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.



Great Expectations

It is hard to believe it has been over three months since I last sat down to blog. The past few months have been a calamity of adventure and heart tugging struggles, as we waited out the wet, cold dregs of winter. Sorting through the contrast of fun vacations, constant rain, ailing family, and work struggles, the past few months has opened our eyes wider to realise our reality; we may be living in a beautiful and amazing place, but we are not immune to the the plague of homesickness.

Many people say it takes a lot of guts to do what we did, to drop everything, and start fresh in a place where we knew no one and had nothing. After experiencing the last eleven months away from home, exchanging new adventures for absence at important events and the company of  those close to our hearts, I think it is the being away that takes the guts, not the leaving.  Being far away means you can't hop a plane home whenever you feel you really should; time change means you have to plan your phone calls instead of calling when you really want, or need to chat. (sometimes taking up to three weeks to actually co-ordinate the call). While we are still enjoying our kiwi experience, and consider ourselves lucky to be where we are today, we have come to realise what a great place we come from, and what amazing family and friends we do have in Canada.

While we came head on with some new struggles in the past few months, we were also met some new adventures that reminded us how special it was to be in New Zealand. In late July, we made our maiden flight to New Zealand's infamous South Island. Since we started mentioning the prospect of living in New Zealand well over a year ago, we have been met constantly with rave reviews about the beauty and charm of the South Island. Even people who hadn't even been to New Zealand would want to tell us about how they had "heard" of how amazing the South Island was. In fact, we had heard so much about the greatness of this illustrious place in the New Zealand landscape that it was starting to get a bit annoying hearing about it. Finally, it was our chance to see for ourselves what this place was all about, and whether it deserved it's sparkling reputation.

Queenstown mountain views

The winter escape could not have come at a more appropriate time, as we both needed a break from  routine, stress of work, and the rain. We were looking forward to seeing the snow. We packed up the ski gear and boarded a plane to Queenstown, a town known as much for its adventure tourism  as for it's stunning beauty. We did not even have to land on the runway before knowing that all the reviews we had heard would be accurate. Flying through the snow capped mountains we landed  on one of the most beautiful runways we had ever seen.  We stepped out onto the tarmac surrounded by greatness of mountain and blue sunny skies, which was a lovely change from the wind and rain we had left behind in Wellington.

Queenstown is quite simply a beautiful, quaint city with the cool, laid back feel of a skiing hot spot. The mountains  surround you everywhere you go, and right in the middle of it all is a crisp blue lake that captures the reflection of the snow capped peaks. The air was cool and crisp and,  in a way we both could not quite explain, it smelled like home. It had been a relatively mild and wet winter, so the snow was where it should be, in the mountains, leaving the ground at the base snow free and easy to manoeuvre. Para gliders soared through the sunny skies air at leisure, and we felt that we had finally found the New Zealand that everyone had been talking about.

Trent in Queenstown

one of the best things about being half way across the world, is hanging out with people who used to be half a world away



luging down the mountain

 We spent most of our week with our good friends Lee and Mark, who had flown over from Perth, Australia to join us. We spent our days skiing, sight seeing, racing wheeled luge carts down track on the side of the mountain, cruising around the Lake Wakatipu, dining at Rata, a restaurant owned by one of our favourite Masterchefs,  and enjoying the surroundings.


Oh, and we also jumped 109 meters off the side of a cliff.

The Canyon Swing, named the world's highest cliff jump, has been attempted by the likes of celebrities, an 80 year old man, and the entire English football team. It basically consists of a 60 meter free fall, followed by a 200 meter "swing" into a narrow canyon with a rocky fast moving river below. Each jumper gets to choose a jump style that they will use to  take off the platform. These styles range from from backwards, upside down, hands behind your back, strapped to a chair, or anything that you can create (http://www.canyonswing.co.nz/). The experience was an interesting one; absolutely terrifying as you stood on the platform looking down the the river below, followed by a huge rush of adrenaline as you plummeted to the ground, then suddenly a moment of peace as you hang at the bottom of the canyon taking in the beauty of your surroundings/started to breathe again. Trent, Mark and I all lived to tell our tales, while a pregnant Lee stood back and cheered our work/stupidity.

So happy I'm still alive..

 

Trent plummeting towards the river

We returned from Queenstown to several weeks of pouring rain and high winds, exactly the type of weather that quickly kills a post vacation buzz. To be honest, August was a tough month. The reality of our distance began to set in as we sat back, and sat out of important family gatherings, a wedding of our close friends Barb and Chris, and being around to play a supportive role for family when they needed it. The weather was horrible and the stress of work and commuting was taking its toll.  The contrast of our travel adventure the month before was stark.

 

Slowly we began to pull ourselves out of our rain soaked state and make some steps towards shaking ourselves dry. The first thing we did was enrolled Huff in an dog agility class. Following our trip to Queenstown, Huff seemed to be falling victim to a bit of loneliness herself  (she was missing her Canadian dog friends!), had become a bit naughty. We felt that  maybe a bit of formal training was the answer. Huff and I go to class for an hour every Wednesday,  and she has now learnt how to successfully run through tunnels, fly through a hoop and soar over jumps. She is in the "B" group  at class, which contains the slightly less agile dogs or ones who have a mind of their own, but she is still doing great given the first time she ever saw an agility tunnel at the Ottawa Canine School she ran the other way!  It has been a lot of fun and she is really excited to go each week. We just won't expect her to bring home any agility trophies this year.

Huff prepares to soar through the hoop at agility school

While Huff was learning to soar through the air, we were sticking ourselves closer to the earth, trying to colour our thumbs green. Gardening in New Zealand is part of the kiwi way of life. Everyone has a garden, and we wanted one too.  We agreed to start a co-operative veggie garden project with our friends Kim and Andy. Since they already had beds set up from the year before, we decided to share the work and the rewards. In September, we planted tomatoes, beans, peas, strawberries, potatoes, capsicums, and lettuce, and now are patiently waiting the results. I'm also secretly hoping for a giant and a beanstalk.

 

Today we changed our clocks and "sprung ahead" towards warmer weather and brighter days. We move towards the summer with a new frame of mind, able to acknowledge the goals we want to achieve here in New Zealand, while understanding that we cannot achieve these goals without a bit of sacrifice. A friend recently said, " don't let your dreams be dreams", and it reminded me to continue to go confidently towards mine. Nothing good ever comes without a little bit of challenge, sacrifice, and commitment, even though we may have the greatest of expectations that our great adventures will be nothing but perfect. We hope you all know how much we love, miss, and think about you often, and hope you will continue to travel with us on our wonderful adventure here at the bottom of the world. 

 

We will keep dreaming and hope you will too. The next great adventure may be just around the corner.

Mark, Lee, Trent and I smiling after surviving our big jump

 

A Midwinter's Night Quake

Huff and her mates Bailey and Elvis

Midwinter.  Typically winter is the furthest thing from my mind come mid July. But as the New Zealand winter creeps on, with its frosty dark mornings and grey rainy days, we find ourselves in the middle of the weirdest July we have ever encountered. Instead of basking in the sun and complaining about the heat, we are bundling up and searching for reasons to have drinks and company in front of the fire.

Winter solstice dancers at the Farmers Market

Mid winter is not just a seasonal marker in New Zealand, but also a sort of holiday to fill the place that is left void by traditional family style holidays that do not fall during June, July or August. The weather is cold, but there are no warm holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving to fill the gap and give the excuse for the warm and cozy merriment that one craves when it is cold outside. So instead there is midwinter; midwinter swims, midwinter parties, winter solstice. Midwinter has no true date, unless you want to specifically mark winter solstice,  and no specific traditions. It is simply the excuse to celebrate.




We were invited to our first midwinter celebration at the end of June. A midwinter swim. This is mild kiwi version of a polar bear swim, and having participated in both, was the far more enjoyable version. My boss Chris holds an annual midwinter swim at his home in Paraparaumu Beach and kindly invited us to jump in this year. The pool was a balmy six degrees Celsius, and it was a requirement to jump in the pool before you could have your glass of delicious mulled wine  and warm dinner. We were joined by about 25 other adults and kids and it was all around a really great time, and actually surprisingly refreshing.

We continued celebrating midwinter two weekends later with more wine, food, and good people. Our friends Kim and Andy organised a great feast of chicken, fish, veggies and tiramisu beside a warm and cosy fire. Joined by a second couple, Kate and Shaun,  and their son Finn, we ate, drank and celebrated well into the night. Minus the presents and tree, it felt just like it was Christmas, complete with a Boxing Day hang over, and was a great way to break through the midwinter blues we had  recently fallen victim to.


Trent and Andy

See..just like Christmas :) Kim celebrates with the local snowman

Not all of winter has grey or boring. On July 11th, we quietly celebrated our sixth month of living in New Zealand, and eighth month away from Canada. The past eight months have flown by in the blink of an eye. After many Australian adventures, immigration dramas, and a thousand beach walks later,  I still feel like I could wake up at any moment back in Canada and realise that we were dreaming it all.  Two weeks ago we woke up to a genuine New Zealand reality that confirmed that we were definitely not dreaming. There is something about waking up to  your entire house shaking and swaying that made life in New Zealand suddenly feel very real, as well as making us realise the new types of environmental threats we  are suddenly exposed to. This was not our fist earthquake, but it was certainly the largest. A 7.0 magnitude quake lasting 45 seconds makes you stop and take notice pretty quickly. Luckily for us, this earthquake was deep in the earth at a depth of 230km, so it left very little damage.  The deeper an earthquake occurs, the less severe the damage tends to be. For example, the earthquake that crippled Christchurch in February 2011 was a 6.3 magnitude, but existed only 5km underground. A year and a half  later the city of Christchurch is still trying to make sense of the rubble. Other than a few rattled nerves and one confused dog, we came out no worse for the wear, and no more prepared for a second 5.2 magnitude quake that occurred the following Saturday. Lucky for Mike and Eden, (my brother and his wife), we were able to share a piece of the second quake with a Canadian audience, who had the rare opportunity to experience the event via Skype.

Though the earth seems to be shaking below us, we are starting to feel a lot more grounded since Trent was able to land a full time position with Kiwibank Headquarters in Wellington. In June, Trent accepted a 6 month contract to work as a Business Continuity Manager the for the New Zealand owned bank. Trent now commutes to and from Wellington by train each day, about an hour each way, which makes for long days, and has changed our home routine quite significantly. While the days can be long, he is enjoying the job and being back in the working world after a bit of time away. Huff is still holding a grudge.

As we take stock of our experience over the past six months, midwinter seems like a suiting metaphor to describe our current life in New Zealand. We are no longer at the beginning of our experience, but we are far from the end. We can now stop and take a look back at where we have come from, the experiences that have brought us here and the hard work we have put in to make it all happen. We have finally reached the point where we no longer have a checklist of things to do to create our new life, but instead, are making new lists of adventures that will punctuate the life we have created. As winter's cloak of darkness begins to fade, we are now able to stand back, breathe in the smell of the ocean, and consider the possibilities that await us.

The ground hog's predictions look like a beautiful spring.

Our Lemon Tree!

Kia Ora

It's hard to believe that it's been almost a month since I returned to New Zealand after my brief Canadian trip. Upon arriving back in the land of kiwis, I spent the next four days mostly horizontal, battling through a haze jet lag mixed with a strong shot of a sinus cold. On the fifth day, I woke up out of my dreamlike and confused state, and stepped back into my life in New Zealand. It's a good thing too, because it seems that so much has happened since.

May 11th marked our fourth month of life at the bottom of the world, and proved to be one of the most significant months so far. First of all, autumn had turned to winter. Of course, I use the word winter in more of a relative sense than an accurate one, as  that's what Kiwis on the North Island like to call weather that dips below 10 degrees Celsius. The beginnings of " winter" have been somewhat of a comical and backwards experience for us. For the first time in our lives, due to the lack of central heating and insulation, winter means its the time of year when you are generally colder inside than you are out. That is, of course, if you actually chose to exchange your shorts and jandals (sandals) for, a pair of pants and closed toe shoes.  Which oddly enough, a high percentage of kiwis chose not to. The whole thing is an especially odd experience for two Canadians, have spent their entire lives adapting and dressing for different types weather. Instead of being prepared and dressing for the elements, the kiwi mentality seems to aim at ignoring the cold in hopes that it will just go away. It becomes even more comical, when  almost every patient comes into my office asking" you must find this so cold!" as though I was from someplace that was known for its hot summers rather than its cold winters. We have come to realise just how tough Canadians really are.

The seasons have continued to change in life as well. Much to Huff's strong disapproval, Trent's five month summer vacation has finally come to an end. Having picked up his first consulting job, Trent has found himself helping the New Zealand Parliament plan for the worst, and hoping that the bottom doesn't drop out when that earthquake/tsunami/flood comes to town. This is also well known as Emergency Management and Business Continuity,  which you might recall, used to be Trent's job for the Canadian Government.  Let's hope the bottom doesn't drop out there either.

The beginning of winter has also brought us a new sense of comfort and recognition in the community we live in. We are quickly losing our sense of anonymity and slowly becoming recognised as locals. We now know by name, and have regular and meaningful conversations with some amazing people who make our little community tick.

There's Corban the amazing barista who runs The Kapiti Coffee Company, and in our opinion, makes the best coffee in town. No Starbucks rush speed at this cafe, Corban makes each cup of delicious coffee individually and with the finest precision, while getting to know his customers.  Then there is Stuart, the butcher who prepares Huff's raw dog food on special order at a really great value. There's Matt and the team at On Yer Bike, who wave and give you a big welcoming smile every time we come into the shop, and who continue to help us get to get from point A to point B on our bikes. And then there is Mark, who recently opened Antoinette's, where he makes some of the most delicious gourmet pizza and pastries in Paraparaumu Beach, and welcomes us by name each time we stop in to pick up an order.

Then of course there is Chris, our funny and motivating trainer who runs the Kapiti Crossfit  gym. I'm not sure if its Chris's dry English humour, or his ability to make you want to puke after each intense work out that he dishes up, but he keeps us coming back for more. Somewhere in between the sweat and grunting, we have also found some new friends through the small group workouts at the Crossfit gym and have broadened our community circle that much more.

Some of our new friends (aren't they good looking?)

Huff has quickly become one of the most popular dogs on the local beach, making friends wherever she goes, and introducing us to their owners.  I often wonder how we met our neighbours before we had a dog, as it often seems that at least half the people we know we met because of Huff.  Huff's long list of friends include a yellow lab named Gus, three black labs named T-Bone, Marlo, and Travis, a staffie named Bella, and countless others.  It is amazing to see how comfortable she has become here, running up to the owners of her dog friends on the beach and greeting them with a "arroo roo" or a kiss. She even lets them pet her on the head, which is a long shot from the timid dog we first met a year and a half ago. While the process of getting Huff to New Zealand may have been stressful and scary for all involved, her happiness, and the love she adds to our daily lives has proved the work of getting her here  to be 100% worth it.

Huff, Bella and TBone

In fact, It was Huff's friendship with the doggy duo team of Bailey and Elvis, who introduced us to our first friends in New Zealand. Originally from England, Kim and Andy moved to New Zealand with their son Harry four years ago. After meeting Kim on the beach, we accepted an invite for drinks at their home, which ironically was just down the street from ours. We immediately realised we had so many things in common; our love of food and wine, music and animals, and seemingly hit it off right away.  We have gotten together a couple of times since, and while our friendship is still quite fresh, their warm, fun, and inviting nature give us the sense that there will be many more bottles of wine and walks with the dogs to be shared.

View from our Sunday walk on the Waikane River

Though the air around us continues to get colder, our kiwi life seems to only get warmer. There is something to be said about living in a community where you know your neighbours and the people who make your world work. It may not be flashy and filled with skyscrapers, but living in small town New Zealand has started to break down the protective walls that years of living in a big city had built up. Breaking down these walls has led to a new building of  genuine relationships that have broadened our experience, and love for our new community.While they may have a distorted understanding of dealing with the cold, the welcoming and easygoing mentality of the kiwi character has made us feel less like outsiders and more at home with each coming week.

Kia Ora

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_ora

Carpe Diem

What. A. Whirlwind.

Just like that, I find myself back at Toronto Pearson Airport waiting to fly home to New Zealand.

Five days at home was never going to feel like a long trip. While it was short, it sure was sweet. The knowledge that my visit was on the clock made me appreciate the time I did have with a new gusto. I slept little and made my most of every special moment with family and friends.

I had a manicure date with my mom, and coffee with my parents.

I did the running man with my sister (and documented it with a Polaroid photo).

I curled my five year old niece's hair and relished in the moment when her eyes lit up when she realized how beautiful she looked in her flower girl dress.

I watched my two year old niece sleep with her bum stuck up in the air.

I snuggled with my furry four legged nephew, Norm.

I had dinner with my wonderful friend Barb and her "life partner" Chris; and laughed as her dogs inspected my luggage with the intensity of an airport inspection dog. Maybe they were trying to find one of the cats who had climbed into it.

I had breakfast with my best friend Alex in Prince Edward County, a place that I truly love. I listened in awe as she shared her plans to raise even more money towards the fight against cancer.

I drove a luxury car through a rain/snow storm in April.

I danced with my father.

Most importantly, I saw my brother marry his best friend. How great is that?

For months, patients and friends have been telling me that it wouldn't be worth traveling so far for such a short time.

But as I laughed, cried, danced, celebrated, and talked with the people who I hold dearest to my heart, I felt like every moment I spent in Canada had justified every hour spent on the plane.

In life, we take what we get, and I am grateful I got a chance to make this trip.

Thank you to everyone who made it so special.

:)

Sweet as...

Almost 5 months to the day since we left Canada, I find myself waiting at the Wellington International Airport flying home to Canadian soil. I am glad to report that the reason for a trip home so soon after arriving is happy one. My brother is taking a wife.

With a ceremonious NZ sheep packed in my suitcase (people still give livestock as wedding gifts right?), I sit through my first flight delay, having not even left the ground yet. The first of many long hours of traveling today. Saving my book for the long flight ahead I have found myself reflecting on my thoughts and feelings on the concept of home.

I realized this morning over a 6am airport cappuccino that "home" for me is now at both at both ends of this journey. Not to say that I am now a kiwi,(though I've started saying things like "cruisy" and "flash" and have become increasingly comfortable at operating on the left side of the road) but I will return to new Zealand with a new sense of belonging; a home, my family, a job, and trusty NZ visa that will allow me to breeze through immigration.

Still, returning to Canadian soil, no matter where you have been or how long you have been away, will always feel good. Being away makes you realize just how Canadian you are, and how special and wonderful Canada is, often in ways you would never guess. Part of that is relishing in the love and company of the family and friends you have missed while you have been away, and appreciating the real life experience of seeing people without having to use the wonder of Skype.
I am loving my New Zealand experience. But I cant wait to see those people who make Canada home.

Get the inflight drinks ready.

I am homeward bound.

The Simplest Thing

 “Did you notice that,
  happiness
  happens less
  the more often you stop to find where it's been hiding”

                                    -Hey Rosetta (The Simplest Thing)

It is often said that less is more, a concept that has eluded me until recent months.  Trained for years by the fast paced world of post graduate academia, I quickly learned to fill each hour of the day with as much productivity as possible, on as little sleep as needed. I have recently realized that I carried that philosophy straight into my personal and professional life.

Moving to New Zealand has had a profound effect on this mindset.  Honestly speaking, it is not a New Zealand thing, though the laid back lifestyle and cruisy mentality of the kiwi personality hasn’t hindered the adjustment.  It is the simplification of nearly everything in our life that stimulated the change. Literally everything has come back to basics; our possessions, our clothing, our budget, the amount of people we know, and our time commitments. This clean sweep has led us to sift through the clutter we had created, and start to truly enjoy the important things in life.

We were far from unhappy living in Canada, but we certainly were busy; often filling our days to the max and dreaming of a weekend when we could catch up, or rest. There were times when this high paced lifestyle started to catch up with us, and would often wear us down. We finally do not feel like we are playing catch up. Instead we are starting to appreciate the value of eight hours of sleep, the joy of family time, and the guilt free feeling of taking a nap or reading the newspaper on the weekend. Don’t get me wrong. We still have busy weeks, filled with days of work, housekeeping, grocery shopping, working out, and a list of things to do. We still have bad days, and feel tired at the end of the week. Life isn’t perfect, but it is no longer a rat race.  

As our lives here begin to evolve, we have continued to embrace our new motto of simplicity. We now choose to spend our time doing things that we are excited about doing, and spending less time on the “should dos”. On the top of this list has been exploring the local landscape on our newly purchased bikes. After making the decision that we could survive here without a car, we decided that purchasing bikes would be an essential second option to public transit. Riding our bikes has opened up a whole new world of trails, streets, and beautiful landscape to us. On the weekends, if the weather is fine, we will take our bikes out for a long ride to explore the local area. Our explorations have given us a whole new perspective on our surroundings, and also provided us with a sense of newfound freedom.

I also have been commuting to and from work on my bike. Being that a large part of the population of  Paraparaumu lives here, but works in Wellington, the morning rush hour is fairly tame. This allows me a peaceful ride to and from work without too much stress of dodging traffic. I wake up each morning, eager to check the weather outside. Rain and high winds usually mean I will be limited to public transit, an transportation option that is usually my second choice.  The commute on my bike is about 20 minutes each way, depending on the strength of the wind. It is relatively flat, which allows me to shower prior to leaving for work, and arrive still smelling lovely enough to treat patients (once I’ve changed my clothes and fixed my helmet hair). The best part, however, is the ride home. My route runs parallel to the ocean for about fifty percent of the ride. Though the road runs parallel, the view of the ocean is often blocked by homes and vegetation for a good part of the ride. However, there is one segment, about 10 minutes from home, where the beach opens up, unblocked by any physical structure. It is here, that you are able to bask in the incredible view of the ocean and Kapiti Island in the distance. Whether it is a sunny afternoon, a colour saturated dusk, or a cloudy overcast day, this view never fails to stop me in my mental tracks and take notice of its beauty. For the next three minutes of my ride, regardless of how good or bad my day was, I am overtaken by a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for my surroundings, and the simple beauty of the natural environment of New Zealand. 

And just like that, whatever chaos that may have been rolling around in my brain is suddenly washed out to sea.

That seems to happen a lot to us here, those moments when the beauty, or pure presence of nature, seems to stop us, forcing us to experience its wonder. The events of Saturday morning are a perfect example. Awaking early to the feeling of Huff’s nose in my face, her tail wagging quietly at the side of the bed, our Saturday morning routine sprung into full swing. After a lazy breakfast, we set out for a morning walk on the beach. Walking through the dunes on our beach access route, I caught site of a shape on the sand that looked like an animal. Second guessing myself out loud, I disregarded the shape as one of the many large pieces of driftwood that often washes up from Kapiti Island. Trent took a closer look to find that it was indeed a full grown seal! It was lying on the beach hardly moving, other than to lift its head or flipper. We were concerned that it might be sick or be close to death. We left it in peace to continue our walk, and Trent searched the web for a number to call to get it some help. By the time we returned back down the beach, the seal was still there, lying still as before, but this time we had two more dogs and their respective owners in tow. One owner contacted the SPCA, who provided her with a number to the Coast Guard who could help in this situation.  We are not sure if it was the threat of the coast guard, the dogs nearby playing, or just that the tide was coming in, but the seal started to move. Taking its time to yawn, stretch, have a good shake and a drink of sea water, it made its way back out to sea waving his flipper in the air as he went. (Ok, that last part didn’t happen). Turns out he was just having a nap.



This is when we thought he was sick



Waking up...

Good Morning Stretch

It is moments like these that seem to make our New Zealand experience unique. On a day to day basis, life seems to move ahead as normal, in a way that we might live in any city in Canada. But it is these small, unique and special moments each day that create a collection of reminders of where we are and what we are doing.

While the simplicity of our lives may not last forever, the experience of removing the clutter has taught us a valuable lesson that we will carry forward into future endeavors. In the absence of the extra noise, I have come to love and appreciate my best friend and little family in a deeper and more meaningful way, spending my time carefully, instead of testing its limits each day. In a fast paced and material driven world, I had previously thought that feeling this way would be something short of a dream.

It turns out, it’s just the simplest thing.