G'Day, Mate

We were happy to arrive in Sydney on Friday night, and after checking into our hotel, we took an evening walk to Circular Quay where there was a lot of night action in the restaurants and bars surrounding Sydney Opera House. It certainly looked like a young people's scene. The cool night air and so much activity was invigorating after spending most of the day transiting between three different airports in two different countries. Up relatively early on Saturday to have a quick breakfast at Starbucks before taking a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House. It truly is a magnificent structure and incredibly interesting for me, even though I'm not an architect or engineer. You can imagine how much Allan enjoyed it with his engineering background.

I've always loved a good kiwi

. . . but I had no idea there were so many good ones. We have had a marvelous week and a half in New Zealand and are a bit sorry to leave. I leave with a feeling of heaviness for those who will take many more years to recover from the earthquake here in Christchurch. We were both impressed by the amazing hospitality and openness of the people and the ruggedness and beauty of the land. We feel we only scratched the surface of what there is to see and have decided we need to come back to get a better view. I think Allan is planning a fishing trip when he returns and bringing all his gear. If he only had his waders this trip, his legs wouldn't be covered in sandfly bites. I was worried they wouldn't let us out of the airport thinking he had some infectious disease. Australia, here we come.
Pictured below: Allan fights off the ferocious moa, which haven't been seen in NZ in 3000 years.

Devastated

We arrived in Christchurch around noon, and I was most anxious to see the classic 150 year old Anglican Church the city was named for and built around. Where was I when the earthquake hit two years ago? Evidently I wasn't affected by the news because as Allan and I walked around the city today, we were amazed by the devastation the earthquake had done. The top of the most photographed spire had collapsed and much of the church suffered damage. As a matter of fact, almost 70% of the buildings in the central business district had collapsed or have had to be razed. It was quite sad to see how much work has to be done to rebuild this city. One creative idea was to create a retail section of 40 stores built entirely of shipping containers. We love the little B&B where we are staying but are beginning to question the decision to stay downtown.
P.S. On our way to dinner tonight we found the spire for the Christchurch Church about 6 blocks from the original site. Evidently they will be building it back on once the structure has been repaired.

Suspended in Time

Two significant stops today:
Buller Gorge swing bridge, 110 meters long, which spans the Buller River. We passed on the option to take the zip line back across, mostly because of the cost--seriously.

On the west coast we stopped at the Paparoa National Park to see the Pancake Rocks which are known for their unusual formations and the tremendous power of the blowholes at high tide.

It was fascinating to see these incredibly unusual formations as a result of the forces of time and nature.

Trail Mix

Another day afforded an opportunity for divergent activities, as Allan was eager to once again try his hand at fishing the New Zealand rivers. Since I'm not one to sit in the car for 8 hours, I took a water taxi from the coastal town of Kaiteriteri into Abel Tasman National Park. New Zealand's smallest national park was named after the man who first visited these shores in 1642. Despite the clouds (although sun was predicted all day), the ride along the Golden Bay past Split Apple Rock and Seal Rock was very enjoyable. I was dropped off at one beach and walked a 4 km trail through the forested hills to another beach where I was picked up 3 hrs later. Michael W. Smith and Matt Redmon accompanied me on my walk, so it was a very contemplative and enjoyable time. (If those names are unfamiliar---those guys are praise singers, not trail guides.) I returned to the harbor with two hours to kill before Allan was due back, so I relaxed with a book and ordered a lamb pizza which was absolutely delicious. As for the fish, Allan said they're safe for another day.

A Shocking Idea

Fiddling with all the different plug sizes, shapes, adapters, hertz and converters in each different country is a bit bothersome. So I ask you---why couldn't all the electric guys from all the countries of the world get together and vote on what kind, shape and voltage worked the best and stick with that? It sure would have made traveling a bit easier and burned out fewer appliances over time, right Paula Brady? But perhaps that is just too easy--after all, that was back in a time when men ruled the world and women didn't have a vote. While we're at it, maybe we could all decide which side of the road we want to drive on. Can't we just have a do over?

Show Me Your Mussels

Today we stopped for lunch at The Mussel Pot in Havelock, New Zealand, which (in case you didn't know) is the green lip mussel capital of the world. They had more interesting preparations for mussels than I have ever seen. I sure enjoyed my grilled cheese/bacon and garlic/herb mussels. Yum!