Thanks and More Thanks

At the Sydney airport about to board our flight home! Thank you, loyal blog readers, for coming along on our amazing journey. Keeping a blog inspired us to review each day and reflect on our experiences.

Sincere thanks to the tour agents, trip guides and coach drivers who helped us plan, navigate from place to place and enjoy our travels without a hitch: Chris H., Samantha, Jodee, Brian, Michael, Martin, Ruth, another Brian, Sue, Dave, another Brian, Tracy, Peter, George, Murray, and Mark...plus other unnamed drivers and helpers.

And most special thanks to our hosts in Melbourne Brendan and Tamara and in Townsville Marilyn and Chris. Dear thanks to David B. for helping mend some blogposts from home in Boston (and Wendy says "Thanks, David, for letting Rusty come with me!").

A huge thank you and hug from Rusty to Wendy whose idea this trip was to begin with, and for being an outstanding travel companion. We two sisters-in-law spent 24/7 together for thirty days and there were truly only about two milliseconds when each of us drove the other slightly batty :) What a fine, fine journey.

A Traveler's Dilemma

Enthusiastic travelers want to convey all their experiences, thoughts and images to their loved ones, don't they? For example, I want Emily to know how exhilarating it was to watch hundreds of birds -- Sooty Shearwater birds, to be exact -- take off together from the surface of Doubtful Sound right next to our boat, skimming the water with their brown feathers beating together then, as they rose, the bright white of their wings' undersides glinting in the sun. I want Sarah to see the subtly varied colors and textures of the mountains as ridge upon ridge of green trees recede in the distance. I want Ruby and Hugo to notice how the clouds move quickly over the peaks hugging them like puffy white sea serpents. I want Andrew and Jordan to try to spy the seals flopping on the Tasman Sea rocks and a penguin popping up from his hiding hole and dolphins playing by the shore of the sound. I want Paul to sympathize with me as I try to find a decent brewed cup of coffee in this otherwise stellar country. I want Arun to hear with me Mother Nature's recording studio -- silence broken only by birdsong in Crooked Bay when the engines stopped. I want David to know it all -- all that I have done -- because he would enjoy it too.

And that's the traveler's dilemma. You want to share it all but you can't and should not really try because all those loved ones will have their own travels, as they should. So, loved ones: be patient when travelers come home. Listen and learn what you can and appreciate how excited we are. And then tell us when you have had enough, and you want to take off on your own adventure.

Christchurch Rebuilding

Some devastation is man-made, like the war damage I witnessed in Sarajevo and Mostar, Bosnia this summer, and some is caused by natural disaster. Two years ago tomorrow, February 23, 2011, Christchurch suffered a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, killing 185 people with 1500-2000 injured. A large section if the central city and eastern suburbs were either leveled or badly damaged. The beautiful old Christchurch Cathedral was severely damaged. This quake followed on the heels of one in September of 2010 and created a double whammy.

Two years later, there are brightly colored pods which house former and new stores. Construction equipment was evident next to our hotel (which only recently reopened). The government has not yet made a decision regarding the fate of Christchurch Cathedral.

Rusty and I were both struck by number of barricades and chain link fences separating people from the many construction sites. They were actually surrounding our hotel. The Cathedral Square is only one block away. In spite of the destruction there is palpable spirit of hope and strength.

We took a brief walk this morning before heading for the airport for Sydney. Here is a little of what we saw.

Greenstone

Would have loved to have a personal tour of the greenstone (jade) factory at which we stopped Wednesday morning, at Hokitika. We did get to poke around the workshop and view the lapidary equipment and work in progress. So many varied shades of green!

Rusty, What Day is it Today?

Do you know how confusing it can be to lose track of the days? It's bad enough when traveling and not having any routine to ground oneself to. But add to that being a full day off from loved ones at home and wondering what they are doing at a given moment. I finally added Boston and Denver to my phone's world clock and that helped me feel connected. Of course, it is also winter at home and summer here. Oh well, we'll gain a day back going home - and have Friday twice!

A Little New Zealand Bushman Humor

Our final coach ride from Fox Glacier to Greymouth made a mid-morning rest stop at Bushmans Centre - Food • Crafts • Museum. A "local institution" this overly rustic cafe/store boasts a delightful collection of funny signs and menu boards, a few of which I have censored -:). Enjoy!

Kiwi, Kiwi, & Kiwi

Classify this blogpost as a bit on the silly side, perhaps, but fun. As you already know, a nickname for New Zealanders is Kiwis -- and there are many, many additional references to kiwis in the culture. The dollar coin has the image of a kiwi -- a bird native to New Zealand, the national symbol of New Zealand, critically endangered but still in special birdish places. Perhaps my fascination with kiwis will help keep them going. Surely all the kiwi fruit I have eaten and trinkets I have purchased will help, at least as a contribution to New Zealand's economy!