Swings & Roundabouts

This blog is dedicated to my grandmother, Joan Walker, who loved to read and inspired me to. My blog exists because of her love of reading, which she passed down to her daughter, my mother. Without this lineage I would never have discovered my great love for words, and would never have been inspired by other writers to pen this blog.
Though she didn't have Internet access, My grandmother loved to read the printed copies of my great New Zealand adventures.

On October 31st, Grandma lost her battle with cancer and we were asked to say goodbye to this beautiful woman.

The week that followed was one of the toughest weeks I have had in New Zealand. I struggled to find a way to meaningfully connect with my family to honour her memory. Through the brilliance of modern technology Trent and I were able to Skype into her funeral, finding some solace that we could be present in some sense to say goodbye. I sat alone in a country I loved, but did not call home; and it was then that I realised the fault in our plan; you can travel far and wide, but in the hard times, no one beats your family.

 

 

It has been that kind of winter, one of true ups and downs, a mirage of challenges and highlights, highs and lows, swings and roundabouts.

This winter was different than the last. We were prepared. We expected the wind, the rain, the cold homes and offices. In fact, we even were prepared for the rain induced malaise, the occasional homesickness, and the lack of snow.

But what we didn't expect was the earthquakes.

No, what arrived on an unsuspecting Sunday night in July would end up shaking the rest of our winter in a way we were unprepared to deal with. As I stood in the kitchen of our little beach home, only moments after kissing Trent as he left to walk Huff, I was suddenly knocked off balance by the ground below me, and found myself and heading for a door frame for refuge. As I stood alone in our tiny home, watching the bookcase sway on and off the wall, and hearing the horrible noises that an earthquake will torture out of a home, I not only feared my own safety, but wondered about the safety of Trent and Huff. They were out on the beach, and I was hoping that this quake was not big enough to encourage a tsunami to follow in its tracks.

Trent and Huff returned home, but so did the aftershocks, for days and weeks later. There was limited structural damage, but the damage on many peoples nerves could not be rebuilt with bricks and mortar. What was left was the damage of the emotional earthquake. Suddenly, every vibration became a threat; the  train passing outside the clinic, to the wind shaking a building, and worker doing construction in the street all became potential earthquake possibilities.

I will be open and honest that the earthquake shook me in a way that I was uncomfortable with. In fact, I had no idea how to deal with it. I had no previous experiences to tell me how to lightly walk away from something that shook my entire body and moved some of the heaviest things in my house. There was nothing to shovel away or clean up, other than a bucketful of nerves that the aftershocks just kept topping up.

But we did move on, with caution and hope that the worst was behind us. Our month of refuge was August. I will always remember the month of August 2013 as the month that pulled us up  and out of an earthquake induced state of uncertainty.  Our  plans for the month of August, made randomly months before, ended up giving us a fresh start on spring and a new faith in the ground below us.

On the 31st of July, Trent headed  home to Canada, on his first visit since leaving home in November 2011. The next day I set out on a different journey, flying to Perth, Australia for a road trip that I would not soon forget.

Both Trent and I had largely different experiences at our vastly different locations, the only way we could honour both experiences was to write a separate blog of about our individuals trips. We encourage you to read them, they will be posted in days to come. Some great moments and adventures lie within each.

 

What I can say about my Aussie road trip was this, spending time with one of my dearest friends, Lee, and her baby Toby, in Coral Bay, one of the most spectacularly pristine and beautiful places in Western Australia, gave me a renewed perspective. The trip not only changed my direction for a week, but ultimately changed my direction and motivation for the next 4 months. What the earthquake had stolen from me emotionally, I rediscovered somewhere on that trip, and was able to carry back with me to New Zealand.

One week following my return, the earth kindly reminded me that it was yet done with us . A second earthquake hit on a Friday afternoon in August, smashing the confidence that many Wellingtonians had begun to muster up.

This earthquake, however had a different spin for me. I had come back from Aussie confident, feeling more prepared for emergency, and on my own, as Trent was still in Canada. I vowed that there would to be no emotional carnage for me from this shake up. This helped me to stay calm, stay strong, and move on.

The swings of the earthquakes shook us, but the roundabouts of spring managed to renew our love for this shaky country. Revived from our respective vacations, Trent and I set out to find a new, more positive balance.

First, we decided it was time for a new place. For 18 months we had been living in a cute, tiny, rustic two bedroom Bach (cottage). While the property was beautiful and the location ideal, we were starting to feel like we were quickly outgrowing the small space. At the end of September, we moved down the street, and around the corner to a larger, roomier home. It has taken a bit to get used to all the extra room, but we are really enjoying our new home, and having our first little herb and flower garden in our sunny back yard.

October also had another treat in store for us. Back in February, we were lucky enough to secure tickets to see the highly acclaimed World of Wearable Arts Show, or WOW.  The concept of the show is "wearable art", essentially costumes, and dresses created using any material imaginable (the less mainstream the better). Some of this year's examples included pieces of car tires, keyboard keys, kitchen scrubbers, tiny mirrors, and antlers.  Most of the costumes are so intricately and carefully constructed, that you often cannot tell what they are made of until you consult the show program, or get up for a closer look. Each costume enters the stage set against a backdrop of lighting, effects, music, and dancers that whisked you off to a mystical theatrical world. What started as a small show in a Nelson gallery 25 years ago,  is now entirely deserving of its WOW Status, as it now plays to over 40,000 people over 2 weeks each spring. Simply put it is one of the most interesting and entertaining artistic shows I have ever seen. (www.worldofwearableart.com).

 

Huff has also seen her share of ups and downs this winter. We have spent more time and money at the vet this year than both the two legged and four legged members of our family would have preferred. First, she rolled over on her front paw while chasing a bird in the park. This lead to a sprained paw which put her on the injured list for the next several weeks. Limping around, she wasn't allowed to go for walks, go to the beach, play with her mates, or go to agility school. All that was left to do was eat, sleep, and look sad and bored. It was a tough couple of weeks for everyone, but we are happy to say she is back to being a boisterous catahoula.

Next came the eye injury. During a particularity windy walk on the beach, Huff got hit by what we think must have been a shrapnel of sand or shell, making a small cut on the superficial layer of her eye. Overnight, this went from being a simple cut, to an eye that was so red and inflamed that she could not keep it  open. She required a dose of corticosteroids, which knocked the inflammation back, but also turned Huff into a very thirsty, elderly version of herself. She  lost her energy for walks and play, and even looked a geriatric as she walked up hills. After a small flare up, the cut seems to have healed and the steroids have been discharged, giving us back our 4 year old version of our peppy energetic pup.

 

 

 

This spring we also decided to enter another kind of roundabout, making an important and challenging decision about our future. After months of debate, emotional ups and downs, and reviewing pros and cons, we have finally come to  the decision that 2014 will officially be our last year in New Zealand. The decision is bittersweet, as we truly look forward to returning home to our friends and family, but we also look forward to completing our kiwi bucket list over the next year. Our plans will see us leaving New Zealand in December 2014, heading home via a Christmas stop over in Finland to spend the holidays with the family that hosted me as an exchange student over a decade ago. For those of you in Canada, we look forward to seeing you soon, come January 2015!

 

Making this decision seemed to lift a heavy weight off of us, and helped us to feel lighter and more confident in the direction of our future. In fact, spring has felt like a season full of renewal. Whether it was the return of the sun and warmth, a relaxing weekend together on an a yoga retreat, a trip to Melbourne for shopping and learning, getting back  onto the golf course, or signing up to complete my yoga teacher training in 2014, things felt like we were finally on an upswing towards a great summer.

As we drive around the seasonal roundabout, it is with great prospect that we take the next exit towards summer. Winter may have had some undesired pit stops, but each played a role in teaching us some important lessons about resilience and family that we may not have otherwise learnt had we had the opportunity to drive on by. Summer knocks at our door with a promise of warmer weather, travel, new adventure and learning experiences.

As the traffic light turns from red to green, we accelerate, knowing that will be more swings, and perhaps even a few road bumps, but that they are all a part of life on the road.

As hard as they try to slow us down, or change our direction, we know now that they will not stop us from jumping back in the driver's seat to see what the next exit has to offer.

With our lessons packed, we buckle up.

It looks like it's going to be an interesting ride.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Endless Summer

This month, we turned back the clocks to embrace fall. Which means, sadly, summer in New Zealand has officially come to an end.

And what a summer it has been. The best apparently, since 1975, or 1982, or 1996, depending on who you talk to and what special summer memories they might harbour from years past. But in our opinion, as far as the New Zealand summers go, the summer of 2013 was the best as they come.

The past few months have been good in so many ways, but could not have been quite as amazing if it had not been for the weather. This summer made up for winter's rainy doom and gloom, by giving us endless days of  sun, sand, and warmth. Not a drop of rain fell between the 4th of February and the 17th of March. Each day was as perfect as the next, long days filled with sun and long evenings spent enjoying the warmth of the patio.  While the sun worked its magic on the soul of New Zealanders, it also wrecked havoc on the landscape. Green fields turned to yellow and rivers started to dry up. We moved into the end of this endless summer in a state of country wide draught.

But before the drought, summer showered us with bounty of activity and fun.

It was no sooner we said goodbye to Christmas, that we said hello to our first guests here in New Zealand. Until this year, my parents have never set foot off of North American soil. A trip to New Zealand was easily the longest and biggest endeavour in their travel careers.

And they rocked it.

For years, my parents have happily seen my brother and I off on several international flights, and been at the other end to welcome us home after many of our great adventures. This February, for the first time, I switched places with my parents and happily greeted them at the gate of Wellington International Airport, following their first big transcontinental flight. In that moment, as my parents walked out of the gate, with confident smiles on their faces, and the hours of international flight under their eyes, I was more proud of my parents than I have ever been. They had stepped well beyond their boundaries of comfort and confidence, and had boldly stepped into a new world of discovery and adventure that they had never before experienced in their 60 years. I could not wait to help them embark on their new, unexpected journey.

Mom and Dad ascending over Queenstown

We let them settle in for a few days before putting them back on a plane. My work schedule allowed us exactly one week to expose my parents to the rest of this country and its hidden gems. We ran a tight schedule of travel around the South Island.

The first lag of our trip saw us flying from Wellington to Queenstown, for what would turn out to be the last day of rain and wind for a long time. We landed in Queenstown to unseasonably cold temperatures and thick fog. Unfortunately, this meant that the wonderful mountain and lake landscape that makes Queenstown so majestic was lost somewhere behind a thick layer of grey and cold. I could not have been more disappointed, we had come to one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand, and it was nowhere to be seen.  Luckily the next day, the fog began to lift, much like a curtain, and dramatically revealed the stunning Queenstown landscape to my parents unsuspecting eyes. By the time we were sitting at the top of the Skyline Luge bar with wine glasses in hand (and everyone had gone down the luge track!) the sky was clear and the view was spectacular.

Mom luges like a pro

 

Racing down the Queenstown luge. I won.

 

Mom and Dad prepare to luge

We left Queenstown the next afternoon, on a flight headed to Christchurch. In February 2011, the city of Christchurch was hit by a major earthquake that damaged much of the city centre. To make matters worse, in December of the same year, Christchurch experienced a second, slightly smaller earthquake that sealed the deal in terms of damage to the local infrastructure. We landed in Christchurch a few short weeks before the second anniversary of the first quake, and found a city still in a state of disrepair.

What a shock.

Moving from scenic Queenstown to the rubble of Christchurch, we began to understand the true impact that the earthquake had on this city. We walked around the perimeter of the red zone in astonishment. Two years later, so much of the city still looked as though the earthquake had happened yesterday. Major sections of the central business district were cordoned off by wire fences, the storefronts empty, naked mannequins stripped of their clothing, and awkwardly placed in the windows. Signs of store owners removing as much stock as they could, as fast as possible, before the area had been cordoned off. It was creepy, sad and SO quiet. It was as though someone had placed a silent ghost town in the middle of what was supposed to be a busy city. As you moved away from the downtown core, things worked on the inverse,  the noise became louder, the stores, people, and traffic more populous. Here you could forget about the silence, the lives disrupted and the ruins. For a few brief seconds, Christchurch felt like a normal city again.

 

Christchurch CBD

Mannequin left in storefront window in the red zone

The start of a new Christchurch. A small business area of shops developed using brightly coloured shipping containers

The day we spent in Christchurch brought our focus back to the reality of disaster and how lucky we all were. As sobering as the day in Christchurch was, I believe that the experience gave us new perspective on the rest of our trip, and know that we would not have appreciated the beauty that lie ahead of us in the same way, had we not stopped here first.



The next day, we headed out on a great railroad adventure. In the early hours of the morning, we climbed aboard a Kiwi Rail train and set out on the Tranz Alpine Journey. The journey headed west from Christchurch, climbing through the stunning scenery of the Southern Alps towards the town of Greymouth. For the next four hours, we were immersed in a breathtaking world of mountains, rolling hills, and braided rivers. Travelling by train, we were able to take a journey that was not accessible by car. It was as though we were travelling through a world that no one else knew about, which seemed to intensify beauty of the scenery around us.

Braided Rivers running through the Southern Alps

View from the train

 

One of my favourite shots from the trip. The classic kiwi camper van in a classic kiwi landscape

 

We disembarked the train in Greymouth, a town on the West Coast of the the South Island. Here we rented a car and headed north up the stunning, curvy, craggy coastline towards the Pancake Rocks. The Pancake Rocks are a geological landmark made of large limestone rock formations. The limestone has heavily eroded, creating a layering effect in the rock. These huge rocks look like pancakes stacked upon each other. Set in the sea, these large formations form caves where the water splashes up and creates blowholes at high tide. We spent an hour walking around and taking in this stunning natural creation before settling down for the night in the town of Westport. The next day we headed back towards Greymouth to board the return train journey to Christchurch.

The Pancake Rocks

Hanging out at the Pancake Rocks

The Watson family hangs out at the Pancake Rocks

Running along the coast in Westport

Trent in Westport

We did not touch down in Christchurch long before jumping back on another Kiwi Rail train. This time we were headed north along the east coast of the South Island, destination Picton. The Coastal Pacific journey took us through coastal vistas, rolling farm land, vineyards, and salt lakes. We arrived in Picton, a small town at the northern tip of the South Island. We were lucky enough to spend few hours here before boarding the Interislander ferry back to Wellington via the Cook Strait.

Trent and our train

Views of the Pacific from the train

Vineyards of Marlborough

This lake is pink because it is filled with salt deposits

With that, our trip was complete. In one short week we had covered a large part of the South Island by train, plane, luge, and car. We had discovered places of hidden beauty, and were able to unearth the heart of the country in both its most glorious views and saddest states.

On Monday, I not only went back to work, but started my new position as the clinical manager with TBI Health in Mana. The next few weeks would be a calamity of adapting to this new role and ensuring my parents enjoyed the rest of their stay. Back in Paraparaumu, they enjoyed the relaxing lifestyle of beach walks, spotting orcas on the beach, beautiful summer weather, and hanging out with their grandog, Huff. It seemed as though they had only just arrived before we were saying our goodbyes. Three weeks in a new country saw their attitudes change from nervous travellers to confident and excited ones, ready to look forward to the possibility of future travel experiences. After all they had done to help me to cultivate my love for new discovery and travel, I was so honoured to help them to discover their very own travel bugs.

We spent the rest of our summer basking in the sun and rediscovering our own goals. First, we signed up for a race. As many of you may know, in Canada, Trent and I spend several seasons training for half and full marathons. Partly due to injuries and other interests, we had taken a break on running since arriving in New Zealand, completing just one half marathon when we first arrived last February. We had been talking about wanting to get back into running, and felt a 10km race was the perfect way to do it. We signed up for the Round the Vines Race located in Martinborough, a wine region about 2 hours from home. The race was set amongst the vineyards, running through the vines and landscapes of six vineyards. Each vineyard had  its own "hydration stop", a table full of wine samples (and water too..) for the runners to sample and enjoy. The race is not only well known for its love of wine, but love of a good time, handing out prizes for the best costumes. Leprechauns, fairies, basketball players, and a variety of animals made their way through the vines that day, reminding us again how much fun it was to be in a a community of runners.

Getting ready to run

Hydration stop!!

 

 

 

 

Better than Gatorade

 

 

Along with sparking an old love, I also found a love for something new. In late February, we enrolled in a 16 week course at the Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, to learn how to golf. Trent has golfed for many years, but it was a new challenge for me, and one that I had been wanting to try for a long time. The golf course is literally in our backyard, less than a three minute drive from our house, making it the perfect location to get started.  We have just reached the halfway point of our lessons, which sees us move from working in the practise areas, learning swings, chips and putts; to moving out onto the course for 9 holes. We now play 9 holes every Sunday in small groups from our class, with our lovely, bubbly instructor Mary in tow. While it is a challenging at times, I am really enjoying this new game. Trent is loving being back out on the golf course, and Huff is working on her caddying skills.

 

On top of caddying, Huff is becoming quite a keen agility dog. After a summer full of practise, she has finally mastered weaving through a series of six weave poles, one of the harder skills in agility. She is catching on to the quick turns on the courses that our instructor creates, and is finally ready to enter at the beginners level of a competition! It is hard to believe that the same dog that was apprehensive about running through a tunnel six months ago, is now confidently working her way through an agility course full of twists and turns. She has settled into the change of seasons with a new energy which has been difficult to tame. Last week, she headed out on an afternoon walk with our dog walker and insisted on taking her plastic pork chop toy with her to the beach. She is full of energy, wanting to play and be silly well after her evening walk. There is no shortage of Aroo roo roo's at our house lately.

Huff snuggles in for a lazy Sunday morning

 

Hiking through Otaki Forks, a location used in the filming of The Lord of  the Rings movies

As we unpack our warmer clothing and begin to prepare for the winter ahead, we are able to use this season of change to reflect on the summer that is fading in the sunset behind us. It is with gratitude that we move forward into autumn, thankful for the fantastic weather and memories that will forever remind us of this endless summer. This week, we watched in horror as runners just like us, were attacked at the Boston Marathon. In just a few brief seconds of evil, the lives and bodies of those runners and spectators changed forever. This sad emotional day served as a shocking reminder of how quickly things can change, and how important it is to acknowledge the good in each day.

As the rain begins to fall, washing away the traces of drought on the landscape, we give thanks for our able bodies and beautiful surroundings, taking neither for granted.

Instead, we keep jogging forward, one foot in front of the next; seeing, feeling, and loving each day of this endless adventure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aude Lang Syne

In life, it is not where you go, but who you travel with.

                                                              -Charles Shultz

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One year. 365 days. A year can be considered a long time if you are going away, and a short time if you are 100. A new year can be filled with so much possibility, and a year past with so much reflection.

Here in New Zealand we are straddling the line. Reflecting on our first year that has passed before our eyes, and looking forward to a shiny new year full of potential.

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since we first made our first footprints on the New Zealand soil. But when I reflect back on what we were doing and feeling last January, it isn't hard to see just how far we have come. Last January, we were waiting in trepidation for my physiotherapy licence to be approved so we could finalise our visas; Huff waited out her time in quarantine; and we all were crossing our fingers that our kiwi dream would become a reality. Today, we stand with two feet firmly on the New Zealand landscape, instead of one nervously in and the other one out. We have real jobs, real friends,  and a real life here. The last year has passed us by, at times quickly and other times slow,  each part developing the pieces of our new life as honorary kiwis.

The last few months has been filled with travel, celebration, and sun. Finally making it through the rain and wind of the winter, we have found ourselves reaping the rewards of the beach, sun and sea. We started our summer journey by taking a road trip north to Auckland for a long weekend. We joined our friends Kim, Andy, and their son Harry and headed out on the 8 hour drive from Paraparaumu to Auckland. Most people in New Zealand consider driving eight hours to be a very long trip, being that you are literally travelling from one end of the North Island to the other. For us Canadians, eight hours hardly phased us, and allowed us to be privy to some amazing scenery that would otherwise be missed by air plane. Rolling hills, active volcanoes, the Desert Road and Lake Taupo were all part of our landscape as we drove north along the winding highway to New Zealand's largest city.



View of Mount Ruapehu, (an active volcano) from the Desert Road

Auckland, much like Toronto, holds a love hate relationship with the native population. Those who live there love it, those who don't, generally have something bad to say about it. We went in with low expectations and were pleasantly surprised. As New Zealand's city of sails, we found ourselves in a beautiful, thriving coastal city. Auckland set the scene for an amazing weekend. We rocked out at Mount Smart Stadium to the amazing sound and light show of Coldplay's Mylo Xylyto tour. We took a ferry to Waiheke Island, a popular island for summer escapes just 40 minutes outside of Auckland. Here we visited an amazing vineyard and met some interesting and rather charming locals. We took a run through the Auckland waterfront and added another city to our ever growing running map. It was a perfect long weekend to set the summer into motion.


Rocking out to Coldplay



 Casa Miro Vineyard on Waiheke Island




















 November seemed to be a month full of change, both on the seasonal and professional front. In November, I accepted a promotion to the role of Clinical Manager of TBI Health in Mana, a community about 20 minutes south of Paraparaumu. Not only did this mean a change of location and responsibility, but also committed us to staying in New Zealand until February 2014. On the same day, Trent made the move from a contracted position to a full time employee with Kiwi Bank.

Huff has also found herself continuing to change and grow. After starting agility school six months ago, she has come a long way from being scared to run through the tunnel, to instead running too fast over the steep A frame  (and falling off). After shedding some excess weight she had put on in her first months in New Zealand, she has become more energetic and excited about her new found dog sport. She practises outside almost every night, and was lucky enough to receive her very own agility tunnel for Christmas. While we are at work she goes for afternoon walks with her mates Bailey and Elvis and our human neighbour Kim. Whether it is all the time she spends hanging out with Elvis, an English pointer, or whether her prey drive is becoming more dominant, Huff has found a nose for hunting more and more creatures during her off leash walks. Rabbits and birds seem to be her most likely prey, and only once has she come back successfully with anything in her mouth. Unfortunately her" catch" was a helpless baby Pukeko (native bird), so I'm not sure it took much skill. Luckily, Trent was able to rescue the bird and return it to safety before she actually caused any damage. She seems to love her life here as a coastal dog, rolling in the sand and grass, and puttering around the back garden. She really has become a Kiwi Catahoula.



Huff in action at Agility School

Before we knew it, November grew into December and the Christmas season moved in. The heat seemed to set in a few days before Christmas, averaging somewhere between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. Cravings of  warmth and coziness that a cold North American Christmas would stir up were quickly buried by the desire for a cold drink and food on the barbecue. We spent a wonderful, warm Christmas Eve volunteering our time to walk dogs at HUHA, a local animal rescue organisation, before enjoying drinks and an amazing sunset view on the balcony of our friend's beach front home.

Christmas Day was hot, sunny and beautiful. While I truly love the chaos and laughter of family at Christmas, this year I found new joy in the quiet Christmas morning with Trent and Huff. Though we have had Huff for almost two years, this was our first Christmas as a family, being that we were in Australia last Christmas while she was still in Canada. Our intuition was to wrap up lots of little gifts for her so she could join in the fun on Christmas morning. We were soon put in our place after she opened her first gift, a beef bone, and quickly headed out on the front lawn to chew on it for the next hour, completely ignoring the rest of the festivities. The rest of the day was just as fun as the beginning. We went for an afternoon swim in the ocean, where I got a friendly reminder from a  local crab not to step on his head (ouch!), before entertaining our close friends for a delicious Christmas dinner out on our patio.

It turns out Christmas was just the beginning of an amazing holiday season. The great thing about living in the southern hemisphere is that Christmas is a holiday (that is a little inside joke for you Lee Vivian).  In reality, few people here actually make a point of working between the 22nd of December and the 7th of January, and alot of major business ad government organisations shut down.  After surviving the chaos of Christmas, we too were ready for a real holiday. On the 29th of December, we flew to the South Island, destination Nelson, en route to the Abel Tasman National Park.

The Abel Tasman National Park is located on the central north tip of the New Zealand's South Island. It is ranked as one of New Zealand's nine great walks by the Department of Conservation (www.greatwalks.co.nz), and is the only one with a kayaking option. The track in total is 54.4 km and winds through the green native forests banking the beautiful blue Abel Tasman Sea. On a sunny day in New Zealand, the bright vibrant contrast of the rolling green land against the stunning blue ocean is like nothing I have seen anywhere else in my travels. This was never more apparent than during our three day trip through the Abel Tasman National Park. 



We started our trip by meeting our guides, Shannon and AJ, at the Wilson's Abel Tasman headquarters in Motueka, a small town outside of the park. We were lucky enough to spend the next three days with the welcoming, warm staff of the Wilson's team, which made our time in the park even more extraordinary. We set out by catching a water taxi from the town of Kaiteriteri, a popular beach getaway spot at the south end of the park. We took the water taxi north west and headed to Totaranui where we would begin our trek. From Totaranui we walked the track through mature rata and beech forests to the tidal inlet of Awaroa. Awaroa was the location of our first overnight stay, a lodge called the Meadowbank Homestead, restored to look like the family home that had resided on this location for almost a century.


Walking through the track from Totaranui to Awaroa

The second day of our three day journey was the most physical, starting with a two hour walk from Awaroa to Onetahuti Beach where we met our kayaks. We put in from this beach  for a four hour journey of paddling the azure blue waters of the Abel Tasman Sea. On our way from Onetahuti to our destination of Torrent Bay, we stopped at several secluded beaches (only accessible by boat), and three island seal colonies, where we spotted several seals sunbathing and playing in the water.













A seal resting on the rocks after a swim

Walking through an estuary at low tide, at high tide this is the bottom of the ocean floor.

We reached Torrent Bay Lodge in the late afternoon, with plenty of time to enjoy the final hours of New Year's Eve 2012. We found ourselves blessed with a beach front lodge looking out on the bay, a gorgeous sunset, and an evening's firework display. It was the perfect way to close out an unforgettable year of travel and new memories.

Waking up to the first morning of a brand new year, we started our kayak back towards Kaiteriteri, where we would end our trip. On the way, we had the unique opportunity to "sail" in a kayak. Our guide, Shannon had us raft up side by side so we were three kayaks wide. She pulled a sail out of her pack and anchored it to the upright paddles of the two back kayakers, and the hands of the two front kayakers. The next minute the wind caught our sails and we were off! Literally sailing as a group of six through the sea, laughing and soaking ourselves with sea water at the same time. When the wind died down, we went back to paddling our way home. The rest of the journey included a paddle through a small cave carved in the coastal rocks, and a trip past Split Apple Rock, a giant rock split in half by natural forces.




Split Apple Rock

In total, we kayaked 22km and walked 12 km of the track. Like all great trips, the three days seemed to pass in a heartbeat of stunning scenery, sun, and sea. It was a trip that was physical, relaxing and 100% New Zealand.


Back in Paraparaumu, we finished our holidays and went back to our work routine, but were soon met with a long weekend. We spent the weekend at home, enjoying the beauty of our local surroundings. On Sunday, we took a helicopter ride over the nearby Kapiti Island, a Christmas gift from myself to Trent.  We look out towards Kapiti Island everyday walking Huff on the beach. The island is 8 km long and 2 km wide, and is a protected nature reserve for native birds and vegetation. A small Maori population of 12 people live here year round, but is otherwise unsettled. We flew out in a small helicopter over town and across the ocean, where we were able to see the island from above, as well as seeing the western side of the island which is impossible to see from land. It was a clear day, making the kaleidoscope of greens and blues even more distinct. On the way back to the landing pad, we had the opportunity to fly through some of the green rolling hills of the mainland.  In a short 20 minutes, we developed a whole new perspective of the land that has surrounded us for the last year.


Trent's view from the front seat of the chopper

Kapiti Island from above

As we settle into a new calendar year and a new lag of our New Zealand journey, it is not only the land around us that is taking on a new perspective. We step into this year with a different mindset than we stepped off the plane with on our first day in Wellington. In many ways we are still rookies feeling out new experiences, but with the benefit of having a few matches under our belt.

It is impossible to know what journeys this year will take us on, and in what direction they will choose to point us.

But, as we tuck another year into the suitcase of memories in our minds, it is exciting to realise how many untouched experiences lay ahead, and just how many new memories are waiting to be discovered.