Give me some O2 and let me dive

Friday, December 29

Happy 4 month anniversary to Amy and Kimball!

After a short night's sleep 5:55am comes all too early. Amy and I are picked up from our cottage in Te Anau by Dave and Harvey, our dive guides for the day. Doing this every day, they are awake and ready for conversation. We convincingly entertain their enthusiasm most of the drive for our second day in Milford Sound (inaccurately named because it's actually a fiord, not sound). The rain falls sporadically and we see a magnificent double rainbow. Entering the national park, the waterfalls astound us equally as the first time we saw them. Dave and Harvey are full of educational information, which is self-proclaimed mostly accurate and we know it'll be a good day.

At the lodge in Milford Sound, we meet the other two divers and wife of one of them who will join us in the boat. Donning our wetsuits, we compile our tanks and bc's. The sandflies are beginning to bite and we are anxious to get on the boat. We pass kayakers and head to our first dive spot. Not far away we sputter to a stop. Hood, fins, tank, gloves, air on. Check. Tank hanging over the side of the boat, fins crossed (so as not to smack others on the boat), one hand on face mask, other hand on flashlight (so as not to smack self), and lean backwards to commence dive. We did two half hour dives. After entering the water we quickly check our weights and submerge ourselves into the freezing water. Seriously freezing. We quickly forgot the cold as we entered the haze below. Milford Sound offers a unique diving experience. Due to the immense amount of rainfall, there is a layer of fresh water (usually four meters) on top of the salt water. How this affects divers is where the fresh and salt water meet creates a haze because they don't mix. Below the haze, the visibility improves.


Some of the amazing underwater sights include Black Coral. Multiple choice question: what color is Black Coral? A. Black, B. White, or C. Red. You are correct--the answer is B. White. Named for the black spine that is visible when the coral dies. While alive, the coral is brilliant white. It grows 1 meter every hundred years. There was one piece where the top was huge and we couldn't even see the bottom. Swimming along the shelf, we saw amazing black and yellow snake starfish wrapped around coral, white nudibrach camoflauged against black (white) coral, huge crayfish ("lobster" in U.S.), and other very cool alive stuff. Back up to the boat, which was still waiting for us. Unloading our gear, we each receive a thermos of warm soup, fuzzy dry gloves and hat, and warm water poured down our wetsuit. Glorious. The shivering still takes a while to subside. While we complete the required rest between dives, we drive around the lake, getting up close and personal with some of the waterfalls. Our second dive is even more amazing, with the visibility being fabulous. We were able to see things that usually only grow at insane depths, but the fresh water layer made the water darker which created the illusion of greater depths. The sun came out and we could barely see the rays blurring through the fresh water.


Out of the water, the sun feels fabulous. The biscuits (cookies) are passed as we drive out to sea. Not all the way out. There are more sealions on Seal Rock than yesterday. They must like the sun as much as we do. The waterfalls are possibly larger today (or is the contrast greater from our small boat) and we see the snowy mountain peaks, especially Mitre Peak. In the distance Dusky Dolphins jump. Cutting the engine, we pause and wait. They swim straight towards us, circling the boat. They play and race around us within reach. As entertaining as they are, we can't stay all day and must be on our way. Behind us, a whole row of dolphins jump simultaneously and flap their flippers while squeaking "Come back soon". OK, I might have made up the last bit.

Driving back to the dock, we pass a cliff. Of all cliffs, this is special. The story goes Pepsi wanted to shoot a commercial of a lady base jumping from the cliff. She jumped far out to avoid the dangerous rocks jutting out below and successfully landed in the frigid water. She claimed that was the scariest thing she had ever done. Coming out of the water, she was politely asked to jump again because the film crew forgot to turn on the cameras.

Lunch time at the cafe. We order our one main entree and two sides. At the table, we review what we saw while diving and the diligent among us make entries in their dive logs. All duties complete we bid farewell to our dive partners and Dave and Harvey drive us back to Te Anau. Along the way, we stop at wonderful and amazing sites. The guys are well-versed in local history and if they don't know something they make it up. We drink fresh spring water, smell stink plant (it stinks), and are shown a plant where we can eat the delicate leaf at the very top. Stories are told for us to figure out which are true later. A good time was had by all.

Meanwhile, Mom and Dad enjoy a morning sleeping in before they head to town. Another glorious meal and fascinating trip to the grocery store keep them entertained. They are mesmerized by a fly-through experience of Fiordland thanks to the local theatre. Learning more of the local history (probably more accurate than the version we received), we meet them back at the nature centre.

And finally, our drive back home to Invercargill. Fields of sheep. La la la. We stop only to see a seaside campground. The outhouse reads "Long Drop Lodge: Short Stay Only". Back home, we are welcomed by a tired Kimball, who just got off work. Even with long work hours, he had time to record a new song and we get to be his first live audience. So fun!

Cruise On, Matey!

Thursday, December 28

Words cannot describe what we experienced today.

OK, I'll give it a try. An early morning awaits us, but the sun beats us up. 7am on a vacation is too early. I should disclose at this point that the writings found here are the perceptions and observations of Melissa and do not necessarily reflect those held by others in the party. Packing layers of clothing and snacks, we drive to Milford Sound. The drive is utterly breath-taking. And I am utterly exhausted. Prying my eyes open every five minutes at the delighted exclamations from my sister, I am overwhelmed at the beauty surrounding us. It begins to rain. Of course the drive begins with fields and fields of sheep. At this point, I will leave you to assume there are fields of sheep unless I say otherwise. The view changes drastically as mountains rise up around us. At this moment, every rainbow, every adorable baby, every delicious meal is wiped from my memory and replaced. In my head an orchestra serenades triumphantly as the mountains rush upwards higher and higher. Like the fields, they are brilliantly green from all the rain. As we watch the beauty unfold, white streams trickle down the mountains. As the rain continues, the streams become rivers, frothing white gold crashing vertically into the fields. And this is the beauty I cannot describe.

Arriving in Milford Sound, we find a lodge, a cafe and little else. Leaving our car in the car park, we walk to the cafe. We are early for our cruise so have time to people watch as others come and go. This seems to be the main building in town and meeting place. There are people from all over the world and it's almost like the Tower of Babel with the languages spoken simultaneously. The smell of coffee and tea and biscuits permeates the room as I watch others struggle to wake up also. Tea is the preferred drink over coffee and the locals usually have two tea breaks every day during the week. "Tea" is also used when referring to supper.

We see the shuttle that goes to the harbour from where our cruise will commence. Noticing the distance isn't too far and it's not raining, we decide to walk. I must mention, the weather here can change drastically and instantaneously. It rains 7 out of 10 days in Milford Sound, but is more accurately described as 7/10 of each day. Sometimes 7/10 of each hour. Most places have seasons throughout the year, but even the locals in Milford Sound agree that they can have seasons throughout one day. The exquisite beauty is directly related to the amount of rain. It can rain as much in one day in Milford Sound as it does in one year in London. Enough perspective? We are grateful for our jackets even when having to lug them around in the heat.

In the harbour, we watch as passengers board their ships. There are several cruise options. We choose the "Nature Cruise" which is the longest day cruise. We considered going overnight, but were unable to do that and dive the next day. Our ship is three stories; the first level contains rooms for overnight guests, the second level contains tables for viewing the sights from indoors, and the third level is outside. The ship can take roughly 75 passengers for overnight trips, but since this is a day cruise we have several more than that on board. Leaving the dock, our experience begins immediately with a huge waterfall crashing down the mountain to our right. It is called "Bustle Falls", named by an adoring husband for the bustle of his wife's dress.

Our ship skirts the edges of the sound as waterfalls crash uncontrollably around us. Looking up at the powerful explosion of water reinforced the wonder of God and His creation. God, not millions of years of erosion and plate movement, created this fiordland. The tops of the mountains are engulfed by clouds. Occasionally the peaks can be seen poking through the clouds and are surprisingly covered with snow. Let me paint the picture. Snow-capped mountains peaking through clouds. Brilliant foaming waterfalls race past glaciers down the luscious green mountainsides on both sides of us into the ocean inlet below. Behind us rises Mitre Peak, the highest vertical peak to come out of an ocean in the world. With such a designation, there had to be some bloke (silly person) that had to climb it. Of course, two American men attempted the climb. One sunny morning, they started up the mountain. Half-way up it began to rain. Obviously that is not so uncommon, but somehow they were not prepared. It rained for two days during which time the two men fought over the last granola bar and whose idea it was to climb in the first place. The story goes that eventually the rain cleared and they were able to summit.

In front of us, the inlet opens up into the wild ocean. The ship begins to rise with the swells of the open sea. At the mouth of the inlet is Seal Rock. It's not difficult to guess, but on the rocks are New Zealand Fur Seals, which are actually sea lions. Back along the other side of the sound towards the harbour, we pass the Upside Down Gardens. This is best experienced by standing with your back towards the mountains, hands gripping the railing, leaning backwards against the railing, and looking up the side of the mountain. What we see is amazing. Upside down, the vertical mountainside looks just like a horizontal lush park with grass and full-grown trees. Moving on, we head directly into a waterfall. Yes, into. Several feet of the bow of the ship is under the waterfall spraying those of us closest. The water crashes onto the bow flooding the floor. In turn, we brace ourselves as close as possible to the falls for pictures. Looking up, the waterfall appears massive, but not compared to the mountain on which it resides, so it's shocking to learn that the waterfall is 3 times the height of Niagara Falls. During one of my trips indoor to rest from the rain, a friendly local engaged me in conversation. He gave recommendations of what to eat, see and do. The ship made a stop at the Underwater Observatory, where Mom and Dad decided to see the underwater world from the dryness of indoors. Amy and I stayed on the ship to meet them back at the dock since we figured we'd see everything live and in person tomorrow.

I cannot count the number of times it rained today. But the cruise finally has to end. We loved it heaps (alot). We take our time driving out of Fiordland, stopping at every scenic turn-out. Milford Sound and Fiordland drop below us as we spiral up the mountain. We drive past glaciers which are hollow due to waterfalls gushing under them. The waterfalls gush after each periodic rainfall. At one turn-out we find a trailhead to Marian Lake. Anticipating a 20-minute hike, the trail first comes to a swinging bridge over a rushing river. Ten person maximum on the bridge emphasizes the stability (or lack thereof) of the structure. Following the river, the trail becomes a boardwalk with the left side encrouched by the mountains and the right edge stretching over the river. Twenty minutes later, the meandering trail becomes strenuous as it reaches up the mountain. Two hours of tramping (hiking) later, we begin to wonder whether this lake exists. Hikers coming down affirm us in our pursuit. Two and a half hours later, we arrive. Exhaustion enhances the view. Lake Marian is nestled at the base of snow-covered mountains, providing a remote retreat for weary hikers. Providentially it didn't rain during the whole hike.

Back on the road, we come across a field of lupine. Brilliant pinks, purples, whites, and blues start at the river and extend beyond our eye's limit. With all the stops, we roll into (not literally) Te Anau around 9pm. After a few attempts, we finally find a restaurant still open where pizza, salad, apple crumble pie, and passion fruit sundae (or course) are on the menu and then in our bellies. Bedtime. Morning will be here all too soon.

Sorting it out in Te Anau

Wednesday, December 27

Kimball had to work Thursday and Friday, so just Mom, Dad, Amy and I were able to drive out to Te Anau about 3 hours from Invercargill, pronounced Invacahgle, aka "In for a Giggle". To say Invercargill correctly, think of someone from Boston who pahks their cah in the garage. I'm learning to understand the "language" a wee bit better here in Southern New Zealand. You have to visit for yourself to grasp a true appreciation. To speak like a Kiwi turn your tone up at the end of each sentence like you would if you were asking a question?

Phrases you may hear while visiting S. NZ:
Breckies=breakfast
'at should be a'ight
Catch ya latah
Good as gold
Cool as... (you would expect a word to follow, but I suppose it is left blank so the other person can assume any word they like. The phrase is used to indicate something good.)
Chuck a wobbly=become ill
Spit the dummy=throw a fit/tantrum
Cruisy (in response to "how are you?")
Car park=parking lot
Give way=yield

But I mustn't be distracted from my original story. Taking the scenic route from Invercargill to Te Anau, we saw (can you guess?) fields and fields of sheep. There are some cows and horses, but mostly sheep. The pure terror I felt at first while driving on the left side of the road is beginning to subside. Apparently, counting sheep is good for more than falling asleep. In general, it's a good distraction and cure for what ails ye. Making a quick stop in Otautau, we were able to see Amy's clinic, one of the places she works.

Closer to our destination the fields of sheep became rugged hills of sheep before dropping us into Te Anau. The population of Te Anau is roughly 5000. Their main, and I dare say only, industry is tourism. To support that thesis, I present to you exhibit A: Te Anau has a campground with a capacity of 5000. Does that number sound familiar? Just knowing that one campground doubles the local population and that there are many campgrounds, hotels, lodges, etc. that are filled every summer, I am confident that my thesis will stand. From my few hours there, Te Anau seems to support the heavy tourism that traffics Milford Sound a couple hours drive away. You will hear much more about Milford Sound in the coming entries. Te Anau is situated on a beautiful lake with hotel row facing the lake. Main street is within walking distance and contains shops, restaurants, travel agents, internet cafes, grocery store, and two gas stations. Many of the hotels were full for the night, but we were lucky to find a quaint two bedroom cottage complete with kitchen. After checking in, we start exploring. Our adventure begins...

Deciding that our preferred activities were to go on a cruise and SCUBA dive, we started to make arrangements. Both activities are in Milford Sound, of course. I forgot my dive card in the U.S., so using the internet cafe I was able to obtain the phone number for the YMCA (who certified me to dive) headquarters in Chicago. Next was making the call. First, we had to purchase a phone card from the convenience store, second we had to find a telephone booth. Everyone was very helpful and we were thankful they spoke english. I'm sure it would have been quite impossible otherwise. I finally got through to the YMCA at 6:15pm who was open til 7pm. Kirstie at the YMCA, after many attempts, was unable to figure out how to fax verification of my certification to NZ and ended up emailing it to me. Back to the internet cafe where I forwarded the email to the dive shop. This whole time we were in contact with the dive shop waiting to hear if they had openings for Thursday or Friday. They said to call back in the evening due to some indecisive divers. This gave us some time to browse around town.

We poked our heads in various gift shops and bought you nothing. It started to rain (as is becoming increasingly common) and we ducked into a cafe. Hunger had become part of our troupe at this point and it was time to dispel him for a while. The veggie wrap, curry, mixed vegetable bowl, and pumpkin soup (a NZ summertime favourite) promptly did the trick. We were delighted with the variety in vegetarian options and flavours. Yes, I'm "mispelling" words on purpose. (Now, my other mistakes are most likely not on purpose.) The meal concluded with a chocolate truffle and a passion fruit sundae. This was a great turning point in our vacation. First, Dad realized he could eat passion fruit seeds and it immediately became his favourite dessert. Second, I started realizing my headache and sore throat were probably a cold and not jet lag. But not to be deterred, I press on. More fun awaits. Just go easy on the sweets.

It was evening and time to call the dive shop. No answer. Grabbing their brochure, Amy and I drove in search of the dive shop. Obscure directions and random guesses brought us inefficiently but eventually to the shop. After exchanging puzzled looks with the owners Sarah and Dave, who said we were supposed to call to which we replied that we had tried to call, we were invited into the shop for a safety briefing. Discovering that Thursday was booked, we quickly agreed to dive on Friday. After being debriefed and fitted for wetsuits, we bid them farewell and headed back to our cottage. Diving on Friday meant cruising on Thursday. Not a bad deal at all. A quick family outing to the grocery store provided fresh corn on the cob and soup for supper back at the cottage.

Happy Boxing Day!

I'm not quite sure what Boxing Day is all about, but I hear it's a great shopping day similar to our day after Thanksgiving. We didn't find out. Instead we spent much of the day delving into brochures on what to do in New Zealand. Amy and Kimball have been great hosts and have gone above and beyond in keeping us well-entertained. But now we start to realize we won't be able to do everything and the narrowing down of activities must begin. A pancake breakfast provides the energy needed for the daunting task ahead. The table is piled high with information, travel guides, and books creating, at first, a sense of being overwhelmed, then excitement at the possibilities, and finally clarity in knowing what we can't return to the U.S. without having seen. But of course that may change. We've found the weather can change in an instant, but that there is no bad option here. Every turn is breathtaking and every hike an adventure.

With definite plans tentatively etched in words, we head to the local museum. Here we learn the Maori (original inhabitants) story of the South Island. Through words, pictures, and video we explore the heritage of this beautiful place. A gentle mist is falling and it's a great day to be indoors. On the way home we stop for our first big shopping experience at the local grocery store. The European influence is obvious. The bakery is fully-stocked with fresh goods. Another customer suggests a delicious-looking dark bread topped with sunflower seeds, which we add to our basket. The brand names are a little different. The aisle in California that is devoted to coffee, here is mostly tea. The small-town feel is also apparent. Amy says if there are more than two people in line (I mean "queue"), they comment on how busy the store is. When checking out, the lady asks "Is that the lot?" And we assume she means, "Is that all?" We're not quite sure what else she says, but we smile and she accepts our credit card. As we leave nobody runs after us, but I'm sure more than one person is amused by these strange foreigners with their funny accents.

Stopping by the beach on the way home, we drive right onto the sand. The beach is supposedly crowded, but I can't even count ten people. There are a couple kayakers playing in the waves and a few other people driving on the sand. The waves look good and we debate getting our surfboards. But once we get home, we are easily distracted and surfing must wait for another day. Hopefully, another day when we can meet up with some friends and borrow their surfboards so we don't have to share Kimball's board.

At home, we enjoy a warm bowl of miso soup and the scrumptious bread we just bought. Dessert consists of home-made fresh almond roca eaten slowly as a game of cards ensues. Vacation is best served with an entree of adventure and sides of leisure. Following dinner, we drive around the corner to Anderson's Park. This mansion hosts a duck pond adorned by a bridge. Green lawns and flowers wrap around the house. A path meanders through thick forest on one side of the house. In the distance, fields house the now common view: sheep. The first really blue sky we've seen yet appears and the sun is almost too bright. Amazing what difference having no pollution can make.
The day comes to a close with a slideshow of Amy and Kimball's honey-moon pictures as well as the pictures we have been unable to control ourselves from taking so far. We are thankful for digital cameras.

Merry Christmas!

God has blessed us with three days of sun. On average, it rains 214 days out of the year. Today we opt to forgo long drives and stay close to home. After a lazy breakfast of spinach souffle and pan fried potatoes, we walk a few blocks to Queens Park. The values are very different here compared to a bustling industrial city. The single lane streets are sparsely travelled by small (mostly Toyota and Honda) old cars. Today most people are home with family and we greet kids as they run around us showing off their presents. Walking into the park, we are amazed that it is free and vacant of people. Manicured lawns boast a golf course on one side of the park. The pathway through the center of the park is arched by tall trees.

We make our way to the brilliant sweet-smelling rose garden, pausing only at the playground. The few children gawk at us as we make utter fools of ourselves, thoroughly enjoying every swing, teeter totter, slide, and water park complete with water guns.

Passed the duck ponds with water wheel and on to the aviary. Exotic Parrots and Kakas squack at us, wishing all a merry christmas.

At the end is an animal park with emu, elk and ostrich. Then a walk home for christmas dinner.

Rich lasagne with our new favorite Colby cheese satisfies our appetite and encourages a few hours indoors enjoying each others company and conversation. We think fondly of our family and friends and the blessings we receive daily.

We must get another walk in for the day, so we drive half an hour to a seaside trail. The path snakes in and out of the dark forest on bluffs above the ocean delivering magnificent views of the crashing waves below. We pause at an old lighthouse and discover some iridescent blue and green shells.

Sunset around 10:30 allows for long fun-filled days. Our day ends with pumpkin pie fresh from the oven complemented with sweet ice cream.

Christmas Eve

Following a good night's sleep (finally), we were ready to explore native NZ. Our first quest was to find penguins. Heading towards Otago Peninsula three hours drive from home, we were easily distracted by a castle situated on a bluff. The only castle in New Zealand, the Larnach Castle was built between 1871 and 1885. The grand stone mansion, set in the middle of gardens, has many fine features, including a hanging staircase. Climbing up the narrow stone steps to the top of the tower, we could view the castle grounds as well as the sea far below.

On to the penguins. At Penguin Place, our tour guide regalled us with stories of the Yellow-eyed penguins, the world's rarest species of penguin. These penguins can only been seen on the Otago Peninsula and other isolated east coast areas of Otago and Southland. Walking through camouflaged trenches allowed us to view parents and their babies in their somewhat natural habitat. The penguins are wild and live entirely on their own. Humans have built wooden huts only because the penguins are used to living in forests, which have been since destroyed by loggers. Reforestation has begun to rebuild the natural habitat. We were lucky to see the parents change shifts as one parent comes in from the ocean to watch the babies and the other goes out to find food.

Next ensued a glorious Christmas Eve dinner at "1908", where "reservations are necessary, but you don't really have to have them". The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. Our tables were decorated with Christmas poppers. By pulling on both ends, a loud snap nearly scared us every time. Inside, we found plastic toy soldiers, meaningless jokes, and paper crowns. We took full advantage of all. The tofu medley, portobello vegetarian stack, tortellini, and Blue Cod caught fresh daily were all elegantly presented and delicious. A shared warm apple and rhubarb pie satisfied our sweet tooth.

Not far away was Friendly Bay a famous location for spotting the Blue Penguins, so we hurried down to the sea. Just at dusk, we saw three penguins creeping out of the surf and hesitantly wobble past the people and on towards the hills where they nest every night. Then, we saw a ripple several meters out in the ocean. As we watched the ripple came steadily closer. It was the most amazing thing to see the ripple become bobbing heads which swiftly became individual penquins as they surfed onto the beach. Despite there only being about 4000 Blue Penguins in the world, December is the best time to view them and we were lucky to see around 75. They come from the ocean in pairs or groups and return to their nests in pairs with their babies. Penguins usually lay two eggs every year. Before they mature at 3 years of age, "teenagers" huddle in groups socializing.

Hosting the Mullen family

Melissa here. Bribed by Amy and Kimball with promises of great adventure, my parents and I flew out for a summertime Christmas. Hopefully my descriptions will encourage you to come visit the happy couple. After roughly 16 hours from LAX to Invercargill, we received a warm greeting at the airport. We had plenty of entertainment on the flights to pass the time quickly: movies, games, t.v., sleep, food, and conversational people. Our first perception of New Zealand was created even before we arrived. The people are friendly. Our second perception: the land is beautiful! Flying down the South Island, the Southern Alps rose to our right graced by crystal blue lakes at the base followed by luscious green plains. To our left, the plains continued into the ocean. Such variety.
Day 1 in New Zealand (Saturday): We learned the way to overcome jetlag is to push through it. If you ignore your tiredness, it will go away. We arrived in the afternoon and started playing right away. First, we had to see Amy and Kimball's house. So quaint. It will be our Bed & Breakfast for the next couple weeks. The house boasts three dome windows overlooking beautiful flower gardens. These gardens are the pride of every house and encourage pleasant walks through the neighborhood.
After settling at the house, we set off on our first adventure at Curio Bay in the Catlins. Driving along the Southern Scenic Route to the Catlins, wild pink and purple lupine flowers shared fields with the sheep. Raising sheep is one of the most common industries in southern New Zealand and fields are dotted with them everywhere.Arriving at Curio Bay, we found rugged rocks jutting off the peninsula cause incoming waves to spray up magnificently. This rough side of the peninsula is famous for fossilized remains of a 160 million-year-old forest from the Jurassic period. The other side of the peninsula (just a minute's walk away) hosts a sandy beach where surfers compete with the dolphins for waves. The Hector's dolphins are the smallest in the world. There seals and sea lions also. We saw one of those, but couldn't decide which because it never moved. To console our uncertainty, we got two-scoop ice cream cones.
Next, we took a ten-minute walk through a beech tree forest to see an amazing waterfall Purakaunui Falls. The falls cascaded down the rocks creating a magnificent water show. Another short hike through a koru (fiddlehead fern) forest ended at the second waterfall Matai Falls.
A fabulous start to our vacation. We can't wait for tomorrow.

Off fishless fishing and synchronized swimming

Just an fleeting attempt to record one small piece of the adventures in nz...

Last night was the impressive production of "Grease" (at the pool). Yes, it was put to synchronized swim moves and rather impressive what these school girls could do (kimball and i decided we'd never make it if we tried auditioning).

A couple evenings ago with sun (for once) and sundown around 9:30, we headed out aimlessly and found some great little rivers to fish. didn't catch any though i'm sure i saw some jumping but that might have been the ducks.

we're noticing a lot of differences in culture and medicine here with the most interesting ones being
--people lose sleep over their animals (one patient came in complaining he couldn't sleep because his bulls were outside and the weather has been horrible lately)
--you can start up a conversation with any stranger and they won't think it's odd
--some patients really expect total access to their doctors, even if it's a weekend or they just forgot to take care of a problem soon enough
--no one cares what you wear (or drive for that matter) but there are more hairstylists in invercargill than anywhere else i've seen

tomorrow is sea kayak safety training all day in riverton. we'll start in the pool then to the beach to test out our skills (i'll be wearing my wetsuit no matter what anyone says). we'll take the surfboards too in case the waves are up and running.

Routeburn Track

Maple Glen Gardens

25 acres of free gardens to explore just 30minutes from our house...

...and friendly, exotic birds ...free...only in NZ!

Downtown Dunedin

I got a call from the local pharmacist last wednesday asking if we wanted to go surfing after work. Well, the patients were talkative and i finally found a used wetsuit that seemed warm enough and booties and a hood for the frigid water here...by then they were gone!

Well, we decided to head into town over the weekend (Dunedin's the closest for actually good gear--three hours away). Much to our surprise we found a very clean and hilly city...something between london and san francisco but on a much smaller scale we decided. Drove up and ran down the "steepest street in the world" (according to guiness book of world records). it was a little scary but we have 4WD.

New additions--Kimball got a surfboard (a "fish" because it's smaller and has a tail cut out). it will be mailed to our house. and now we both have super warm wetsuits and gear. Took the bikes out to Sandy point again (invercargill). a race was just finishing so we got to try out their track. it was fun with the mud and corners, tree trunks and stumps. oh yeah, i got a flyfishing pole...have to try it out and see if it's any good. I'm more excited about just playing in and around the river so this will give me a good excuse.

This weekend kimball's off to the states for boards...we'll both be thrilled when he's done and can play after work. The sun's out until almost 9pm so lots of time for enjoying the NZ activities.

We're still looking for a trip to antartica that we can afford. have considered going with the NZ dept of conservation and volunteering if that makes it cheaper (or free).

Keeping in touch with Guam and talked to the medical director there who's excited about us coming out next year...

Work's fun...different. the main thing is people really love to talk. about the weather, calving, lambing, fishing, sports, whatever! it's good when not too busy. also you notice no one expects to pay for anything because of the govt system. they can get most meds, ER visits, specialists care for free. they only thing they have to pay for is over the counter meds and visiting me, their local general practitioner (as i am known here..since they don't have the system of residency programs like in america). so it's a toss up...they can come to me and pay, or go to the pharmacy and pay. but if i don't give them a prescription, beware, one patient tried to take off with the office computer when she didn't get her money back for not getting the prescription she wanted (true story!)

I'm having good experiences with my version of psychotherapy. since most people can't make it into the govt system we end up dealing with alot of complicated patients in primary care and i'm able to do quite a bit of therapy and get people on medication if necessary. Kimball and i've realized much of the problems stems from the macho image men have to portray here. There is a ton of stigma with any mental health issues, much worse than america!

NZ variety pack

Kimball's birthday trip to Wanaka...and a big brown trout he caught flyfishing...didn't see a soul the whole day until we were leaving the gorge and two guys walked by.

On our way out for a day of flyfishing (four wheel drive only).

On the way to Wanaka...this picture was shot from a bridge you can bunjee off...we didn't, next time, maybe.

this is the 360 view of our home in new zealand...even better now with tulips blooming out front.

Otago penninsula

Yesterday we drove 2 hours northeast to Dunedin and from there onto the Otago penninsula. The lambs are growing woolier by the day now. We saw these guys by the dirt road to the aquarium. Apparently they like to sleep ON the road so be careful in the mornings not to hit one.

Stopped for coffee and a wake up walk at Glenfalloch gardens (started way back in the 1700s). Birds, waterfalls, and a free mocha (the machine was acting up and so we had to wait a bit).

The yellow-eyed penguin colony amazed us with it's dug out foxholes and serious camoflouge to get us close up the the rare penguins. We could see them surfing in from the ocean, juveniles socializing, couples pairing up and building nests just feet away from us. Wow!

Then just before dark, found a solitary blue penguin snug in his hole in the bank on Pilot beach. What a surprise!

Didn't see the albatross or the castle this time...we'll be back again soon.

The Caitlins

Here's our drive two weekends ago up the Caitlin coast.

We started in the old port town of Bluff and hiked through the temperate rainforest.

Doubtful Sound and Manapouri Lake

We decided to see the fiordlands yesterday and took out all the stops. Besides 1000's of waterfalls, steep green mountains straight up into the mist from the ocean, rainbows everywhere, we saw penguins, seals, dolphins, birds of all kinds, and alas, no whales...but there's always next time. So here's a taste until you finally get around to buying that ticket and coming to visit us here in heaven on earth!

Pictures that didn't show up below

Honeymoon in the Cook Islands

First on Aitutaki, one of the smaller Cook Islands, now on Rarotonga, the main island...the Cook Island adventure/honeymoon has been full of fun!

Check out our first stopping point on Aitutaki, Etu Moana (means blue starfish...which they have a lot of here). Tons of great snorkelling and a trip around the lagoon for more...snorkelling!

Then on Rarotonga, rented a yamaha motorbike and cruised around the entire island and found an awesome indian restaurant "Raviz". Then looked at some waves that actually looked surfable (though dangerous!). The next day we took the bike to the end of the road and hopped off for a jungle hike through the thickest vegetation i've ever seen. At the top of the mountain we could see the ocean on both sides of the island. The huge rock face is called "Needle Point".

Besides all the fantastic fishes and sea life, kimball also found two octopi! here's a picture of one of them swimming for his life.