Day 4-New Years in Nelson

Ouch.  I must be getting old since I am aching and sore from hiking and kayaking.  The weather changed in Nelson and was windy and cold today on New Year's Eve.  After sleeping off the soreness, we went out for a slow and quiet stroll around Nelson.  Our first stop was Founder's Park, a small series of historical buildings depicting the early life in Nelson.  The weather might have contributed to the lack of visitors in the park, because it felt more like a ghost town than anything!  It was kind of strange walking in the little buildings, completely empty, and looking at the mannequins and old artifacts.  We made the most of the adventure, taking silly pictures in lots of the displays.  We finally settled for lunch at the only cafe there, that housed New Zealand and Australia's oldest organic brewery.  We had a couple of burgers, sampled the beers, and moved on.

 

  

Our next stop was the Miyazu Gardens, a Japanese zen garden set up for Nelson's sister city in Japan.  It had potential for being pretty, but unfortunately it was under construction, so we were unable to see it in its full glory.  We made the long walk back to the hostel, stopping for gelato.  We even sampled some with sunflower seeds and marigold petals!  We took a quick snooze (had to prepare to stay up late!), had a pizza for dinner, and got ready to head out to Renwick the next day.  After a short rain storm, we walked towards the town square, bustling with people ready to celebrate the new year.  There were bands playing, and all of the restaurants and bars were open out onto the street.  There were people of all ages waiting to ring in the new year.  The stroke of midnight itself was anticlimactic, with a fast countdown, confetti explosions, and a continuation of the music, but it was really cool to think that we were celebrating the New Year 16 hours before Times Square!

 

Happy New Year 2009!!!

Day 3-Abel Tasman National Park

I woke up today feeling a bit sore from all of the kayaking yesterday.  Today our goal was to hike from Anchorage Bay down the coastal track back to Marahau, where we starting kayaking yesterday.  We had a quick breakfast on the boat, and set off. 
    

Bret was carrying a huge pack and I had the smaller one full of our food and water.  After liberally applying sunscreen (my lips got burnt and blistered the day before) and insect repellent, we strapped on the packs, and headed up the track.  The first 20 minutes of the hike was entirely uphill and I wasn't sure this was going to be as relaxing as the 'walks' the guidebooks talked about.  But boy, were those first 20 minutes worth it!  Before long, we were high into the hills, overlooking Anchorage Bay and the Tasman Sea, peering down on the majestic green water we had kayaked the day before.  The hike was hot and sticky, and we even stopped off for a swim on one of the beaches.  It felt like we were walking through the jungle, with waterfalls and bridges over streams.  The shade was our only solace from the heat, and it was well appreciated.  The hike took up almost 5 hours with all of our stops to refuel and cool down.  The scenery was incredible...I felt like we were finally seeing NZ for the reasons we came here!  There were so many pictures, I tried to pick out the best ones...

 View of Anchorage Bay

 

  

NZ's famous silver fern (Punakaiki)

  

After the hike, we boarded a bus back down to Nelson, to stay for a couple of nights and celebrate the new year!

Day 2-Abel Tasman National Park

Our main goal on this trip was to relax, really attempting to embrace the kiwi lifestyle.  We left the computers at home, and decided to play things mostly by ear.  The only things we planned in advance were our initial bus trip departing Christchurch, our accommodation, and our dolphin swim.  The rest was up in the air; we had ideas of what we wanted to do in each location, but we just waited until we arrived to go any further.
   

This theory proved a little challenging when getting ready to depart for Abel Tasman National Park.  The park is a 1.5 hour bus ride away from Nelson, and is only accessible by boat or on foot.  We had anticipated sea kayaking to all of the private beaches, but without a reservation and it being high season, we were pretty much out of luck when we tried booking the night before.  Determined nonetheless, we decided to get off the bus at the base of the coastal track, just to try our luck at renting a kayak.  The first shop we walked into had just had a cancellation and were incredibly surprised and reminded us of how amazing it was that we managed to get the spot.  We spent an hour going through safety training, since we were going to be freedom-kayaking (without a guide).  We crammed our packs into the small compartments of the kayaks, grabbed a map, and set off to kayak the open water up to Anchorage Bay.

The water was calm, and we were able to stop at any of the private beaches along the way.  The sun was shining and warm, and it was a beautiful day; these beaches have been ranked among the world's top 5  beaches by the UK Guardian.  We unpacked a picnic (you have to bring all of your own food into the park (there's no shops!) and take all your own rubbish out with you) and relaxed halfway into the trip on one of the sandy beaches!  Paradise!  The water was an incredible teal color with the contrasting yellow sand and clear blue sky...
   

The trip got progressively harder, as the last part of the paddle is known as the Mad Mile.  There's basically nowhere to stop off and it's open water that's not sheltered.  Therefore, conditions can change rapidly with the weather.  We braved it, and the most we experienced was a bit of wind.  Luckily, the kayak never tipped over, and we made it to Anchorage Bay in the afternoon safe and sound, and slightly sore!

 

Anchorage Bay 

    

In Anchorage Bay we were staying at Aquapackers, a houseboat hostel.  It is the only one of its kind in the park; other accomodation is by camping or staying in huts in the park.  The houseboat was equipped with 20+ beds, and we were sleeping in the smallest sleeping quarters down in the hull of the boat.  Not the most glamourous, but a total experience!  We enjoyed a BBQ dinner on the boat, got to know a few kiwis, and watched the sunset over the mountains in the sheltered bay.  A long and glorious day!

 

Aquapackers and our sleeping quarters!

Day 1-Nelson

***Our holiday vacation was jam-packed!  I've decided to back-blog for each day we were gone since I took so many pictures and did so much!***

Our first day of our holiday started early, taking a cab at 6:30 in the morning to meet the bus for the major bus ride of the journey.  We traveled by coach bus up the east coast of the south island, from Christchurch, with a few stops, all the way up to Nelson.  In total, about 7 hours travel time.  It was a long day, and I struggled with motion sickness, but we finally arrived.

Nelson is a spectacular artsy beach town on the top of the south island, much smaller than Christchurch, with a population of about 40,000.  We arrived here mid afternoon and settled in.  Already, the weather is warmer and more consistent than Chch.  We walked through the city's center, browsed the cute shops, and toured their cathedral.  My favorite part of our short time in Nelson was eating at Go Mexico!  I had been craving Mexican food for a long time, and had already planned on eating at this restaurant well in advance.  It wasn't the best Mexican food ever or anything, but it hit the spot.  We headed back to the hostel for an early night in...getting ready to head out to Abel Tasman the next day!

holiday hiatus

Tomorrow we leave for our south island adventure!  Since we will be traveling to many places in the next eight days, with a goal of truly relaxing, the computers are staying at the flat!  So I am afraid that the blog is going on break until our return in the new year...

Until then, Bret and I will be celebrating together, sea kayaking and tramping (hiking) in Abel Tasman National Park and staying on a houseboat, touring New Zealand's famous vineyards in Marlborough, relaxing on gorgeous beaches in Nelson and Kaikoura, and finally (and most importantly) swimming in the ocean with dolphins, a lifelong dream of mine!

Have a very happy new year; may your 2009 be filled with joy and love! 


p.s.  I've updated the slideshow on the right with pictures up until now; hopefully, that will hold you over until we get back!

sweet thing

Yesterday was an amazing day!  Our quiet Christmas celebration turned out to be much much more than I expected.  Bret and I will be taking an eight day vacation on Sunday, so we decided that was gift enough, and in order to keep us from feeling terribly homesick, we planned for our Christmas day to be very low-key.

I was fortunate enough to open gifts with my family over video chat.  It was Christmas morning here and Christmas Eve there so the timing worked out.  While I was celebrating with my family, Bret was busy finishing wrapping my gifts, and before opening ours we opened a bottle of champagne from Evelyn's family to celebrate.  We took turns opening the gifts we had for each other, mostly NZ souvenirs and things we'd always walked by in stores but never actually bought.  My last gift from Bret was a slideshow of our photos from the last eight years, accompanied by some of our favorite songs.  After twenty minutes of giggling at the old photos and reminiscing on some of our best times, the slideshow ended with "Will you marry me?" written across the screen.  I was in absolute, instant shock, and was immediately in tears.  There's Bret, down on one knee, with a ring, trying hard to keep it together.  And I, a huge blubbering mess, only able to utter "For real?!".  Bret points to the screen which now reads "Hopefully you said "yes"..." and I finally muster a yes through the tears!  I can't even believe it!

So we are now happily engaged!  The time difference and holiday proved difficult to notify everyone in a timely fashion, but we're reaching out to everyone that we can to share the good news which includes Bret's three best friends in Ecuador, Israel, and China!  It feels a bit surreal, because we are so far away from everyone, that I still don't think it's fully set in.  I am excited, exhilarated, and thrilled to be in love with my best friend.  We can't wait to get back to the United States and celebrate!

100

Today is a momentous day in our journey; not only is it Christmas Day and we have made it to the holiday, it is also our 100th day in NZ!  The countdown clock that I started on my cell phone approximately 2 weeks before our departure, has been counting up the days since our arrival, and it's unbelievably at 100 already!

In 100 days we have accomplished so much and it is amazing to think that three months ago we were leaving Omaha with no plan other than to land in New Zealand.  Here we are, working, living, exploring the kiwi culture, and celebrating Christmas.  This is by far, the longest I've been away from home, the longest I've gone without driving (prior to my sixteenth year), and the longest I've gone without seeing some of my closest friends and family members.  It's also the longest stretch of spring and summer weather I've experienced---we're going on a whole year!  I feel like just in the short (or long) amount of time that we've spent here, I've grown in so many ways, most of which were completely unpredicted.  I feel challenged and alive, and am still excited and invigorated by the sense of adventure that surrounds me here in NZ.  I've been so deeply immersed in the working and busy side of things here so far, and am looking forward to embracing the nature and beauty of the south island over my time off of work, soaking up all of the reasons that we came here in the first place, living and relaxing the kiwi way.  It will be well deserved!

Merry kiwi Christmas!!!!

christmas eve

I can't believe that it is already Christmas Eve!  Yesterday was my last day of work for the year, and I am so excited to be on break for a while!  The weather is holding out for today, and Bret and I are looking forward to going into the city to check out the Christmas sights and sounds.  We are going to have our annual peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks and hope to see something resembling Christmas since we'll be unable to drive around looking at christmas lights! 

We've really made the most of the season so far here.  Originally in an attempt to combat feeling lonely and homesick around the holidays, it has really made it feel more like home!  Our tree is adorned with the few ornaments we've collected here, and the few sent from overseas by our families, as well as with bottle caps collected throughout our journey.  Our advent calendar is nearly empty, and our entertainment center is full of cards and Christmas trinkets from here and abroad.  Several gifts are nestled under the tree, waiting to be opened on Christmas morning, and we've managed to watch one Christmas movie a week!  Our movies have included Love Actually, Elf, Home Alone 2, and Home Alone and we'll finish the season off with It's A Wonderful Life tomorrow.  Although we couldn't find the classics A Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, we are already looking forward to watching them next year!


Here's wishing you a warm and happy holiday!  Cheers!

Pohutakawa trees

The Pohutakawa is an evergreen native to New Zealand that only blooms around Christmas.  It has been deemed the New Zealand Christmas tree.  They grow primarily in the coastal regions, so my goal is to find one along the beaches over our upcoming vacation and snap a photo to post on here.  Their flower is a burst of red, and it reminds me very much of this bloom from our trip to Sausalito, California in March.

I am looking forward to finding the native New Zealand plant and comparing it to this one, so stay tuned!

100s and 1000s

You know those tiny colored balls of sugar that you put on cookies and ice cream?  I think they're called sprinkles...?  Yes!  Sprinkles!  Here, they have a totally different name:  100s and 1000s!  What?  I don't think I have ever in my whole life heard them referred to as anything other than sprinkles, and there are even lots of different types of sprinkles within that classification.  Here in NZ, I bought 100s and 1000s to top my sugar cookies that my mom sent me the mix for, to gift to our cookie-challenged comrades here in NZ. 

As you can see, the label mentions that not only are 100s and 1000s perfect for biscuits (cookies) and ice cream, just like their uses in the U.S., it also says sandwiches!  Indeed, kiwis make sandwiches by spreading margarine on bread and sprinkling 100s and 1000s on top and a little sugar for extra sweetness.  Oh my goodness, I am learning so much!

summer is here!

According to the calendar, summer has arrived in New Zealand!  As the U.S. welcomes winter and the shortest day of the year tomorrow, New Zealand welcomes summer's arrival, and the longest day of the year today.  Today boasts 15 hours and 25 minutes of sunshine, supposedly.  However, we are still experiencing the cold rain from yesterday, so have yet to see the shining sun (and boy, do I miss it!).  The lack of insulation in New Zealand homes has made us feel like we really are having a taste of winter, with of 17 and low of 7 (ok, degrees celsius, like I said, I'm pretending).  But it's exciting to think that it will be sunshiny for so much of Christmas!

 

rain, rain, go away

The flat was damp and cold, and a peek outside the window revealed piercing cold, heavy rain.  I snuggled beneath a blanket with a cup of warm tea, imagining that I was experiencing the frigid Christmas weather from Omaha.  The rain pounded rhythmically on the deck and roof of the flat as I prepared for the afternoon.  Bundling in my closest-to-winter attire, dressing in layers of long sleeve shirts and cardigans, I smoothed my hair, as I gingerly stepped out the door and under the umbrella to wait for the bus.

We arrived at the shopping mall several cold minutes later, in search of a mailbox to drop off the previous residents' mail.  We weaved outside among throngs of people, jumping puddles, whizzing by umbrellas, and darting under shopping mall awnings.  We made it to the mailbox, to find the post office just closing, and the mailbox stuffed so much with last minute Christmas cards and gifts that I had to shove the mail in any empty crevices I could find.  We ducked into the mall, closed the umbrella, and breathed a sigh of relief.  We made it.

The mall was swarming with people, children, Christmas decorations, and gifts.  We weaved in and out of crowds, heading towards the solace of the movie theater.  We purchased our tickets, and skipped into the theater, our popcorn and M&Ms in tow.   Sinking into the oversized plush, assigned, movie seats, we started munching on the popcorn, getting drawn into the pre-movie entertainment, allowing our minds to melt away our worries as we became enthralled in Four Holidays (called Four Christmases in the U.S.), starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn.

The time went by quickly, filling the theater with laughs, and my mind with warm memories of the holidays.  As we stepped back into the bustling shopping center, we stopped in a couple of stores, gave a quick wave to Santa, and ventured back out into the biting rain, blowing through our layers and tingling our bare skin.  Waiting for the bus for several minutes, once on board we headed to the first row in the upper section, where I have located the bus' heater and rode the short distance home. 

In the comfort of the flat I changed from the wet clothes to the warmest of pajamas and sweaters I could find, tucking my feet into my cosy Uggs.  I set soup on the stove as I sipped my warm cocoa, and settling in for a warm night watching movies and playing cards.

Beauty...

...right outside my front door!  It just keeps getting better as the warmer weather continues!  New flowers are blooming all over, and it's incredibly beautiful.  These are just the ones growing up the hedge outside my front door!

 

Hydrangeas and fairy flowers (that's what I call them!)

angry sheep

The following is a lovely prank Christmas gift that Evelyn's mother received at a gift exchange, and she so graciously passed on to me.  A perfect NZ gift!

 

He's angry!!!  Why, you ask?

 

This is why! (Use your imagination...)

the history of the Western Heritage

Since my first Christmas, I've been going to the Western Heritage Museum (now Durham) to see the Christmas tree and Santa.  My parents have Polaroids (remember those?) from every single year of my young life (excluding the year spent in New Jersey), and when I was old enough to go by myself, I would take any of my friends along with me.  We would create home videos in the train and teepee displays, and say hello to Santa always.  As a kid, my sister and I would dress up, get to see the largest tree in Omaha, explore the basement full of Omaha artifacts and history, ride in the old-fashioned elevator, and if we were really good, have a treat of peppermint ice cream at the soda fountain.  Going to Western Heritage Museum was one of my fondest memories as a child, and it is one that I will definitely miss this year.
   

Last year, my sister and I hired my good friend Eric to take our photos for a surprise Christmas gift for our parents.  Naturally we went to the Western Heritage Museum and it was wonderful!  When there was a renaming ceremony earlier in the year, the Omaha World Herald asked readers to send in their favorite memories of the museum, and they actually published mine!  I have it saved away in a special box, to look at for years to come!
  

Here are a few of the pictures, only the ones that I have on my newest computer, but if you're ever at my parent's house at Christmas you will see the years of Polaroids lining the mantle!

 

With Rachel and Jody (and Santa and Mrs. Clause) in 2001

Bret, in front of the tree in 2002

 

2006

last year!

Kiwi Santa

I had to buy a NZ Christmas ornament to commemorate our Christmas here.  Check Santa out!  He's equipped with a shirt emblazoned with pohutukawa (explanatory post to follow, I must get a pic), NZ togs (swimsuit), sunglasses, jandals, a straw beach bag with paua shell (you can buy those everywhere), and a NZ towel.  So appropriate!

our stockings!

I thought I would post a picture of our adorable and ingenuis stockings that my mom sent!  Dual-purpose---they'll get us through the holiday and they'll keep my feet warm and stylish.  And I can't complain that she filled them with Dr. Pepper Jelly Belly!

upside down

Take a look into the New Zealand sky after dark, and you can't help but notice that it looks a bit different.  The constellations are upside down, Orion is pointing towards the ground, and you can even see some bright planets that I had never noticed before.  While last night's full moon was one of the brightest in 15 years in the northern hemisphere, it was one of the first times that I had seen/looked at the moon here.  And it looked funny...indeed, the man in the moon was upside down!  Maybe on our extended holiday we can grab a star guide and check out some of the constellations exclusive to the southern hemisphere!

holiday!

Most students are out of school for the summer now here in New Zealand, and from what I've heard, not only are the students on holiday, but most of the country is too.  Since this is their summer, and it falls over the Christmas and New Year's holiday, many kiwis take long vacations to other parts of NZ or over to Australia.  For example, after tomorrow, yoga class will be on holiday for a month, and I will be on break from nannying after Christmas through January 20th.  It's quite the extended holiday, and I am nervous that I won't know what to do with myself with such a large amount of time off.  But I think it will be a wonderful way to take in the NZ lifestyle of laid-back relaxation.  And we've got a wonderful mini-vacation of our own planned, so stay tuned!!!

what I'm readin' now...

 

I'm reading about Santa's escapades in the land down-down under, and am determined to do all of the amazing things that he does on his short holiday while I'm here for a while!

decoratin'

The family I nanny for is well aware of my need to make the season bright this Christmas.  I've been bugging them like crazy about when they were going to get their tree...the parents are somewhat indifferent on the whole decorating thing, but with baby's first Christmas right around the corner, I think I convinced them.

Today Evelyn and I spent the morning decorating their new live Christmas tree.  I felt the pressure of making it look acceptable.  With Evelyn bouncing away in her exer-saucer and Vince Guaraldi Trio (the Charlie Brown Christmas) music playing in the background (an early gift from Bret), we set off to work. 

BEFORE

I attempted to wrap 'pin' lights on the branches, which are much more fragile than the sturdy wire branches of my artificial tree, which proved more difficult than I would have guessed.  They hung haphazardly (beautifully, I reminded myself), and I filled in the blank spaces with silver garland.  There was only one box of ornaments to start, so I strung each one with ribbon and hung them gracefully on the leaning branches.  I attempted to mount the angel at the top of the tree, but she leaned towards one side, smiling down on Evelyn (who was quite amused).

AFTER (before additional decorations)

Evelyn's mom arrived home this afternoon and commented on the drunk angel, and handed me a new bag of just-purchased Christmas decorations, and I spent the rest of my time there going crazy and OTT (over-the-top, as the mom says) with the decorations, but baby's first Christmas only happens once, right?!

pink cars

They seem to be the thing here.  I have gone a bit crazy with pink accessories, outfitting my camera, computer, cell phone, iPods (three!), oh, and my blog, in pink...I'm not even sure how that happened, I am not a freak about pink, but they all ended up in some shade of pink.

So I was incredibly intrigued when I spotted my first pink car here in NZ.  A fluke, I thought, like when someone in the U.S. gets a custom paint job from Maaco.  But then they started popping up everywhere.  A few I've seen so far, and have managed to snap pics of...

winter woes

I spent most of today pretending like it was winter.  As I'm sure you have figured out, I am longing for something, anything, that reminds me that it's nearly Christmas.  Today was spitting a cold rain, accompanied by an equally chilling wind.  The family I nanny for even switched back over to the heat.  I wrapped myself in a cardigan and warm socks, and stayed indoors all day, imagining that snow was right around the corner.  I fooled myself pretty well for most of the day, and fell into a luxurious slumber at day's end; cold weather is the BEST for sleeping.

Kiwi's Picnic

Trying a bit of the local lollies...

soap opera Sunday

Every Sunday, I look forward to catching up on Home and Away, a wildly popular soap opera from Australia, where lots of Australian actors get their start.  The show is on daily, for a half an hour, but on Sunday, they run the omnibus, with the week's episodes back-to-back with no commercials!  It's nice that I've been able to get into a show that's almost local.  It's not the best show in the world, but it's one of the few non-American shows I like to keep tabs on!

cotton-headed ninny-muggins

Last night we watched Elf, one of our new traditions for the Christmas season, watching one Christmas movie per week.  We've also watched Love Actually, and have several more on the list, including It's A Wonderful Life, Home Alone, and (if we can find it) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation!

I was delighted to receive a Christmas care package from my parents today in the mail!  It was jam packed with Christmas goodies, peanut clusters and peanut brittle, and some foods I've been craving, kettle corn and Cholula (finally!!!).  My mom created cute gift baskets for Bret and I with candies, tea, and 'stockings' of Dr. Pepper jelly beans.  There were a few Christmas decorations and a candle, and our home certainly feels more prepared for the holidays!  It's been a wonderful and relaxing Saturday, and an overall enjoyable weekend!!!

National Jandal Day!

Across New Zealand, today is National Jandal Day!  Jandal=flip-flops!  So in honor, I think I am going to sport the sandals today!

Typical Thursday...

Thursday nights are my favorite.  They've been affectionately deemed TV THURSDAY!  Like I've mentioned before, we are without cable and barely get the 3 local stations.  And usually there is nothing good on.  Most of the shows are far behind the actual seasons in the states, and lots of them are some I never watched before, but find myself looking forward to here:  House, Law and Order, Rachael Ray, etc.  Back in Omaha, where I sought supreme comfort in my investment of a DVR, I often found myself in a rut with nothing to watch on the 100 channels and recorded programs.  But Thursday in New Zealand is a whole other story.

The night starts with Survivor Gabon.  I haven't watched Survivor since the first season, when it was all the rage, and I distinctly remember the catchphrase 'You have been voted off the island".  In fact, I was voted off a trip to Grandma's by my friend Rachel and her brother and friend that same year, total Survivor-style...for talking too much, imagine that!  I have been on the edge of my seat week to week wrapped up in the drama of Survivor Gabon, even though I know Google could instantaneously tell me the winner since it's so far behind (please don't spoil it for me)!  After Survivor, CSI Miami is on.  Again, I never watched any show even remotely like the CSI series, and if I were going to, the Miami version would not be the one.  All I can remember is a stupid YouTube video that Bret showed me of all of Horatio's one-liners in the show, accompanied with the trademark, glamourous way of putting on his shades, with excerpts of that annoying Who theme song.  Therefore, I cannot take the show seriously and think of it more of a comedy with drawn out music-videoesque sequences analyzing DNA.  And when good ol' Horatio comes on the screen, I can't wait to hear what his next ridiculously profound discovery will be.  It's a riot.  Lastly, to wrap up the evening, is Girls of the Playboy Mansion.  A few seasons behind, it's comforting to chill with Bridget, Holly, and Kendra, although, they too, are a little hard to take serious.

Overall, I relish in TV THURSDAY because it is an escape from the kiwi shenanigans and accent, and I can find myself surrounded by American television, as bad as it may be. 

When 4-year-olds style hair...

...you get 44 clips and a blurry picture.