Finished and Unfinished Unfinished Business

"What exactly are you guys doing anyway?"-Sofia Wallace

Good question. We have entered the vaguely-structured portion of our sabbatical: we have a few semi-fixed dates (ie: return flight Melbourne to US June 16, 2011), but how we get there is the challenge. My two goals in coming to New Zealand were to see the whole country and to work to make money to pay for it. The first part proved more of a challenge than I anticipated. So, from leaving Timaru Feb 27 until flying off to New Caledonia March 15, the plan was to visit noteworthy parts of the North Island not yet seen.
Because of the earthquake, instead of traveling through Christchurch and bidding adieu to friends, we flew Timaru-Wellington direct, and went a short way north to the Kapiti Coast, noted for scenic beaches, Kiwi retirees, and especially Kapiti Island Nature Preserve five miles off the coast.

Kapiti Island

Lagoon on north end of Kapiti Island

To get to the island, you need a permit from the Department of Conservation, then you book a ride on a boat towed into the Tasman Sea by a tractor-thingee. Very interesting. A lot of time, energy, and money have been spent to make the island predator-free, including cats and dogs, in order to give fragile native species a chance to survive. This has been quite successful (although it is worrisome that two stoats were trapped in the last year). We were able to see kakas

Kakas

and the almost extinct takahes.

Takahe-Adult

Takahe- Chick

We also paused long enough to catch the Oscars on satellite TV (congratulations to Christine Samas on her win of the Perkins Way traditional Arnold trophy).  Then we were off further up the coast towards Mount Taranaki (dubbed Mt. Egmont by Capt. Cook). En route we passed though Wanganui on the river of the same name, were in the 1800's steamship trips were pitched to the Europeans as a cruise up "the Rhine of Maori-land". We skirted around to the west of the mountain along Surf Highway 45 though Opunake, home of Olympic Champion middle-distance runner Peter Snell (and his statue: do something notable here, you get a statue),
 to arrive at New Plymouth, a very agreeable town worthy of a longer stay. But no time now. On to the nearly perfect volcanic cone of Taranaki.

Mt. Taranaki from New Plymouth

It so resembles Mt. Fuji, it stood in for it in "The Last Samurai". We were able to take a nice stroll part-way up, and were blessed with a lovely sunny day.

On the slopes of Taranaki

From there it was eastward along the "Forgotten World Highway" (these Kiwi PR people have intriguing names for everything), through the Republic of Whangamomona, on to Tongariro National Park. Here the main attraction is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, billed as "the best one-day hike in New Zealand, a 19 km tramp over majestic volcanic mountain passes. I got up very early in the am, and went downstairs to be disappointed to learn that the shuttles to and from the trail-heads were not running for at least the next few days due to heavy rain, high winds, and snow flurries.I have since found out this was not uncommon, and many people are not able to time a visit to allow the trek. Here is an example of what I missed.

On the Tongariro Alpine Crossing trail© Jiri Kulhanek, Dreamstime.

Oh well, next trip. We were able to take a few much shorter walks to see some of the sights, such as these two waterfalls.

Tawhai Falls

Taranaki Falls

We then headed over to the east coast, for Napier and the Hawke's Bay, noted for Art Deco Buildings and wineries. The Art Deco was the result of a devastating 1931 earthquake that destroyed most of the downtown, which was rebuilt in the style of the times. Until last month, it was considered the most destructive quake in NZ history. Napier milks the Art Deco thing for all its worth. In fact, many buildings throughout the country are of that vintage, and I think the hype is overdone. Pleasant seaside town, though, home to the small National aquarium.

Typical Taupo Trout

Back inland, to Lake Taupo, "the largest lake in Australasia", formed after a massive volcanic eruption in 180 AD, noted by Roman and Chinese historians.It is now home to gigantic trout, brought in from elsewhere, and is considered one of the prime trout fishing areas in the world. We didn't fish, but did take a cruise out onto the lake.

Lake Taupo with Mt. Tongoriro

Up the shoreline a bit, you can see some modern Maori rock carvings of ancient gods,lizards, and other figures.

Nothing builds an appetite like a boat trip, so next stop was at the aquaculture wonderland known as Huka Prawn Park. We eschewed the opportunity to catch our own crustaceans, and opted to have the professionals fill our plate

It is actually a cool concept, as they use geothermal warm waste water to raise the Malaysian river prawns, and made a nifty roadside attraction to boot.
After eating, it was off for more geothermal high jinks, being constantly aware of danger

"Danger" not her middle name

lurking in the steaming ooze at Orakei Karako, the largest geyser field in New Zealand.

Certain colorful hot water algae paint the silica terraces bright colors. Taupo is also the source of the mighty Waikato River, New Zealand's longest, and just a few kms north of town, the river jets through a tight gap in the rocks at Huka Falls.
 

 Going north towards Rotorua, we visited a fascinating place in new Zealand history, Lake Rotomahana, the site of the "Eighth Wonders of the World", the White and Pink terraces.

White Terraces

Pink Terraces

(once again, tremendous PR job). I can't relate the whole story, but there was a very brisk tourist trade bringing Pakeha (Europeans) across land and lakes to these stunning natural marvels, with their gradations of natural sinter hot pools, which ended abruptly around 3 am on June 10, 1886 with the brief but violent eruption of Mt. Tarawera, thought to have exploded the terraces, and submerging the site as the mud and ash formed a dam, raising the lake level 200 feet. The exciting news is that this year, a robot sub has found what they think are parts of the Pink Terraces.

Mt. Tarawera across Lake Rotomahana

Outside of Rotorua is one of the premier "agrotainment" complexes in the known world: The Agrodome. Why my desire to visit? Two things.

1) The awesome pyramid of sheep, displaying the 17 breeds of sheep bred in NZ, the Merino towering above all else: and,

The Author with some local talent

2) Sheep shearing (which is a big money competitive sport/occupation here, and I couldn't quite manage to see a real-life example on a working South Canterbury farm). I was not disappointed.

We were headed to Auckland, but en route detoured through Hobbiton, also known as Matamata. They locals have managed to be a mecca for Lord of the Ring devotees for years because the set for the shire was here in a sheep pasture. It is now being resurrected as filming of the Hobbit is set to start. We did not take the tour.
In general, I have had good luck booking through the Internet, but not so much this time. The "Cheap and Cheerful" rate at the  "4-star Conference Center" was not nearly cheap nor cheerful enough, reminding me of the classic New Yorker cartoon captioned "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog." Someone or something must be looking after us though, because after bailing out on that place (and getting a full refund), I drove downtown, got lost, and ended up pulling into a very nice studio apartment hotel in Newmarket, a very lively and attractive neighborhood full of nice restaurants and interesting shops. I had a little business to conduct in town, and we ended up spending our last six days in Auckland. The weather was "mostly fine" (a common forecast here. There was a lot going on simultaneously, such as the Pasifika Festival,

Pasifika Festival 2011

billed as the largest gathering of its kind for Pacific Island nations. Also happening were the Auckland Arts Festival (featuring performances by Vietnamese water puppeteers and musicians), and the Fringe Festival. (We didn't quite make that.) It also was good to havehave time to revisit some of my favorite places from our very first time here in April, 2010, like the top of Mt. Eden, looking back across the city. On Saturday, we went to the weekly Asian/Polynesian Otara Market in the south of town, and I considered it a tremendously good omen when I ran into Kimmi, one of our great guides from the Milford Track adventure in November.

Kimmi and Me, Otara Market

 The day before was the horrible Japanese earthquake. At Port Waikato, where the great river empties into the Tasman Sea, notice how concerned the beach-goers seem to be about the tsunami warning. Fortunately, there was only minimal minor damage in NZ, but once again, everyone's thoughts and prayers go to those not so fortunate (all too frequently lately).
I had time for one final adventure, a ferry to Rangitoto Scenic Reserve, a volcanic Island Park in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf, for a hike up to the summit for great view back across to City Center.

Rangitoto Island

Now it is time to pack everything up again and head off to the West, leaving a country (at least for now) which has been very good to me for the last year. As far as my goal to see the whole of New Zealand, there are a few places still left for me to see, and most every place I have been I would like to go back and spend more time.

View of CBD, with Sky Tower in the distance

I (Heart) Timaru.....and random Kiwiana

The big news here and around the world this week has been the tragic Christchurch earthquake. I won't say much about it now except that we are fine, Timaru was unharmed, but everyone here  has friends and/or family there. The loss of of life is staggering, the devastation to a unique city is heart-breaking. It is like New Zealand's combination of 911 and Katrina- it will never be the same. I am glad we got to visit before the destruction. It is another reminder of the fragility of life, and the need to life each day fully.

This is my unapologetic love letter to Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. Today is my last day here after ten months working and playing here, and everything exceeded my expectations by far. I knew nothing about this place before signing up, I just guessed it was a better fit than Hamilton (too large) or Invercargill (too cold). Here are just a few things love about Timaru.
1) Location, location, location. The heart of the South Island, with the spectacular view of the Southern Alps and Mount Cook lurking in the background, as viewed from the hospital.

Mt. Cook/Aoraki peeks from above the four-windowed building in the center

2) Our home, across the street from the cenotaph.

3) Also across the street from the hospital and the Botanic garden. Taking daily walks in the garden as the seasons pass greatly enhances the quality of one's life, much like having a room with a view.


4) Caroline Bay, in the center of town.

5) Tuesday night dinners with the other medical consultants, a tradition started by Bernhard Kuepper to build camaraderie, and made weekly by Camille Hemlock.

Drs. Glowienka, Hemlock, and Kuepper

6) All the great and fun house surgeons and medical students I got to work with/mentor, especially my current crew, Florry O'Connell and the Irish contingent.

At a farewell dinner

[A brief side-bar: at the dinner, I was asked when I met Fayne. When I responded "1973", there was a collective pause, I guess for everyone else there to calculate how many years before their birth this was, followed by incredulous questions about those ancient days. Q-"How long was your hair?", and "Did you wear flairs?"...(bell-bottoms to us). A-"Shoulder-length", and "Yes of course, everyone did".]

Haley, Florry, and me

6) Mid-morning tea with the gang and Kirsha from Pharmacy.
7) The great, hardworking secretaries that made feel at home

Helen Lithgow and Joan Robinson

8) And all the wonderful nurses, therapists, other MDs, etc. I worked with, like Maree the Medical Ward clerk.

9) The great people and patients of South Canterbury, much like the good folks of Fort Bragg.

It seems only a few days ago that we arrived here on May Day.

May 1,2010

We couldn't image how comfortable and at home we would come to feel. Thank you all so much for making this one of the best years of my life.

There are a few other random, Kiwi-related thoughts.

Kiwis are great people, but they must realize their accent and the strange things they do with vowel sounds are the subject of bemused derision from the rest of the English-speaking peoples (even the Aussies).

We have better holidays in the USA. Sure, we WAY overdo and over-commercialize everything, but I haven't seen anything here to compete with Thanksgiving or the Forth of July. Recently they "celebrated" Waitangi Day, honoring the treaty between the British and the Maoris which established the country. There were no parades, no fireworks. I realized it is in some ways the opposite of Independence Day. This is the day the Maori ceded (or may have, depending on who you believe) sovereignty to the Crown. Instead of uniting people, to date it seems to bring up some resentment and grievances on both sides. On holiday here is the Queen's Birthday, which is not actually her birthday, and is not even celebrated in the UK.

I have been puzzled and/or amused by many items in the paper, especially in the Police Notebook, to wit:
"A Timaru man, 18,was arrested for a historic assault."
"A 17-year-old woman and 24-year-old man were caught eating lollies from the bulk bins at Pak 'n Save. They were warned and trespass notices were issued."
"A 22 year-old Timaru was arrested on a warrant"
"A 33 year-old Timaru man was arrested for misusing a phone and possessing an offensive weapon."

There have been photo ops with two very prestigious trophies, the Melbourne Cup for horse racing, and the Webb Ellis Trophy for the Rugby World Cup, to be hosted by NZ later this year

M.C.

W.E.C.

I thought of playing a game matching the auto-makers with the models. We saw new names daily, as if they named each one individually. Try matching these:
A)Suzuki  B) Toyota  C)Nissan  D)Daihatsu  E)Mazda  F)Holden- with
1)Sirion  2)Lucida  3)Astra 4)Bluebird  5)Swift 6)Tribute
(Answers below).

One last Timaru panorama

One final random shout-out to my sister Athena. Like everyone, sometimes she will drive you crazy. But she has one trump card that is hard to ignore: "Yeah, but she gave her best friend her kidney". A former roommate of her daughter Emily wrote an article for the Northwestern on-line paper in honor of National Donors Day. Check it out here.

Answers: A-5,B-2,C-4,D-1,E-6,F-3

Topp Twins and Hot Beaches

Albert Park with SkyTower in Backround, Auckland

We were back in Auckland at the environs really for the first time since we arrived in New Zealand on Anzac Day. The goal was to go to a medical meeting on asthma and allergies and the visit more of the country we hadn't yet visited. My house surgeon Florry O'Connell referred to it as a "conference" (with air quotes) to impugn my motives, which in all honesty were not purely academic. Medical contracts in NZ have very generous allocations for Continuing Medical Education, up to $20,000 per year, and if you don't use it you lose it. The meeting was held in an impressive hall at the University of Auckland, and presented data from a 20 year world-wide study, done by very dedicated people, ISAAC- The International Study of Allergies and Asthma in Childhood. I won't try to summarize.

.
We made time to visit the Auckland Museum again to see the fantastic collection of Pacific/Polynesian artifacts.

It was interesting to return to Auckland after nine months in the rest of the country. It really is a world apart. The central business district really isn't very pleasant, difficult to navigate on foot or by car, sliced up by access roadways. You might think the waterfront would be the natural gathering place, but that's not the case. There are some restaurants, cafes, hotels, a Seaport Museum, but locals don't really hang out there, and there are few natives around. There is a definite shortage of parks and open spaces. Were it not for the iconic Sky Tower, you would be hard-pressed to know where you are.
Everyone agrees the thing to do is to get out of the CBD and go to the neighborhoods, or better yet take a short ferry ride to the Gulf Islands, so we did, specifically to Waiheke Island. Just one big problem: the approaching Typhoon Wilma. We tucked into our postage-stamp sized room in time for the deluge. We spent the night bemoaning our tiny quarters until we found out the grander unit next door flooded over night. Dodged a bullet there! The next day the rain stopped, but we side-stepped multiple rock slides to tour this jewel. Most tourists were scared away, so we had the hop-on-hop-off buses almost to ourselves, a private tour really. We saw the beautiful beaches
 
and the 100 year-old house that slid down to the sea.

We also saw some very strange looking creatures that our guide explained where genetic hybrid between a sheep and a giraffe,a "sheeraffe"if you will. They certainly look strange, and he may have been right, but I have been unable to verify it at this time, and alas I have no photographs. (I believe he was misinformed or it was a ruse and they were really sheared alpacas.) It was unexpected and delightful day, highlighted by a nice lunch at a beachfront café.

The roads and pathways had cleared enough on Sunday that we were able to enjoy the Headland sculptures on the gulf, an event which occurs every other year for four weeks. Artists have the challenge of preparing sculptures and exhibits that are scattered along the trail on the West Coast to the island overlooking Hauraki Gulf across to Auckland. Below are several examples of the more interesting artworks. The first photo actually contains two works of art, the first is a construction of firewood, steel, and fencing wire entitled "Sunday Afternoon" (by Marcus Tatton), and a more conceptual piece entitled "aendaenti" (by Kazu Nakagawa) in which trail walkers are urged to carry umbrellas (I think of it as sort of being a Christo-lite).

A pile of wood and an art lover/work of art

Fletcher Vaughn-Collapse

Chris Bailey-The Anchor Stone of Waiheke

Chris Meder-The Cheeky Moa

Look carefully at the names on the signposts. They all refer to the famous works of art throughout the world.

Matt Akehurst-You Are Here

This is a family group of Viagra, Ritalin, Prozac, Halcion, and other commonly prescribed drugs. Can you name them all?

Paul Radford-Prodigal Child

A kind of the fish/submarine thingee.

David McCracken-Washed Up On Waiheke

All-in-all, a unique experience, and lots of fun.
Next up was the real reason for our excursion to Waiheke: to see the World Famous in New Zealand fabulous Topp Twins , who have been described as the World's only comedic, country singing, dancing, and yodeling lesbian twin sisters. Sort of Malvina Reynolds/Indigo Girls/Hee-Haw meshugas. We became acquainted with them via the Kiwi documentary Untouchable Girls, highly recommended. We missed their Hoedown near Timaru over the holidays, so came up to the Cable Bay Vineyards in Waiheke. The concert was delayed one day due to the cyclone, but by Sunday the weather was fine. I can't really explain their act and the Hoedown. See the movie.

Lynda Topp wandering through the crowd as Camp Mother and with Jools as Camp Leader

The Twins as Ken and Ken

The whole troupe on stage

It was a pleasant evening on the lawn, and afterwords we took the ferry back to the city center, surprised to see performers riding along with us (not the twins, alas).

The postponement of the show meant we had no place to stay on the island, and delayed the next leg of our trip to the Coromandel Peninsula. This also was fortuitous, as we would not have made it to Coromandel Town due to a large slide blocking the road. Many Kiwis and visitors have said the Coromandel is their favorite place in all of New Zealand, an unspoiled area two hours from Auckland with quaint towns, pristine white sand beaches, and plenty of tramping paths through rainforests. We had only the briefest peek at those splendors. The first stop was in Thames, a gold-mining center in the 1860's and home to the Thames School of Mines. A museum, historic stuff, old labs, local guides......we are NOT going to pass this up.

And we did not.
Time was short. It was Tuesday, February 1st, time to head back to Timaru and work, but not before a visit to Hot Water Beach. This is such a cool place. Hot springs empty out under the sand, and at two hours on either side of low tide you go down with a rented shovel, dig a hole, and sit in your own personal spa. Be careful, because your tush can get quite heated.

I have read about it since before I came here, and didn't realize what a beautiful spot it was.

Just a short bit up the road is Cathedral Cove, but we couldn't walk up to it due to, of course, a slide from the cyclone.

Then drive to the airport and back to the South Island, for a final 3 1/2 weeks.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Christmas/New Year occurs in mid-summer in Timaru, and so we were off to the states after eight months away. I wondering how that would be, and found it peculiarly not peculiar. Everything felt as with we had been away for a long weekend. Even the driving on the "other" side of the road seemed arbitrary, but very comfortable.
My goals in returning to the US were threefold:
1) To be there for granddaughter Kimarra's first birthday;
2) To see my mother (and the rest of my family) as she continues to recuperate and celebrate Christmas; and,
3) To check on things in Fort Bragg and CA and re-establish my presence at Mendocino Coast District Hospital.
Check, check, and check.
Our trek first took us from Christchurch to Colorado Springs, CO via Auckland and SFO. It was a long day, but because of the vagaries of the International Date Line, we left and arrived on Saturday December 18th, 5 PM. Why Colorado Springs? Because Sofia and Kimarra are living for six months with her in-laws while her husband Marquise is deployed overseas.
The birthday was the next day, and the party girl thoroughly enjoyed her individual cake.

I had never been to Colorado Springs before. There are some things to see and do there, like the Air Force Academy, Pike's Peak, The Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods with Pikes Peak in the background

(a region of red sandstone just outside the city like a cross between Sedona AZ and a Road Runner cartoon).
 
It is a sprawling place, now the second largest city in Colorado, with long Phoenix-like streets and lots of new developments. The old downtown has an interesting art museum and outdoor sculptures.
Family duties kept us from seeing and doing as much as I would like, and there were brief flurries that dusted the area with snow, a nice touch for the holiday season. We did have dinner with my nephew David his lovely wife Kay and her parents. They live nearby, it turns out.
My brother Charles' family delights in reminding me how as time goes on I (and David too) seem to resemble him more. I believe my brother feels that is a tremendous compliment to us.
After five days, we were all off to California for Christmas. I apologize to my blog followers for the lack of photos to illustrate the rest of our trip. It was wonderful to see my mother. She was doing much better than I had expected.She is frustrated after six months of non-weight-bearing on her fractured left leg and is anxious to return to living at the Redwoods in Mill Valley. It is just going to take a while longer. My sister Margaret and her husband Cory graciously hosted us all for Christmas Day and dinner. On the 26th, we headed up to Fort Bragg for a whirlwind visit with many dear friends and a three-day working shift as hospitalist. I had hoped to spend more time in FB, but Sofia wanted to re-celebrate Kimarra's first birthday for California friends and family on New Year's Day. This meant hosting another gathering in San Rafael, and touching base with other old and dear friends. The rest of our visit was a bit less hectic, and allowed more time to tie up loose ends, and especially spend quality time with my mother.
On Thursday January 6th, we had one more informal gathering to bid adieu, eat (of course, if you know my family), and prematurely celebrate my birthday. Friday it was spent packing up, getting Sofia and Kimarra off to Colorado, and begin our trip back to NZ, which began at 7 PM Friday in CA and ended back in Timaru Sunday at noon. Just it was unstrange visiting the US, it was unstrange to return to NZ, and felt like home. We got back in time for the last day of the Centennial version of the Timaru Christmas Carnival. Now we have to adjust to the fact we will be packing up to leave again in seven weeks, which will be hard.
The absolute highlight and irreplaceable benefit of our summer holiday was spending three weeks with Kimarra as a twelve month-old toddler. It reminded me of what a special time it was with her mother at that age.She will never be at this precious stage again. She is bright, curious, funny, beautiful, and sweet. May she always be so.