experiences, met some fascinating people, made some incredible friends, reunited with long lost family, saw ancestral homes, been awed by some of the most beautiful scenery on earth and watched our English morph into from an oz twang to a kiwi twang. We have lived in one of the oldest cities in a remote unspoilt part of Australia to the surf capital of New Zealand in the shadow of Mauao. It’s time to come home again to be reunited with family and friends.
There are mored adventures to be had as we top off our exeriences down under with a trip around the world…
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August 07, 2005
Walk Around Mauao With Me
Our time is coming to a close Down Under. One of the things that I have enjoyed most while in in Australasia is the incredible nature walks in our backyard. In Australia we enjoyed walking the trails of rugged Cataract Gorge. In Mount Maunganui, we love to walk around Mauao (the Mount). I want to share this experience with my friends who won’t be able take this walk with us in our remaining time. Would you like to take a walk with me?
Mauao stands alone. A dominant landmark in the horizon of the Bay of Plenty, Mauao can be seen for miles. The rugged green cliffs can even be seen from the Accidente Emergency Department in the middle of the city.
A short walk down Pilot Bay to the track only recently reopened after slips from the heavy rains. Enjoy the sailboats and ships coming through the bay into the harbour.
Looking back from the trail you can see the Mini Mount from the center of town. There are also Norfolk pines that line the beach at Pilot Bay.
As we round the curve you can see one of the nice white sand beaches. Across the bay you can see Matakana Island. Matakana also has pristine white sand beaches with few inhabitants.
As we round the cruve, the sandy beaches disapear and the coast becomes rocky. The rugged coastline is a great contrast to the crystal clear water. The color of the water changes dramatically with wind, swells, and the sunshine.
The rocky coast has interesting rock formations. Around the bend, the rocky coast becomes tide pools. Instead of sandy beaches, the beaches are made of shells.
We’re almost at our destination. The end of the trail is the main surf beach at Mount Maunagnui. These nature walks have been one of the higlights of my experience. Its easy to see why people love to live and play outside down under.
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August 03, 2005
I Survived Mount Doom
Skiing in the north island means skiing in Mt. Doom.
We took the scenic drive around Lake Taupo
into Tongariro National Park to the mountain town of Ohakune.
We stayed at the Rimu Park Lodge in a studio converted rail car. It was a pretty cool place with that old craftsman wooden interior in a unique setting.
We had a nice afternoon skiing up in Mt. Doom also known as Whakapapa. I won’t say it was the best skiing that I have ever had, but it was also the first active volcano I have ever skied on as well.
From Ohakune it was onto the train to Wellington
We really like Wellington. They have great restaurants with cuisine from around the world. The Malaysian food is particularly good. The Chinese Dim Sum is some of the best that we have had in New Zealand thus far. The night life is great! There are so many great places to go on a pub crawl. We recommend the Bristol Hotel. They had a great brass band playing an flapper age blues set. We hiked up Mt. Victoria for the great panaroammic views ot the city.
Then it was back on a train to Ohakune for the Carrot Festival. More on that to come in another entry. So there you have it. We Survived Mount Doom and we would do it again in a hearbeat.
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