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Published: January 3rd 2010
Well, after ten months of basically being "homeless"...going from Jeremy's parents' home to backpacking Asia to staying with Kate and Steve...I am proud to announce that we once again have our very own place to call home. It ain't much. In fact, it's literally one room with a tiny kitchen and bathroom attached...but man, the price is right! It's cozy. It's comfy. And it's ours, for as long as we stay in the Balclutha area. Between gifts from our new friends here in the form of furniture, groceries, winter gear, and appliances, we're all set for a while, and it feels terrific. Now if we could just find jobs, we'd be good to go...
But why dwell on the negative? Today was a rare totally sunny and "warm" day (I use that term loosely, as NOTHING here will ever compare to a "warm" Florida day), and we enjoyed it to the full. We finally took a drive down south about twenty minutes to a beautiful rocky coastline dotted with high cliffs known as "Kaka Point" and "Nugget Point." We'd been waiting for a clear, sunny day, and today was it. It was spectacular! The road hugs the ocean so closely
you literally feel as if the waves are going to crash right over the hood of your car. Then it climbs and climbs, hugging vertical cliffs around totally blind turns...well, if we weren't very skilled drivers before this trip, we are
definitely being molded into fine drivers now ha! You've got to be if you want to make it to your destination in one piece on roads like these.
Our first stop was Roaring Bay, very suitably named, as the wind howls in off the ocean like a screaming banshee. It is home to a colony of the world's rarest penguins, yellow-eyed penguins...who unfortunately were not to be seen today. You can't actually go down onto the beach...the cliffs are far too steep...but they do have viewing areas set up for those with binoculars who want to scope the area for the little guys. Unfortunately they were being shy today, and all we saw were a few lazy seals and sea lions basking on the warm sand.
At the end of the narrow peninsula is the lighthouse at Nugget Point, so named for the soaring jagged "islands" of rock that rise perpendicular to the crashing waves. You walk
for about half a mile along a narrow, winding trail (and pray you don't tip over the edge, as it would be a loooooooooooong fall to the water below!) and emerge at a jaw-dropping expanse of wind, water, and tiny "nugget" islands. An amazing feature of the area is that the south side of the peninsula gets blasted with frigid wind and high surfs all day long, while the north side is calm, warm, and as tranquil as a mountain lake. The contrast is unbelievable as you look from one shore to the next...it seems as if two entirely different bodies of water are dropped side-by-side in a bizarre optical illusion. And right in front of you is a tiny strip of land, dotted with rock islands, crowned with a white jewel of an ancient lighthouse. We both agreed it was one of the most beautiful places we'd ever seen.
Compared to today's excursion, the rest of the week has been pretty quiet. Last Wednesday Kate and Steve drove us down to one of their favorite spots, Purakaunui Falls, not far from Nugget Point - a beautiful multi-tiered waterfall buried in the dense native bush. On the hike back
we got pelted with hailstones - small ones, mind you, but the ever-changing weather in this place amazes me! We've seen at least three hailstorms now, usually followed by sunshine and eighty-degree weather ten minutes later. Mornings that start cold and rainy turn sunny and warm, and days that looks promising in the morning usually turn into freezing hailstorms by mid-afternoon. I don't get it. I'll take hot and humid any day - at least I
know what to expect back home!
Anyway. On Thursday we at last found a bed to purchase up in Dunedin - yay! We spent the afternoon in town shopping for odds and ends and listening to the bands downtown gear up for the big New Years' Eve show later that evening (which we did not attend). Friday the first was move-in day...Jeremy and Steve headed up to Dunedin in their truck to pick up our bed while Kate and I moved all the smaller things into our flat. Our new landlord left us two red roses and a plate of cookies and truffles to welcome us - these people are just so
nice! We were also happy to see that the power was
turned on, as we'd been unable to contact the power company all week (even their
automated system was shut down...seriously, even the computer gets a holiday!)...so hopefully we'll get in touch with them this week sometime, if and when this goofy country ever comes back to life after the holidays!
So here we are, already settled into our little flat. Grocery shopping here is entertaining, as many things come as quite a surprise. For instance, two good-sized lamb steaks (filets) for dinner tonight cost a mere $4 (more like $2.75 US dollars). On the flip side (and much to my dismay), the seafood section is almost non-existent, with a few puny pieces of cod on offer for about $15 each - no thanks! Apparently all their good seafood gets shipped overseas, and they get the leftovers. Not much fun, especially for us seafood-lovin' Floridians. What other surprises? Australian wine is cheaper than New Zealand wine - a decent bottle can be had for about $7-$10. A bottle of Hershey's chocolate syrup will set you back a whopping $9. Parmesan cheese is only available in a
tiny imported can and starts at about $5 (enough for sprinkling on two plates
of spaghetti, and that's it!)...more bad news for I, the Pasta Queen. Looks like lots of meat-and-potatoes for us...not necessarily a BAD thing, but let's say they're definitely lacking in food options here. We're already planning our escape back to Christchurch for the world's greatest Mexican food (I'm not even kidding)! And I won't even
begin to describe my cravings for Kraft macaroni and cheese...if anyone wants to ship a case of mac-and-cheese over, I'm fully prepared to repay you with a plane ticket to come visit...any takers?...no really, I'm serious...
😱
Anyway, I ramble. As usual. We're hoping to be able to stay for a while in the area, since we already have so many friends here and we really like the place, but all will ultimately depend on finding some work! There's plenty of work available back in the bigger cities, of course, but we're hoping we can stick it out here through the summer and autumn with some part-time work. After all, who comes to New Zealand to hang out in a big city, with all this gorgeous nature around?
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carol powers
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photos are absolutely stunning - some of the most beautiful scenery ever! Hope you find work soon so you can continue to enjoy - feel as if we are there with you! Thanks for the dream-like photos!