Snowflakes in July - New Zealand

Oceania » New Zealand
September 15th 2006

Published: January 23rd 2007

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Cricket Travels

Lifeguard tower

Mount Manganui, NZ

Snowflakes in July - New Zealand
I think I spent too many summers enjoying the beaches of California, outdoor BBQs and sunshine in July…I’ve been programmed from childhood that the months of June, July and August signify summertime! So it was an adjustment to live in the Southern Hemisphere where you travel to the ski fields and see snowmen being built in July! Despite the reverse season, we took advantage of the winter and had plenty of fun -- skiing in July, brewing lagers that need cold storage temps, hiking without the crowds, etc.! The winter brought us much rain (and was said to have been the harshest winter in 35 years!) but we managed to occupy our time with muddy mountain biking, hiking, shell collecting, dinner parties with all our wonderful international friends, All Blacks rugby games, tennis, and Quiz Nites at a local pub (our team won 5+ weeks and running - most likely, in part, to an adopted kiwi team member, Lance!). Of course, our quiz prize would be what else but a gift certificate for more pub drinks!! (like we needed any more drinking encouragement! haha)
We were also fortunate to have had many visitors during this

Lake Tarawera

Near Rotorua, NZ

period -- Jason’s brother, Mike, my mom and my cousins, Pat & Darrold. While touring them around, we were able to hit some beautiful and unique spots in New Zealand that Jason and I hadn’t yet seen…Coromandel Peninsula, a pretty coastal area with artsy overtones, Wellington with its beautiful gardens, outdoor cafes, historic homes & shops, distinctive architecture, and historic cable car, and Auckland with its charming neighborhoods, 360 degree views from the Sky Tower (similar to the Seattle Space Needle!), and exploring Mount Eden, a dormant volcano. In contrast to the bigger cities, we hit some truly “Off the Beaten Path” spots as well. For example, we couldn’t miss the Carrot Capital of New Zealand, Ohakune, nor Jerusalem, an isolated mission town along the Whanganui River, inhabited by the Sisters of Compassion Convent (population 20). In fact, as we were describing our driving route to a pub bartender, she commented, “Tourists NEVER take that road!!” (haha)
As is our tradition, we were also able to hit more of New Zealand’s wonderful wine regions, Martinborough (a small area north of Wellington renowned for its Pinot Noirs) and Waiheke Island (near Auckland - - traditionally a funky artist outpost but keeping

Jason & his Paua shell find

with the worldwide housing boom, Waiheke Island’s “artist cottages” are now multi-million dollar real estate).
When we decided to live in New Zealand we expected quite an adventure. We were very fortunate to have been rewarded with one even bigger than expected -- we saw endless beautiful scenery and took a peek into different cultural traditions but the people, by far, made the trip, both those that came to visit us and those lifelong friends we made in little Whakatane/Ohope Beach from all over the globe: New Zealand, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Wales, South Africa, USA, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Korea, Czech Republic…For a small community in New Zealand, it was more like of a gathering of the UN…Maybe our world leaders could learn something from our little town in the Bay of Plenty! 😊 😊 Thank you to everyone for the amazing times and our cherished memories!

What we’ll miss the most:
The lifelong friends we’ve made (we can’t wait to see you all again!!!)
The sparrows that came to visit me on the backyard deck each day
Walking on Ohope Beach where you have miles of unspoilt, peaceful beach
Making an entire day of shell collecting
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