If you've read Bernie's blog, you'll know that our time on the South Island was extended due to some incredible unforeseen circumstances. Our initial ten days in the south expanded itself to an additional three weeks, most of which was filled with doctor appointments, phone calls and emails to our family and friends with health updates, and more phone calls and emails to our travel agent and people in Australia to rearrange our itinerary. And... to top it all off, we got to make lots of phone calls to our travel insurance company back in Canada to see how best to handle this situation financially. Being unwell in a foreign country (even an English speaking one) is mentally and physically exhausting in and of itself.
But on the brighter side of things, our lives during these extra weeks were enriched by these experiences, our faith was tested and strengthened, and our belief in the goodness of others was affirmed hundreds of times over. God was very evident and faithful. Our time in Dunedin was blessed by the goodness of people like Catherine McKinlay and especially Dr. Alastair Yule, who was quite literally there when we needed him.
So now, what to do with the extra time that was given us. Well, if you look at our pictures, you'll see that we didn't let too much grass grow under our feet. A return trip to Lumsden was in order since we needed to reconnect with the wonderful Goodeve family (Guy, Vicki, Lucy, and Kate) and thank them for taking care of us and letting us stay and rest awhile during Bernie's recovery from eye surgery. Next we really needed to get that visit in to Milford Sound since we'd cancelled it once before. But best of all, we were able to really explore the rest of the South Island and make plans for our return one day. From climbing the Fox Glacier to walking around Lake Matheson (Mirror Lake), to exploring the beautiful city of Dunedin, we filled our time (and our camera disk) with wonderful pictures and memories of a beautiful country filled with exceptional people.
Has it really been twenty five years since I first discovered New Zealand? Yup... I guess it is. Twenty five years ago (you do the math) I took a deferred salary leave for a year and spent five months backpacking from Hawaii to New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. It was a wonderful time with my friend Sheila and it was filled with wonder and awe at the joy of traveling. I never imagined that I would be back here with my family discovering more about this beautiful country and finally working on my tan!!
To be truthful, this is now my third visit to NZ and while much has changed, much has stayed the same. It has been a lot of fun to finally explore this country by car. It gets you to so many more out of the way places. Twenty five years ago Sheila and I took the Greyline bus to various communities and capped off our visit with a great rail ride on the Silver Fern. Ten years ago Bernie and I were the oldies on the Kiwi Experience bus tour. I think I was the only one who did not bungy jump, skydive, or zorb... did I mention that I was in my second trimester of pregnancy?
And this visit... well, this one is special because we are revisiting favourite spots and making new friends in the process. Kerikeri, 90 Mile Beach, Paihia (north of Auckland), Pauanui, Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Beach (Coromandel), and Rotorua (I got to finally milk a cow at the Agrodome) are all places that we have come to love and will want to return to. As well, thanks to Jenn Perez, a co-worker of Bernie's at Parkland School, we have been introduced to some wonderful Kiwis: the Tuhaka family who took us in upon our arrival and made sure that our needs were met, the Shennens (Paul and Sheryl) who fed and watered us and introduced us to L&P and the finer points of living the good life (read retired) in a gorgeous coastal town, and to Karen Barclay, Mike Anderson, and their two daughters Mya and Keisha who had us stay with them on their dairy farm near Te Awamutu as well as their Bach (pronounced Batch) in Raglan, another beautiful beach community. WOW... we have been both enormously blessed and amazed!!
