Northern Exposures

So I managed to convince my friend Rebecca that it would be a good idea to take a long weekend driving around Northland, despite our copious workloads. (I've been in a 3-month long denial about this work, so this trip fit nicely into my current mind-state).



Our first stop was Leigh, a small coastal town, home to a marine reserve and lab, for a party to celebrate Guy Fawkes day (a member of a group of English Roman Catholics which planned to blow up the English Parliament and kill King James, to destroy Protestant rule and kill the Protestant Aristocracy. They failed, hence the celebration). Yes, I know, this is New Zealand, not England, but these are the kinds of perks you get in the Commonwealth. Anyway, celebration in New Zealand and Australia is an excuse to have a bbq or hangi, get drunk, set off some fireworks (legal here), have a giant bonfire and burn an effigy of Mr. Fawkes. You know, the usual summer festivities. If only we Americans hadn't been so damn truculent, we could be burning a straw man too!



While we were blessed with blue skies on Guy Fawkes day, as soon as we left Leigh, it rained for 4 days straight. From the Bay of Islands to the Kauri Coast, we were perpetually wet. Apparently, the region--which is mostly farmland--hadn't had rain for many weeks and was desperate for a drop. Of course we picked the one weekend when the heavens opened. Despite the dampness, we were happy to be out of the city, exploring the beautiful northern coastlines, hanging out in quaint fishing towns, splashing around tide pools and surf beaches playing with starfish and crabs, binging on abundant and brilliant sea food, making the obligatory trip to Cape Reinga, and paying homage to the towering Kauri trees, monsters of the bush.



Of course as soon as we returned to Auckland, the skies parted, and we saw the sun for the first time in almost a week.



After scratching my Northland itch, I got back to work on applications. I'm almost done! But I can't believe that I'm already planning trips to New York and Chicago for interviews in 4-6 weeks! crazy. You see, those places don't exist here. For the past 10 months, NZ has been a reality--albeit surreal and fun-filled--and the U.S. has been the fantasy, an apparition conjured in television, radio, and movie theaters down-under. On Dec. 5, I'll enter liminal airspaces and airport lay-overs to gain the day i lost a year ago. When I emerge, groggy and stiff, NZ will be a misty fantasy again, and the reality of the Buffalo winter will hit me like a lake-effect snow ball.





cheers,
d