Day 13 - Saturday, 18 Oct 2014 - Christchurch

Today, we slept a little late for us, lounging around in our PJs until a little after 9. After showers, we fired up both GPS units and headed to the other side of the park to find a place called Art of Sewing. Alas, it was gone. There was a Bernina sign on the door and lots of boxes within, but no Art of Sewing.

But wonders be, we found we were at the entrance to a huge Westfield Mall. Westfield began in Australia in 1959 and is listed on the Sydney Stock Exchange. Here's the Wikipedia entry for it:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westfield_Group

We thought it might be foreign, but we had no idea it was Australian. Every major shopping center in San Diego is owned by Westfield.

We noticed the P120 signs right away, and having recently learned what that meant, we parked our car, made a mental note of the time, got my chair out and enjoyed a couple hours window shopping. The mall was full! It's Saturday here, and everyone was out. We enjoyed the experience. It seems to be a series of malls joined together (at least three of them) by a covered driveway.

We then headed to Northlands Shopping Center, recommended by our landlord. We didn't notice any parking limit signs, and we didn't see a Westfield sign anywhere. We had a sliced roasted lamb sandwich and potatoes (shared between the two of us) for lunch, and we explored the electronics stores, a big box store (so-so), and Kmart, and window shopped the other stores. We were just killing time on our last day here.

We visited a yarn shop before we came home. It was large but didn't inspire me.

We spent the afternoon getting our bags somewhat organized and sorting maps and papers into "keep" and "toss" piles. We will have plenty of time tomorrow to finish arranging our suitcase and backpacks.

We brought one 26" case with us and three backpacks. We are taking home more unused clothes than dirty laundry. I try to make sure we have ample underwear and shirts, but we carry only a couple pairs of slacks. We shower often, but we don't change clothes often unless it is hot. We travel light, but we could travel even lighter. I even bring some foodstuffs with us so we have things to eat along the way and also food to tide us over when we arrive before we get to the store. We ate out this time more frequently than we ever have. This will most likely be our last big trip, so we were somewhat less frugal than we usually are.

We think we would come back here, if we were to do this type of travel again (unescorted, totally on our own), but at this stage of our lives, health is more unpredictable than when we were younger.

We have traveled for our pleasure, to become informed, to explore, to have an adventure of discovery. We try to do a little of what makes us uncomfortable, to learn how to live fuller lives, to see how others live.

This trip was easy by our standards. The language is the same as ours, the standard of living is very similar, the country is small, the roads are good, and the GPS maps were spectacular.

We learn about others, we learn about how others see the US, and we learn about ourselves.

This trip, in our later years, we have come to terms with the knowledge that we are different from each other. We have come, even, to appreciate and respect those differences. We don't even like the same music. We have had a few testy moments, but very few, and we now know those moments come from stress or frustration. They are easily de-escalated with an equal measure of compassion and understanding from the other. How wonderful to live long enough and to be married long enough to see this come into play. Who would have thought this many years ago when I, more than once, threatened to get out of the car or RV and find my own way home (or wherever I wanted to go), no matter the country we were in or the continent we were on. We've come a long way, both figuratively and literally. This was a fitting finale if this is to be the last of our on-our-own travels.

Day 12 - Friday, 17 Oct 2014

Today, we rode the Transalpine Explorer (train) from Christchurch to Graymouth and back. Christchurch is on the east coast of New Zealand and Graymouth is on the west coast.

Each way took a little over 4 hours, and we had an hour layover in Graymouth. The trip was an all-day event.

The railroad cars were built for sightseeing, with windows curving over the beginning of the top to give maximum unobstructed views of our surroundings. We rode through huge meadows of sheep and cattle, and we were able to observe how the managers of these livestock businesses rotated and irrigated the meadows. In the more rugged areas, we saw signs advertising "farm stays for backpackers." We saw trekking, tramping, hiking, walking, and biking trails. (On days when we drove to tour, we saw signs to remind us to "share the road," and, indeed, we did.)

We saw few horse farms.

Because I am disabled, the train attendants insisted we sit in the cafe car where they had a handicapped bathroom, wonderful leather seats with a table in front, and easy access to the cafe. The attendants checked on us often to see that we were doing OK and asked if they could do anything for us. The seats in the other car were like airline seats - close together, no table, etc.

The attendants also used a lift to give me easy access to and from the car so I didn't have to climb the big step (and possibly be shoved) to board.

We crossed Arthur's Pass
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/national-parks/arthurs-pass/

and learned about braided rivers
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braided_river

The Cafe Car is made to accommodate two wheelchair passengers, and it has an audio output at each wheelchair station. Our table was very near the output, but because our seats weren't equipped for audio, the attendants didn't think to give us headphones. No worry! Once I figured out that the train was broadcasting a tour description via those outputs, I got out a pair of ear buds and hooked up an extender, which I just happened to have, and Lauren and I shared - one ear bud each! Worked great!

Graymouth was a gold rush town where miners flocked after the gold rush in the US northwest. The river that runs to the sea is the Gray River, so the name of the town is descriptive.

The name of the town was also descriptive of the day - gray, overcast.

We had to leave the train so it could be cleaned and readied for the return trip. We didn't have my chair with us, I sat on a boulder in front of a car lot while Lauren found us something to eat. Beef in New Zealand is delicious, and we had one of the best McDonald's quarter pounders we've ever had.

I slept about half the return trip, but each time I opened my eyes, I was treated with wonderful New Zealand scenery.

Back in Christchurch, we could see that it had been another beautiful-weather spring day. Our forecast before we left San Diego was that we might have one non-rain day. We have had some sprinkles, but we have had glorious sunny spring every day. I have used my jacket as a comfort pillow, and our rain parkas have not been out of the suitcase.

My only disappointment today was that I didn't get a glimpse of the Tasman Sea. That would have been an exciting checkoff on my bucket list.

Day 11 - Thursday, 16 Oct 2015

Today we drove from Wanaka back to Christchurch, taking the scenic Route 8 to 78 to 72 to Christchurch. We passed beautiful and majestic Mt Cook, crossed a few one-lane bridges, breathtaking lakes, the deep descent into the Rakaia gorge, and enjoyed the view of the continuation of the Southern Alps at Mt Hutt.

I am in love with the country, especially its lake and mountain regions.

We saw acre after acre of cattle and sheep farms, green planted fields, meadows of mustard with its bright yellow blossoms. Where in the south part of the island we saw more orchards and vineyards, we saw more livestock, on a large scale, in the northern part.

We lunched at another Monteiths - great BLT ciabatta.

Very little traffic on these lesser-traveled roads made for a very pleasant drive.

We are back at Merivale Manor this evening.

Day 10 - Wednesday, 15 Oct 2014

Lauren's observation: Here our shadows at noontime point south because the sun is north of us. At home, they point north because the sun is south of us.

We spent the day around Wanaka, strolling and rolling for several hours. Had lunch at one of the Monteiths cafes, including some Indian lentil salad that I thought was really good. Visited one of the pharmacies and the Salvation Army Thrift Store, always fun for me.

Here's one recipe for the salad:

http://cookingmatters.org/recipes/lentil-mango-salad

Ingredients
540-mL can lentils, drained and rinsed
1 mango, coarsely chopped
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
COMBINE lentils with mango, onion and garlic in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cinnamon and coriander. Drizzle with lime juice and stir to combine. Stir in cilantro.

This one may be closer (this one includes cumin)

Serving Size
Serves 5, 1 cup per serving
Ingredients
1 cup dried brown lentils
1 medium mango or apple
1 medium red bell pepper
1 large lemon
¼ cup canola oil
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup minced fresh parsley and/or cilantro (optional)
½ cup chopped walnuts or toasted coconut (optional)
Materials
Colander
Cutting board
Fork
Large bowl
Large pot
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Mixing spoon
Sharp knife
Small bowl

Instructions
In Advance 

In a large pot, add lentils. Cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
Preparation

Rinse, peel, and dice mango. Rinse and dice bell pepper.
Rinse lemon and cut in half. In a small bowl, squeeze juice. Discard seeds.
If using, rinse and chop cilantro. Chop walnuts or toasted coconut.
In a large bowl, use a fork to whisk together lemon juice, oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add cooked lentils, mango, and bell pepper. Mix well. If using, stir in herbs and nuts or coconut.
Chef's Notes
This salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add more lemon juice to kick the flavor back up after sitting.
Serve as a light main dish using seasonal summer mangoes or fall apples. Top with chicken or pork if you like.
For best flavor, use olive oil in place of canola oil if available.

Lauren wondered if the orange chunks could have been papaya.

We ended up getting a $30 parking ticket for parking in a P30 zone (30-minute parking, we later figured out) for more than 2 but fewer than 4 hours. We just paid it and chalked it up to experience.

Altogether a lovely day, a great ending to our stay in this beautiful place.

Day 9 - Tuesday, 14 Oct 2014

We had a low key, but enjoyable day today, staying around town.

We left the condo about noon, drove to the lakefront downtown, and Lauren got us a 12-inch sub from Subway to enjoy while we sat comfortably in our car and gazed at the beautiful scenery. We enjoyed watching the (other) tourists come down by the lake to take pictures, and we took a few ourselves. Whenever someone would come carrying food, the gulls would instantly spot them and flock around them hoping for a handout.

After lunch, we drove along the shoreline and found wonderful walking trails and parking spaces where you could enjoy the view from a different perspective.

At one spot, at a parking space just off an "unsealed" road, we discovered a young couple who had gotten their car stuck in some loose gravel near the water. Lauren was able to help by getting in their car and rocking it back and forth (stick shift) while they pushed from behind. We think they were a local couple, or at least a couple from this region. That was a nice twist for the day, that he could help someone like that.

There are multimillion dollar houses by the shoreline and just above, and as we drove away from the water, we discovered a tremendous number of new homes and areas being developed - big, beautiful, and modern homes. These new homes make use of glass freely, with almost a entire side or a major portion of an entry way made of clear glass or windows. These were not American tract homes.

We wondered who were buying these homes and where the money was coming from. This is a little tourist town. These did not look like celebrity homes. Ordinary cars were parked in the driveways of many occupied homes. These were not gated communities. We speculated that some might be being bought up by wealthy Asians, but we don't have any basis for that speculation. But we knew we might like to be the new owners of some of them. Lovely homes. Lovely town. Lovely views.

I searched the internet for a housing boom in Wanaka, and it seems this boom has been going on since 2002. Interesting!

......

From

http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/tourism/tourism-research-data/international-travel/international-visitor-arrivals-commentary

International visitor arrivals commentary
Annual visitor arrivals increase five percent
There were 2.80 million visitor arrivals to New Zealand in the year ended August 2014. This was five per cent higher than in the year ended August 2013 (2.66 million).

Compared with the year ended August 2013, the biggest annual increases were from the three main source countries: Australia (up 45,000), the United States (up 21,400), and China (up 16,400). Germany (up 10,600) and Singapore (up 6,600) recorded the next biggest increases. By travel purpose, the biggest increase in annual visitor arrivals was for holidays (up 89,600) and visiting friends and relatives (up 33,400).

Trips by New Zealand residents in the year ended August 2014 (2.24 million) were up two per cent from the year ended August 2013 (2.18 million). Almost 50 per cent of all trips by New Zealand residents in the year ended August 2014 year were to Australia (1.07 million). The next most-visited destinations were the United States (156,500), Fiji (125,200), the United Kingdom (101,400), China (76,400), and the Cook Islands (76,300).

Day 8 - Monday, 13 Oct 2014

We drove to Queenstown today. We went over the Crown Range - by accident because I wanted to avoid it!

http://www.newzealand.com/int/feature/the-crown-range/

I figured I would drive Lauren crazy as we rode the ridge, but it didn't seem nearly as bad as the drive up Mt Washington in New Hampshire. Maybe it's the Lyrica, or maybe it's that Lauren has learned to accept my fears, or a combination ... No matter, it was outstandingly beautiful. I don't think I would go up Mt Washington again, but surely I would ride the Crown Range road to Queenstown again and again !

Queenstown is a lovely, lovely town. I could stay there for a few days this time of year, soak in the sights on the beautiful lake, and enjoy some great people-watching experiences. In fact, I would like to spend an entire spring here in New Zealand.

There were a lot of people from Asia there. It must be a popular destination for them, just as Waikiki is for Japanese. I had a really nice conversation with a sweet young man from China who had obtained a work visa and worked in a gift shop that catered to New Zealand products. I bought four hand lotions that I will use as gifts when we are back home. He told me about the process of obtaining his visa, his single-parent Mom still at home, his wife who was his university mate, and his hopes to go back home in four years and hopefully become a parent and give his Mom a grandchild. His wife isn't so sure about that, but he said he told her he would do all the parenting. 😊. He was such a nice young man.

We came back through Cromwell, bypassing the Crown Range, and the elevation change (lower) was remarkable. I didn't realize we had driven that much higher, but we obviously had. The Cromwell road area looks like a major fruit orchard and wine valley, but we didn't see much of interest when we drove through the town.

On the way to Cromwell, though, as we entered wine country, we did stop at a wine tasting place and purchased samples of three. The rosé was an award winner, and no doubt deserved the honor. It was my favorite.

Home again, we shared a serving of microwave lasagna and a salad, and then we settled down for the night.

Day 7 - Sunday, 12 Oct 2014 - Wanaka

We went to church this morning at the Anglican church near us. It is a liturgical church and, thus, familiar to us as Lutherans (one still is, the other former). The vicar for the day was a visitor. The regular vicar was attending the ordination and installation of the new Bishop of Waiupu, and the regular vicar, himself, will be "collated" (a word unknown to me) as the new archdeacon of Central Otago.

There was quite a mix of participants in conducting the service, men and women alike. I appreciate the Episcopal and Anglican churches, and some Lutheran synods or conventions, for including women in their highest offices. I am "there" in my faith development - genderless, raceless, as I see in my mind Christ's inclusion of all. To not do so, it seems to me, to speaks to law rather than grace. I accept the grace and live in it. (Thank you, Lord. It has been a long time coming.)

The Vicar's Warden gave the teaching. He spoke about how we make clichés of what we know about the Bible, making little sound bites of things we humanly understand, and miss the whole point. For example, he said that many cannot accept that Jesus was fully human and fully divine - we want to see him only as divine, because that is easier to process. I didn't take notes, so I'm sure I missed much of it all ... I think I got the gist of it all - God is bigger than we can grasp. Embrace the mystery.

As in any talk like this, though, I'm sure each of us comes away with something different because we interpret what we hear through our own personal lens.

I don't understand all the ranks in the Anglican and Episcopal churches, so I can't pretend to know what the roles of each office are. I do know that attending this church will remain a highlight for me. It is always memorable for me to worship with strangers who are Christians. It reminds me that the God I know has many sheep and that we are all ultimately in the same fold.

After church, we decided to drive toward Haast and see how far we could get, knowing Lauren is operating with an energy deficit. We got about half way and stopped for lunch before we turned back. We saw luscious grazing land with sheep (lots of them, some already displaying their spring shoring), lots of little lambs, cattle, calves, horses and foals. We saw beautiful lake scenes, snowcapped mountains towering around us, rolling hills, interesting rock formations, and rock slides on the road. We thought of the American plains, the English moors, the Canadian and American Rockies, the streams and waterfalls of the Pagosa Springs Colorado area. We thought of the green and rolling countryside of Germany, of Bavaria. New Zealand is breathtakingly beautiful.

When we came back to our condo, we learned that our 250mg of free broadband had come to an end. I didn't think my 50mg of Google+ photos would have done that (besides, that had been from my cell phone, not my tablet), nor our email or my blogging. Lauren asked if his Candy Crush could have done it. That was probably it. Candy Crush and Bubble Witch will drain my battery in short order. I'm sure it gobbles up broadband just as greedily. So we dithered around trying to figure out how to buy more. Didn't have much success with that, so we drove downtown and parked in front of New World (grocery) and I tried from there. I had discovered while Lauren was shopping that New World has "blazing" internet for its customers. But, alas, no success. So we came home, vowing to see our rental agent in the morning and beg for another freebie. But I decided to try one more time at home. I picked up my tablet and swiped the WiFi connection, touched "Heritage Village," waited for the sign in prompt, and there it was! Buy "Instant Access." So I bought 5gig for a reasonable price. It will last us "til we leave, with probably some left over. We are happy.

Lauren was 2-0 in cribbage night before, but if I remember correctly, it was 3-0 in my favor last night - the extra point for me because I skunked him. Not a usual occurrence.

I am currently enjoying a " Caucasian," as Den used to call it (confusing "concoction" with a similar-sounding word), of green tea, instant coffee, a bit of BeneFiber, and protein milk. Quite delicious. I will do this again.