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| Christchurch, here we come! |
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| Chilly walk with Jurgs and Grace |
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| Snow in Christchurch |
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| Winter is here! |
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| Trying to hide behind Jurgen! |
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| Jurgs helping me with my boots - where is my sock! |
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| Thanks for the fancy pudding! |
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| Christchurch city centre - earthquake damage |
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| Not sure what this is! |
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| Michelin woman! |
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| Interesting roof in Christchurch |
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| The whole Muller family - all nice and warm |
On Monday morning, I said goodbye to the Mullers as they
left for work and school and I waited for my friend, Val Morgan, to come and
fetch me. She is also a Zimbabwean who has lived in South Africa – and who has
been in New Zealand for twenty years! In fact, we hadn’t seen each other for
twenty years so I was taking quite a gamble jumping into a campervan with her
and heading off further south into the snow of South Island! Clearly, my days
of dodging winter were over! After a happy reunion and telling each other that
each of us hadn’t changed a bit, we were off in our cute Jucy Lucy campervan.
Val is a coach driver and so I knew I was in safe hands!
We made our way to Queenstown on the south-west side,
stopping for a snack and to see Lake Tekapo and the quaint little church and
statue of a faithful sheepdog next to it. We also stopped to see Val’s son who
is a bee-keeper in Twizel – pronounced Twaaizell! There are two thousand hives
on the property and the honey gets exported to China and Europe. Some of the
little towns we passed through were reminiscent of places where “my brother
Darryl and my other brother, Darryl” must have lived! (Bob Newhart fans will
know what I mean!) It seems life is very slow and easy there. We got to
Queenstown in the dark, went out for some supper and then set up the van in the
campervan park next to the cemetery – rather Val set it all up and gave me
orders when it came to simple things I could manage. It was a chilly night and
the temperature dropped to below freezing!
The next morning, we had breakfast in the van – Val doing
the cooking – and phoned the helicopter company to check that our booked flight
was still on! Apparently, there were not enough people so I told the lady that I
had come all the way from South Africa – she phoned around and luckily, two
more people booked. We drove to the little airport and met our pilot and
helicopter (and Dave and Jessica) and then took off for a one and a half hour
flight. Was it spectacular! We flew to Milford Sound and got out to take some
photos and then, we landed on a glacier. The views were absolutely beautiful
and our pilot gave us lots of info – just in “New Zealand” again! It was also amazing
to see how many sheep graze in very steep valleys.
We went for lunch afterwards and then walked around the
town, through the park and along the lake in Queenstown. In many ways, it all
reminded me of Interlaken in Switzerland, just on a bigger scale. We watched
some TV back at the campervan site and had a good chat to a truck driver who
knew a lot about politics – even in Zimbabwe and South Africa. We kept the
heater on all night in the van and woke up to minus 5 degrees the next morning.
I have never worn five layers of clothing before – this time I did! Michelin man
gone wrong!
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| Friends meet again - twenty years later |
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| Val vroeteling in the campervan |
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| Good advice on the numberplate |
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| And even better advice! |
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| Val trying to be Jucy Lucy |
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| On the way to Queenstown |
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| Time for a pose next to Lake Tekapo |
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| Lake Tekapo |
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| Church next to the lake |
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| And a memorial to all faithful sheepdogs |
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| Here come some of NZ's famous sheep - complete with sheep mentality! |
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| And the beautiful scenery continues.... |
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| Couldn't find the mugs so Val made me drink my coffee from a bowl |
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| It is really this picturesque |
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| Helicopter landing to walk towards Milford Sound |
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| Photobombing Val's selfie! |
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| Here's our helicopter |
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| Landing on the glacier |
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More views from the helicopter
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| View from the restaurant |
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| Interesting one - looks like the houses are balanced on the railing - took it by accident! |
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| Lake near Queenstown |
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| At the harbour |
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| Arrowtown - old Wild West feel! This was a thriving town in the gold rush days |
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| Breakfast and sunshine - good combo |
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| Arrowtown |
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| On the way to Clyde |
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| The famous Mrs Jones grocer's |
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| And now the toilet rules change.....poor Chinese people! |
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| More beautiful scenery.. |
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| Just love these sheep! |
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| We went down this road looking for lunch - but turned around when we saw the street name! |
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| The Paris bridges have lovers' padlocks - the New Zealand south islanders tie up their takkies/trainers! |
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| Lake near Queenstown |
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| It really is time to change my clothes... so over them! |
We spent that day ambling down to Dunedin, even further
south. We stopped at a pretty old gold-mining town called Arrowtown – now more
of a tourist attraction and enjoyed the warm fire in the pub where we had a
good breakfast. Thank goodness Val is such an experienced driver and I didn’t
have my licence – she did a lot of driving. We passed through more pretty,
tiny, sleepy towns and found our way into Dunedin late in the afternoon! It was
time for Val to meet some of my friends - Pete and Megan Odgers! They gave us a
lovely welcome, a good supper and warm beds! It was very hard to believe that
they have been in New Zealand for 17 years already – although the Kiwi accents are
a big clue! Pete is teaching woodwork at the beautiful Otago Boys’ High (a
traditional boys’ school and breeding ground of many All Blacks, I’m told) and
Megan is the Principal at Ravensbourne, a small junior primary school. Their home
is beautiful and they very kindly welcomed us.
Val left the next day for two more days of meandering in the
campervan on her way back to Christchurch and Megan and I spent the day
travelling all over the Otago Peninsular. I am very grateful that she took the
day off to show me around – and also that she likes coffee stops as much as I do.
We did pop in to her school and I met some of her pupils – very cute. Apparently,
one asked her if I lived in a hut when I told the kids I was from Africa! They do
a strange thing at the start of school in New Zealand – a child starts school
on his or her fifth birthday – it sounds strange to me, but apparently, it
works! The scenery is spectacular and I enjoyed the drive – until yet another
bird decided to attack me! At a famous lookout point, we stopped for Megan to
take a photo of me. There were some chickens scratching around – just chickens –
but one decided to peck my calf while I was posing! I just don’t know what it
is with me and birds!
We went home late in the afternoon and Pete said he would
take me to Tunnel Beach – cool, I like looking at beaches! But – this beach was
way below us and we had to walk down slippery muddy pathways, over rocks to get
to a tunnel which had been dug long ago by the poor servants of some rich
people who had a mansion called Cargill’s Castle on the hill and wanted their
own private route to the beach below. I moaned like a stuck pig all the time –
just to keep Odge happy – in reality though, it was a lovely climb and the
beach was magnificent….. and it was more than worthwhile.
I went in to school with Pete the next day. At the morning
staff meeting, he introduced me to the staff and the headmaster was quick to
tell them not to get funny ideas after hearing about my “escape”! I spent some
time with a Matric class doing English and spoke to some of the boys. I also
spent some time with, Athanassos, the counsellor – not for counselling, but
because he is Greek! He even made me lovey Greek coffee in genuine Greek coffee
cups! The school is beautiful – a more modern new part and a very Scottish
looking older part, built over 150 years ago. Dunedin is very near the bottom
of the world – I think only Invercargill and some penguins are further south – but
it is well worth visiting and Pete and Megan are superb tour guides and hosts! It
is very spread out and has a population of only 150 000 – and a
magnificent new covered stadium. I believe Neil Diamond is on his way and the
Otago Crusaders play there.
I left school at about 11am and wandered around town,
visiting two lovely churches and both museums – Toitu Otago Settlers Museum and
Otago Museum. Both were fascinating and gave me lots of insight into the
founding of New Zealand, the flora and fauna…. And much more. There was even an
exhibition of old “things” and I was horrified to see many of the thing I (and
lots of you!) grew up with – including an old mincing machine, those washing
machines, with a small plastic bin for the washing, which used to jump around
our kitchens, an old Philips TV and even an old school bus, just like the ones
we had in Zimbabwe. You had some seats that faced inwards and you pulled the
bell on a white wire along the side of the bus! I went into the bus and met an
old Maori man who told me that they showed the same film in the bus every day! It
was the information documentary telling you about the bus! I told him that
maybe that was for people like me who hadn’t seen it before! I read up more
about Sir Edmund Hillary, a real NZ legend, who seems to have been a wonderful
man as he did so much for the local people around Mount Everest and their families
after his great climb. I also went into the Tropical House just to remember decent
temperatures! It was full of brightly-coloured butterflies. What was also
interesting was the section about the Polynesian islanders – especially as I am
about to go to the Cook Islands!
After a quick haircut and colour – strangely dark! – we went
home for a nice warm supper and a very welcome bath for me! Poor Pete had to
get up extra early on Saturday to take me to the airport for my flight to Christchurch.
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| Posing with Megan - expert tour guide |
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| Cliffs in Dunedin |
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| View from Megan's office window - she's not suffering! |
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| Lovely children... who think I live in a hut! |
And these ones tried to intimidate me with their haka!
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| Attacked .... by chickens! |
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| View over Dunedin |
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| Before the slippery, muddy climb down to Tunnel Beach |
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| Everyone has a hole in the wall! |
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| Down to Tunnel Beach |
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| Lovely gorse bushes |
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| Odgie posing in his state-of-the-art woodwork room |
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| My Greek friend, Athanassis, making me Greek coffee in the staffroom |
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| View of Otago Boys' High |
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| Robbie Burns with the Cathedral behind him - his nephew was a minister in Dunedin |
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| The octagon in Dunedin |
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| Old railway station |
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| Art sow in the railway station |
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| Precursor to our campervan - in the museum |
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| Ancient computer |
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| Love this cat - the world record for loud purring |
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| English teachers love to know where idioms come from |
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| Presbyterian church in Dunedin |
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| And a turtle for Natalie.... |
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| And orchids for Jenny VDM, the orchid expert |
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| Spot the butterfly |
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| No live albatrosses around (wrong season) so I found one in the museum |
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Sad photo - caption reads..."What did I do wrong?"
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| Photos from a competition held by the museum |
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| Student digs in Dunedin |
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| Dunedin university - very British feel |
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| A woodwork teacher and a BIG tree |
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| Sunset in Dunedin |
I had a lovely flight chatting to Glyn, an All-Black supporter, on his way to
Auckland for the big game against Australia. From Christchurch, which I have
yet to see because it was still wet and foggy, I flew on to Auckland…. to be
met by Val, who had returned the van in Christchurch and then flown to Auckland
– her home – to fetch me! What a good friend! We went to visit her parents,
whom I hadn’t seen for a very long time, and that was super! Now it was time
for some North Island exploring, so Val took me for a long drive and then we
met some friends of hers for supper in the centre of town at a Turkish
restaurant, complete with belly dancer! We spent the night at the home of one
of her friends.
My last day in New Zealand was spent driving around again
and then meeting up with more friends – Pat and Edie Henchie! We met them in
Orewa, between Auckland and Warkworth, where they live and both teach! It was
great to see how well they have settled too – and to share my lovely friends with
Val! In fact, I think Pat might have been motivated to become a coach driver
having chatted to Val! Val and three friends played tennis in the afternoon,
while I got on with some of this blog!
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| Val's parents - the Wilkens from East London.... |
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| Rangitoto - a "new" volcano - only 600 years old! |
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| Val next to her bus |
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| Harbour in Auckland |
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| Peaceful beach scene |
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| The Henchman - and the campervan he fitted out! |
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| Lunch with Val, Pat and Edie |
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| Happy Henchies |
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| Coming into Auckland |
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| Auckland harbour bridge |
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| Ferry terminal |
What next? Well, tomorrow at 9.45 I fly to the Cook Islands –
and I arrive there on Sunday (today!) at 3.30 – so I am getting my first
experience of crossing the International Dateline! That is going to be weird,
but I’m sure I’ll be fine because most days feel like Saturday to me! I am
really looking forward to my teaching for the next three weeks. It will be good
to be in the same bed for three weeks and to get to know the people and to feel
useful. I have not done a lot of googling about the Cook Islands, because I want
it to be a fresh experience. I am going to do my best to make a difference and I
know that God will be stretching me and giving me some wonderful opportunities
in this very far-flung place. When I read “A Pattern of Islands” by Arthur
Grimble at school at the age of 13, I fell in love with this area. The story is
set in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, now Kiribati, just north of the Cook
Islands, and is the autobiography of a young English cadet sent into the “colonies”
in the early twentieth century. It seems to me that I was meant to go there one
day, and that day has come!
