Mount Cook in Winter

Just to catch you up to speed, 2 weekends ago we took a quick trip up to Mt. Cook about 6 hours from here. Kimball really wanted to get some great pictures of the Kea, our mountain parrot. Well, the snow was beautiful and we did a treacherous hike up a steep icy track to get some great views, but alas, no Keas. (See the pictures of our trip below)  So last weekend we went to the Fiordlands (about 3 hours away) and hiked up the famous Routeburn track for an overnighter at Mackenzie hut. We were the only ones on the trail and had the huge "hut" to ourselves. It was below freezing but we kept toasty in our sleeping bags and layers. Fortunately, early Sunday morning Kimball heard the "keee-ah" call of the Kea bird and bundled up in search of them. He got some great pictures, which I will post next time. He has started a photography business called "Kea Photography" doing nature photos etc and these will be a great addition to his website. He has already gotten requests from conservation agencies for his photos who are willing to pay. It's great to have a fun hobby that pays!

The Wildlife Continues

Last weekend with Monday being Queen's Birthday and all, we decided to go up to Dunedin again and explore some more. Our other excuse was a basketball tournament with the church youth which we had foolishly agreed to join. Well, we didn't win but we did a little better than last year, so maybe we should keep it up.

We stayed in the same German cottage as last time and enjoyed the hail pelting down while we were warm inside. Finally it cleared and we took a 6 hour excursion with a guide who took us to all the remote and restricted beaches where you can see penguins, NZ fur seals and sea lions up close. Over all, we saw 39 different birds in two days and got some great pictures. One of the penguins was so used to being watched, he walked within 10 feet of us and didn't seem bothered by our presence. 

The next day we ventured out to a new nature preserve in the hills that were just barely covered in snow. We saw a lot of birds and a few we haven't seen before. The dedicated people here plan to soon have kiwi and many other rare birds and animals on a huge plot of forest with ferret and pest proof fencing. Unfortunately all the great NZ animals are vulnerable to introduced mammal predators since the only mammal for hundreds of years was a tiny bat!

On the work front, my new(ish) job is going great and I still love it at Vercoe Brown and Associates (sounds like a law firm, I know). The Balance Wellness Centre is doing very well also. I'm seeing 6-7 counseling or health coaching clients a week for one hour appointments. 

Recently, we finished an evangelistic seminar with an Adventist motivational speaker (Leo Schreven) who incorporated health, spirituality, financial and emotional balance which led the way for our follow up. We've been having weekly seminars to follow up with about 20-30 people, most of whom have just recently been introduced to Adventism. It's a great group and we have lots of fun talking about goals, improving lifestyles and the psychology of change.

Next, in September and October we have the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP) by Hans Diehl that we will do for the first time in Invercargill. We hope to do at least one a year after that.