Where have you been!?

Yes, I realize it's already July. And I know it's been over a month. Let's just say that snow in July is throwing me off. I'm wearing a beanie, buried under blankets in my non-centrally heated flat. But it's cool...I get the mountains, the ocean, the slow pace of life all in exchange for slight discomfort. I'm quite used to it, actually, whereas my new flatmate from Nebraska isn't. A snowboarder, he left a hot mid-west summer for the damp chill of Christchurch and the ski-fields of the Southern Alps. He arrived just as I returned from my trip with my parents.

We spent just over two weeks touring much of the North and South Islands and covered quite a lot of ground from the rain forest to the glaciers, and from Maori art and culture to fine wines and cheeses. We also traveled on many modes of transportation: we drove between Auckland the Coromandel and Rotorua; flew between Wellington and Marlborough; rode the train between Marlborough, Christchurch, and Arthur's Pass; jet-boated down the Waimakariri river; drove to Mt. Cook, and then Queenstown; flew in a helicopter over the Alps and Fiordland National Park to Milford Sound (which is really a fjord), stopping on a glacier; and cruised on a boat through Milford.

The highlights for both me and my parents included our tour around Auckland, the Fulbright awards ceremony in Wellington, Arthur's Pass, and our helicopter flight around Queenstown. In Auckland, we learned about modern urban Maori life with a focus on modern art. Melissa, our hip and knowledgeable guide, began our tour at a black sand beach on the west coast of the city. We left a city steeped in fog and arrived in the coastal suburbs with a low winter sun breaking through the clouds. As we stood beneath historic Maori Pa sites (important gathering places, high grounds for refuge or retreat), Melissa recounted the Maori origin story. Standing on the empty beach, we closed our eyes and imagined earth mother and sky father being separated by their children, guardians of wind, volcanoes, the sea, the forest, etc. We opened our eyes in a new world, with a new awareness that would stay with us for the remainder of the trip.

On the next beach, on the other side of the rocks, we noticed a gathering and a Department of Conservation Van. Dogs ran about excitedly. When we got close we could see and smell the sinewy remains of a whale carcass, maybe 5 meters long. The stench was awful and overwhelming, yet it belied a certain beauty of the animal. Having been dead at sea for weeks, much of the skin had rotted away exposing colorful muscle, fat, vessels, and bone. I'd like to think it was an omen.

Not everyone was as interested in the foul carcass as I was, so we quickly left for a bush walk, where my parents were introduced to the native bush, including many ferns, the great Kauri tree, and the Kaukau bush, which provided us with wonderful tea. After our brief walk, we had lunch in a hip neighborhood, explored its galleries, and then met one of New Zealand's master carvers, Blaine Terito. He welcomed us into his home where he showed us his work and shared his stories. He also spoke with us about his moko, or facial tatooing, a Maori tradition reserved for only the most respected members of the community. Moko was almost lost with colonization, but with the current Maori resurgence it's being practiced again. Like many Maori arts, this is concerned with whakapapa, or genealogy and descent. Additionally, it's message lies in what is left unmarked, the white spaces between the ink. We learned a great deal from him and feel very privileged that we could meet with such a highly regarded artist and cultural leader.

Another favorite segment of the trip, was the time we spent in Wellington. There, I met with the Fulbright students from New Zealand, going to study in the U.S., and we were honored together in the parliament building at the awards ceremony. After a couple of ministers, the head of the Fulbright New Zealand board, and the U.S. ambassador to NZ spoke we walked up to the stage to receive our certificate, leis, pins, and shake some hands. After some photos and an a whole lot of kvelling, we retreated to a local sushi bar for dinner with the other U.S. Fulbrights. It was a pretty special night.

From there, we hopped Cook straight to the South Island, where we drank a lot of wine, ate a lot of cheese, and saw millions of sheep. In Arthur's Pass, we had an off-road tour of Flock Hill, a sheep station, and toured parts of Arthur's Pass, our first taste of the Southern Alps. We spent the last few days of our trip in the mountains, sleeping beneath Mt. Cook, and flying to Milford sound, where we cruised below waterfalls misting off sheer cliffs carved out by glaciers millions of years ago. On our way flying back over the snowy peaks, we landed on a pristine glacier. The ice and snow crunched beneath our feet as we walked about. From there, the mountain and glacier sloped down to oblivion with only the ocean beyond it's edge, on one side, and the whole of the Alps on the other. We were there for just a few moments...any longer and I may have blown away.

In other news: I fell while hiking with my parents during our last day in Queenstown and badly sprained my ankle. No hiking for me for the next month or two. So unable to join my flatmates in Queenstown for a weekend of snowboarding, I drove down with them and went to the Wanaka Mountain Film Festival instead. For three days, I immersed myself in extreme sport film: mountain biking, snowboarding, free-skiing, mountaineering, hang-gliding, base-jumping, kite-skiing, and rock climbing. It was a great weekend and as always, a beautiful drive to the mountains. Unfortunately, I returned to my flat unable to find my car where I had left it. It was stolen, with my trusty hiking boots inside. Even if my insurance did cover it (which it doesn't), I could never buy back shoes that had been worn in for six years and had led me through the Appalachian Mountain trail, Costa Rica, the Adirondacks, on now New Zealand. I'm still hoping for the best. Let me know if you've seen a lonely looking red Subaru station wagon; YZ6757.



For more pictures from the trip, check out the link to my flickr photo page.



Cheers,

D