1) Driving along Arthur's Pass into the Southern Alps. 2) Kea bird by the side of the road. 3) Devil's Punchbowl Falls, a 30 minute hike from Arthur's Pass Village.
Category: Exploring the South Island
Question: You are off there on this island on the other side of the world. You are pretty near the ocean. Do you go walking there??? What does the moon look like?? Does it look like the moon we have over here?” ~S.L. View full article »
Sorry that I haven’t been posting lately. It got cold and rainy and I just kind of gave up on having a fun time here. So sad, I know. But not to fear, sometimes we just have to let ourselves slump down a bit to find our way again. We got an electric blanket and I strung up the rafters in our apartment so that we’d have a place to dry our clothes. I’m promising myself that the beautiful summer here will more than make up for a short period of dreary weather.
On the upside, I finally got over myself and decided to start really facing the weather here and figure out a plan or an attitude so that it was more enjoyable for me. I put on my running shoes and run even if it’s cold. I quit smoking again because I can’t smoke my brand here and it just wasn’t helping.
Last but not least, I have joined the gym. I must make a special point here to recommend this because it’s one of the things that New Zealand does right and does well. View full article »
Here are some tips for trailing spouses like me.
Leave room for the experience to be what it is. I’m finally reaching a stage where I can admit that despite reading extensively and tuning into podcasts of all sorts, there’s more to being in a foreign country than confirming one’s intellectual apprehension of it. For instance, I was sorely disappointed that instead of being stampeded by sheep, I only see them if we drive for at least forty five minutes into the hills and then they are only a few dozen at a time and they are fenced in. I have not strolled through the hills with a parasol and nestled beneath some towering oak to catch up on my Dave Eggers.
Where's the sheep?
When the counter clerk doesn’t laugh at your joke, she really just doesn’t get it. Really, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to “go native.” When I first landed, I wanted to do everything I could to imitate the accent and test out the new banter. In reality, the banter is more like “what did you say… how’s that, again… I’m really sorry, but could you say that just one more time?” It’s easy to feel hopeless in these situations and also to think that the locals despise you for coming in and trying to make conversation when you can’t even have an intelligible exchange. But really, don’t take it personally. It’s nobody’s fault that two English speakers can’t understand each other. Just keep trying because there are many NZ’ers that are very good at bridging the gap and those conversations are quite fun.
Get a pet and spoil it rotten because there’s going to be a lot of downtime. I thought there wouldn’t be. I thought I would be in every pub and every bookstore and every hiking trail at every moment. But the sun is quite glaring here and you have to wear sunblock that is at least SPF 30. Otherwise, it can get very cold and overcast. So get a pet to liven your home and to pick you up when you’re blue or stir-crazy.
Bailey
Go to the Warehouse and buy some additional laundry line not just an indoor dryer– get a big rope and maybe some screw-in hooks. I say this because there will more than likely not be a dryer in your new home. Unlike San Francisco, Christchurch does not have a launderette on every corner. Instead, you may find a place to hang dry clothes in the back yard, but I find that there is just enough room to hang all the laundry. I have yet to string clothesline up inside the house, but I have seen people doing this and have been warned to keep an eye out for black mold if this becomes necessary.
Get a wind chime. This is a nice way to decorate the back yard or deck, but more importantly it tells you to hang the laundry. As you’ll quickly learn, it doesn’t matter if it’s sunny enough to dry laundry outside. What really matters is if it’s windy enough.
Take the time to learn about Asian foods and ingredients. You will get bored of the Pak’nSave, Countdown, Woolworth’s triad. There’s a card called the Onecard which is like any other supermarket card with points benefits, but it works in all three stores which are frequently right beside each other. Using said card makes it seem as if the triad is the only way to shop, but when you’re tired of looking at bangers, sausage rolls, lamb and mint chips, any of the multitude of the Asian markets will soothe you. Maybe it’s because you can’t read the packaging but you know it will taste good when you stir fry it or roll the sushi. Maybe it’s just a nice little break from New Zealand culture. I can’t really say why it works, but going to the Asian Market is high on my list of curatives.
Learn how to season and cook fish. Unlike launderettes, fish markets are everywhere in Christchurch. All I have to say is that it’s damn good. Fish and vegetables here are tasty and fresh. Even courgettes (zuchinni) are aromatic and flavorful, currently my favorite veggie.
This list isn’t comprehensive, as I can’t really say that I’ve totally adjusted to living here. I guess that means that there’s more to come. Feel free to ask questions. I will post replies promptly.
Cheers!
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| Click here to view the Akoroa Album |
Saturday we drove about an hour south of Christchurch to Akaroa. We desperately needed to see some the landscape that New Zealand is known for and to just get away from the city. Akaroa is a city that was built inside the rim of a volcano, which is spectacular in terms of views because you have to drive the winding roads up to the rim and then begin your descent into the lush and scantly populated town. The street names are French and there are some landmarks that allude to the early French settlers, but the town is decidedly Kiwi.
We were there for just a few hours, but you’ll see from the pictures that we were able to do some hiking. I’m thinking that next time we’ll have to do a whale watching or dolphin swimming tour. We’ve heard from others that these ventures are not just tourist ploys and that you can take a dip with hundreds or even thousands of dolphins at a time.
Also, I shot a couple of short videos that are in this album, not so much for the scenery as the sound of the birds in the trees. Although the bird populations here have suffered from colonization and the introduction of foreign species, I found the birds here to be quite lively as they sing through varying pitches.
On another note, I innocently asked a Kiwi whether or not Kiwi eggs were edible. After a few moments of flustered guffawing, I received an answer, “Well, no, that would be like eating the eggs of an American Eagle!” I’m certain this is just one of many faux pas that I’ll commit here.
Today I’m trying to take a break from Kiwi culture and I’m curling up on the couch at the motel with a paperback. Perhaps later this week I will venture out for a day walk. I’ve heard that I can catch a ferry from the Lyttleton harbor and disappear for an entire day on a small island, but I’ll have to research that a bit more.
