New Zealand!

New Zealand!  One of the most beautiful places on earth everyone says!  I’m learning there is a “friendly” rivalry between Australia and New Zealand…who has the better ?…who invented it first…which country ???  It will be interesting to discover and explore and make some decisions on my own.

Yesterday was running the gamete of Sydney airport which was extremely busy…weekend, school holiday, and the computer systems were down!  We had been warned to “Declare, Declare, Declare!” to New Zealand’s customs to avoid a $400 fine which they seem to enjoy handing out to travelers freely.  I not only washed the bottoms of all my shoes, but I picked the stones out of the treads of my boots!  I washed my hiking poles, made sure there were no dead flies in my head fly net, declared my Virginia peanuts I brought along as a hostess gift along with my snack bars and even my tea bags!  They are very particular about bee products so I checked “Yes” since my lip balm had bee’s wax!  Evidently, I am not a threat to New Zealand, and I survived customs with everything intact!

New Zealand is 3 hours behind Australian time so I am now 17 hrs difference from home.  Thank goodness for the world clock on my iPhone especially with crossing the international date line!  I called my son Bryan last wk on Sunday evening thinking it was Saturday morning at his house, but he said he had to run to church.  I said “It’s Saturday.”  Bryan very patiently explained, “No, Mom, it’s Sunday morning”!  I’m still confused!

New Zealand is the youngest country in the world since it was the last one discovered by humans!  The Māori people, whose DNA traces them back to Taiwan, settled here 800-1,000 years ago.  As the first indigenous people with no written language, they called the two major islands, north and south, “Land of the long white cloud “.

Their origin story tells of a young boy, Maui, who wanted to go fishing with his older brothers, but they laughed and refused to take him.  Maui wove a strong rope, his grandmother gave him a magic hook, and he stole away in his brother’s waca or canoe.  He wasn’t discovered until they were far out at sea, and Maui’s brothers were angry at his deception.  Since the brothers refused to share their bait, Maui gave himself a bloody nose, and used the blood to create bait to fish pulling up the top of the north island with his magic hook!

New Zealand was once part of Australia 85 million years ago and underwater until 25 million years.  Volcanic activity pushed the land upward and above ground about 20 million years ago.

Christchurch is the third largest city with 400,000 people located in the largest flat area in the country.  The first Europeans arriving in the early 1800’s were whalers and seal hunters.  In 1850, four English ships with 1,000 men and women arrived, and the point is made that they were not convicts as in Australia.  “We are nice honest people”, I’m told in jest, but remember that competition?!

While still in England, Christchurch was planned with roads, maps, and land divided up between settlers.  They came seeking a better life with English names for the settlements, streets, and parks.  Land was cleared of virgin forests for agriculture and grazing sheep.

There have been two major earthquakes recently in the city,  September, 2010 and 6 months later in February, 2011.  185 people died in the second stronger quake, and it has changed the landscape of the city forever.  Multiple buildings are still covered in scaffolding and construction materials while others have boarded up windows and graffiti on their walls.  A beautiful cathedral, Christ Church, has lost it’s steeple four times in quakes, and is undergoing major renovations.  Even buildings only mildly affected must be earthquake reinforced to be inhabited.  Locals talk about shops closed permanently, relocated, or no longer standing.  Artists have been commissioned to paint murals on some buildings to cover up graffiti and add color and beauty to this city.

Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman, discovered the islands and named them for his homeland’s, “Zeeland”.  Captain Cook later anglicized it to “New Zealand” when he mapped the islands, and a statue of Cook commemorates his journey; although, he never stepped foot on the land.  An imposing statue of Queen Victoria in Victoria Square is reminiscent of the English history here.

I spend the afternoon riding the local tourist tram, listening to the commentator, and visiting the botanical gardens.  Flowers are blooming with huge rhododendrons, brilliant azaleas, tulips, poppies, and daffodils.  A rock garden looks so natural with different levels and plants spilling over the edges.

Tonight is our home hosted dinner, a standard part of an OAT tour adventure which those of us on multiple tours always look forward to enjoying.  Different members of the community fix dinner for us in their homes, and we have the opportunity to meet locals and discuss their community while enjoying their cuisine.

We are divided into groups of four, and a delightful native New Zealander drives us to her beautiful home.  She was a flight attendant so we discuss travel, and she has a home filled with antiques so I’m intrigued plus she is an artist.  Dinner is a salad plus lamb with gravy and mint jelly served in a beautiful crystal handled jelly bowl plus the most flavorful roasted vegetables including pumpkin.  I’ve never roasted pumpkin before, but I will now!  Plus, I’ve never cooked lamb!  

Our hostess was so gracious engaging us all in discussing family holiday traditions and our lives.  We also learned about the effects of the 2011 earthquake, and the rebuilding of her community.  The pas de resistance was a delicate pavlova, a New Zealand speciality, of a meringue shell filled with cream and topped with fruit.  All of this was served on china with silver and linen napkins.  It was a true treat!

To add to our discussion was one on where pavlova originated.  New Zealand and Australia both claim to be first!  There is the rivalry again!

We also spent time this morning paddling a waca or Māori style canoe on a small stream in the city.  One of our guides chanted, and the sixteen of us paddled, and then hit our wooden oar on the side of the boat in some semblance of synchronization.  No one in our group has claimed the ability to sing.  I know I can’t!

Packing and off to the next stop on our New Zealand adventure…Hokitika.  I just like saying the name!