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They are finally here!
First stop: Mount beach!Kim and Don Bodemann arrived bright and early on April 19th. After trading in our car once more for a “people mover”, as vans are called here, we headed out to pick them up at the bus stop in Waihi. We were expecting them to be really tired after the long trip but they were surprisingly well rested and ready to go. It seems that after boarding their plane in LA, Don’s medical services were required to aid a woman who had been hit in the head with a bag from overhead (those things DO shift during flight) and he had to put his vacation on hold to administer a Tylenol and a icepack to the patient. Afterward, the flight attendant came back to their seats and asked them to follow her to the front. They had been upgraded to business class, complete with full size beds! We have now devised a scheme to have Grace crack Ben’s head with the guitar case when we board for our return to the States. (Mark - All I can say is it is further proof that the Bodemanns are Golden. I have learned to expect the unexpected from them.)
We spent the
weekend showing them around the Mount and doing the usual hikes and falls. As much as we have traveled around this little country, we still are amazed by the beauty in our own backyard. On Saturday, we threw our first party (American style) complete with Rotel cheese dip (thanks to Nelson Ballard!) and other common 1970’s American cocktail foods. One of the guys from Canada even brought barbequed meatballs! One of the favorites was the spinach artichoke dip and was described to me over and over as “brilliant”. Funny how our old stand bys can be considered so unusual. I should have made tuna-noodle casserole! Mark told everyone that there would be prizes for the best dressed “American” so there were lots of preppy sweaters tied around necks and cowboy hats. (Mark - We never got around to presenting awards. In my view, anyone that showed up was a winner, although one of the Radiologists brought a 6-pack of Miller and deserves bonus points. It probably cost $15. Of course no one drank it because Kiwi beer tastes better.) And we couldn’t end a party without a little clogging and jigging with Kim. Some of the adults tried but Grace
Mount Beach
All those little white dots are sheep on the Mount and Rosanna kicked it!
Sunday was a lazy morning but Mark, Kim and Don decided they needed a run at the estuary. There is a boardwalk all the way around the water and nice views to take your mind off the pain in your knees. Afterward, we took them out to Kaiate Falls and once more climbed the 10,000 stairs to view this beautiful place. It is different every time we go there. That day the water was running really high and clear and we saw signs of flooding from the last time we were there. It makes you pause and think when you see the power of all that water. It was nearing sunset when we left so we drove over to Papamoa Beach for a viewing. My driving skills were again questioned by a young “boy racer” and my friends from home were able to witness all the kiwi sign language that I get schooled in on a regular basis. Our Aussie friends, Keenan and Alisa, were in the Coromandel over the weekend competing in a race. Keenan, my new hero, kayaked 14km, biked 22 km and ran 12 km to come in the top 50 of
the race. He is a truly amazing athlete. We really wanted Kim and Don to meet them so we dropped in their house just as they were pulling in from the race. We talked them into coming over for dinner and Keenan bought some famous NZ green-lipped mussels he had caught in his kayak. He boiled them up with some lemon and garlic - a perfect starter to our (Anyone? Anyone?) CHICKEN dinner!
On Monday, we packed up and headed for Waitomo in the east central part of the island. Our home for the night was a converted ship. (Mark - This was definitely a converted boat. The floors all sloped and our cabin smelled like diesel. I think we were in the engine room or maybe the full tank. The décor was tasteful and my bed was most comfy.) We tried to get the plane but it was already taken. Our main reason for going to Waitomo was to do a little caving. Rap, Raft and Rock is a company that will take you rappelling into the cave, rafting an underground river and scaling out by way of a rock wall. We were fitted out in some nifty
Jason, Cushla and baby Luka
Jason is from Fayetteville and his grandfather was Mark's professor. Small world! gear: wetsuits, nylon pants, lighted helmets and gumboots. I wish we had a picture but we were told about 100 times to leave everything in the car because we could not have it in the cave. This took us awhile to understand until they drove us out to the middle of a pasture, complete with sheep all around us, and dropped us down a hole to the middle of the earth. Actually, we rappelled 90 feet down - a move we had practiced in said pasture while tied to a fence post. Guide Tim had much confidence in us after a couple of practices but mine was immediately questioned when I took that first step off the platform at the top. "No worries, Mate. You'll be right". At times during the cave tour we were told to turn out our headlamps. This allowed us to see the glowworms on the ceiling of the cave. It also allowed for a little extra anxiety at standing waist deep in freezing black water with eels swimming around your feet. Glowworms….. (Mark - At one point I was inspired to sing a Don McClean song “Starry, Starry Night.” The kids were proud.) The “glow”
Gerrad plays the uke
Gerrad is one of the radiologists Mark works with. He was on call but still managed to get to the party. of the glowworm is actually its “poo”. They make it glow to attract food. When an insect flies over to inspect the glow, it is caught on a sticky thread that hangs down from the worm. We were told that this thread was something like 1000 times stronger than steel. Weird but fascinating. While we were starring in awe at the glowing ceiling of the cave, our guide took the opportunity to scare us to death by slapping the water with a piece of wood. He said it was to promote a stronger glow from the worms. Yea, right. Guide Tim enjoyed giving us a lot of grief throughout the day so I decided to give a little back. When we got to the base to collect our pictures (yes, we have some beauties), I told his boss that we were very pleased with how laid back Tim was- how he was not such a stickler for rules and he let us take some beer down and relax without our harnesses now and then. Her eyes got wide for one wee second and then she just laughed. She knows the boy...
The next day we drove north to Leigh
Beach. We had gotten down the road about a mile when we saw our Guide Tim hitching. He was headed to Auckland for the week to visit his girlfriend. Of course we picked him up. (Mark - Tim is a full blown 20 something Australian. He has that always sure confident personality that makes him perfect for the tourism guide trade. You get to know the way he thinks in the few hours you spend on his turf. I was not sure how we would get along on our long drive to Auckland. Sarah wasn’t either; she immediately moved to the back seat. It worked out fine, and besides, he knew the quickest route. I am always amused by the rivalry between Kiwis and Aussies. They like to feel superior to each other. I like to interject in the conversation that, until a few months ago, we couldn’t tell the difference between them. That gets their goat. At that point they usually say something nasty about George Bush - a low blow. Tim had only a few more days to work. We helped him devise a plan for his last day. He wanted to dress up a mannequin and throw
it into the cave simulating a rappelling accident. As tourism is international in NZ, he wasn’t sure which nationality of tourists to inflict his humor on - perhaps the Japanese. Tim does not seem the type to worry about future career moves. We said Good Bye to Tim at a busy intersection in Auckland.)
Our house in Leigh turned out to be great. It was on a farm, high above the coast with a beautiful view. There was a swing in the backyard which entertained Ben greatly. A bush walk led to the bay below and Kim, Grace and I picked our way down for a look around. This led back up to the little town which consisted of a Fish and Chips shop, a dairy (get and go), a small office and a little white church. The church had a sign out front that listed what time all the different denominations had their services. It was shared by Anglicans, Catholics and Presbyterians.
Further down the coast was a marine reserve at Goat Island. We fitted out in wetsuits once more and went snorkeling in the freezing water. The fish were really big and would swim very close.
Since it is a marine reserve and there is not fishing allowed, the snapper get huge. The guys swam a little further out and found a big ray (our best new picture!) but the girls had to get out and warm up! Afterward we hung out at the house for dinner and a beautiful sunset. (Mark - I made an interesting observation about body fat and snorkeling in the NZ Fall. Kim, who has zero or less body fat, almost immediately, got cold. I was not alarmed initially by the blue color of her lips until I realized that she was not sporting a Maori Moku, i.e. tattoo. I was able to stay in the cold water for almost an hour, but once I felt the chill it took three hours for me to warm up. My feet were numb causing me to stumble when walking along the rocky shore. It was worth it as I got a few good pictures.)
During the week, a big part of the day was spent thinking of our next meal. For Ben that would happen approximately 14 minutes after the last one. A special bond between Ben and Don evolved over the
search for fresh Fish and Chip shops. A little town down the road held several opportunities for eating. Matakana had the requisite fish shop along with a chocolate shop, bakery, ice cream parlor and (our personal favorite) a wine bar. It had a nice verandah which was a great place to enjoy the sunshine with good company. We took a bottle back to enjoy at the house and had an awesome dinner together. Grace taught us how to play two new card games, “Up and Down the River” and “Stop the Bus”. Later, we all enjoyed one of the movies from the house library, which included such old favorites as Dawn of the Dead, Same Time Next Year, and Freaky Friday (the first one!). We decided on the most current movie, The Matrix. (Mark - On one food foraging expedition Ben and Don returned from the local Chippy without enough food resulting in an immediate return visit. Ben wanted to practice driving, so I went with him. We came across some furry creature in the road in front of us that acted somewhat confused by our headlights. Immediately thinking it was an opossum, Ben aimed for it. This behavior is
encouraged in NZ as opossums are considered a nuisance. He suddenly altered course and slammed on the brakes. Simultaneously, we realized he almost hit a Kiwi, which is not encouraged. The crisis was avoided. Secretly, I still wonder if they taste like chicken.) (Sarah - no one EVER sees a kiwi in the wild here. Ben has seen two.)
On Friday, Kim and Don had to be at the Auckland airport by late afternoon. On the way there, we stopped off at the Tawharanui Sanctuary just down the beach. Keeping kiwi and other ground dwelling birds safe is serious business here and this place told the story. It is a gated park with traps set all around the outside and solid gates leading in. It was quiet and peaceful and a nice walk before the long drive. Since we still had some time to kill, we decided to just detour into the city and check out the harbor. Mark filled them in on all the boats in port there that we wish we owned and then we went over to check out the bizarre casino in the Sky Tower. I don't ever go to the casino but I am
in awe of it. You can watch from a viewing area in the tower and I am facinated by the money that players feed into the little machines at the table. It seems to be mostly filled with Japanese folks who never react to winning or losing. Of course there has to be some extreme action of some kind every few meters in NZ and the Sky Tower offers it right around the corner in the tower itself. You can go up and walk around the top, tethered to the rim or you can jump off. We watched a couple of guys doing the sky dive from the top. This is a free fall, face down toward a targeted platform at the base of the tower. 192 meters (630 feet) straight down. 85 miles an hour in 11 seconds. Very cool. The goodbye at the airport was sad one again. Gosh, you would think I would be used to these by now. But my family didn't let me cry for long cause we had to get ready for Australia - we were leaving in 9 hours.
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