Basic Instinct of Travel

Travel, I feel, is a basic human instinct.  Our ancestors did not sit on a couch scrolling social media.  They wandered the earth searching for food, shelter and territory, expanding across vast oceans and great continents. Over a millennium this instinct has weakened for many, but not for me.  As a young child I dreamed of places far from my humble small-town surroundings, where my imagination was lifted by the dry winds that parched the surrounding desert. Not knowing where these places were and what I would find when I got there, did not diminish the awareness I sensed that destiny would be my guide. And so it has been, but the journey of discovery is not over yet.  I hear that familiar knock at my door, I have to go, again.  

Skiing in slo' mo'

This was taken a few weeks ago when on a ski trip to Queenstown.  I appear half way through wearing a bright blue jacket.  It felt like I was flying down the slope, kicking up powder and blinding the skiers behind me, with danger and adventure the names carved on my skis.  The reality is a casual stroll in the park as children a fraction my size zip past me as a mere blur out of the corner of my eyes.... 

Never enough.

When reflecting upon holidays past, I often find myself wishing I had enjoyed and appreciated the time more than what I remember doing.  I know it doesn’t make sense really.  In such cases, the perceived act of hindsight can become a curse.  Now here I sit, on the last day of a magnificent holiday to the heart of the New Zealand Alps and I can sense that thought looming again.  It is just waiting to flood my head with guilt as soon as I am back on home soil.  The longing to have created more fun and joy during this holiday has already begun to creep in to my head.  And it is this which now confuses me because I knew it would happen so I did try to amplify my experiences, thoughts and impressions.   I looked at every minute detail of the panoramas, so as to not miss a thing.  I breathed the alpine air deeply, filling my lungs with mountain freshness in the hope of remembering it better.  I ate glorious food with passion, using all my senses – the smells, the colours, the textures.  And yet, here I sit, wishing I had done more………..and so I learn, it just isn’t possible.  I just have to sit back and relax in this moment of tranquillity.

 “Once you have travelled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

Each occasion I have journeyed to a Pacific island, I am struck by the simplicity and casual tempo of island life.  People’s lives appear to be uncluttered and unpretentious in the way the majority of the world’s societies lost a long time ago.  The ebb and flow of daily routines embrace much of what we would refer to as ‘down time’.  Periods of quiet interaction with fellow villagers or nature - clusters of men sitting beneath a huge Banyan Tree, women and children playing down at the river or individuals simply sitting on the beach surveying the waves as they harmoniously interact with each other.  It is a lifestyle I envy, devoid of modern anxieties and complication.  I wonder what they must think of the western style of living.  Do they think we are illogical or do they aspire to have some of what we have?  The nice car, money, electricity, running water?  Is the grass always greener on the other side?

"One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."  Henry Miller

Vanuatu

What a remarkable place was Vanuatu. I bragged about the private swimming pool we had, the deck overlooking a coral lagoon and the warm and balmy weather. But this is what the tourist thinks make a good holiday. Sure, the luxury was amusing and novel, but here is what I actually enjoyed about Vanuatu.
There must be something about island folk which they all share in their genes. Visiting Jamaica some years ago was my first island experience and it was as laid back and magical as purported to be through anyone’s imagination. Just the name conjures up a sense of chilling by the beach with daiquiri in hand. Travelling around the south pacific these past has amplified this impression, regardless of the island. Samoa and Niue made me envious of the simple lifestyle which produces such happy smiles and healthy lifestyles. Vanuatu blows them all away, with a charm and seduction I wasn’t expecting. Before travelling in that direction, I read that people from Vanuatu have been judged the happiest in the world by an international grade – two years running! A likely story, I chuckled to myself, just wanting to get the tourist dollars I bet. But walking around the streets and villages, in areas that often have no electricity or running water, and all you see are big flashy smiles. Children running around, playing and laughing, and not an iPod or Nintendo Wii in sight. Adults sitting and watching the kids, cutting wood or just talking quietly amongst themselves before exploding in riotous laughter. Youths displaying the typically slow walking style I call the ‘tropical shuffle’ while walking to a market. It was so refreshing to see that we don’t all live in a hectic and stressful world and that maybe, we can all be like that. I know I am romanticising the island way a little, but do we really need everything us civilised westerners have? Do we really need to do everything we do in a day to validate our existence and to make us happy? We have a different lifestyle which will not tolerate radical changes. But I realise there are little things we can do to emulate an island style. I plan to smile more as I pass people, not avert my eyes to the ground or star vacantly in a shop window. I can walk a little slower when I am around home or doing the shopping. Really, who am I hurrying for? I can take pleasure in what is outside, not the television, this computer, or even a book. If I can do little things like these, then what I have learnt last week will always remain with me. One of life’s lessons.

Queensland...are you still there?

I'd like to be thankful that the previously mentioned tropical depression passed Vanuatu and didn't ruin our tropical vacation which is due to begin tomorrow.  But then I see the news and how the storm turned in to the largest cyclone to ever hit Queensland and has had a devastating impact on thousands of people, and I begin to feel selfish.  What a trade off - a holiday inconvenience or wide spread damage of my homeland?  I wish I had been in a position to have made a choice.

A slight change.

Sometimes when I sit down to write, I get carried away on a philosophical tangent and I don't really know where that drive comes from.  I don't sit down with that intention, it's just that sometimes I like to enliven my thoughts through words and bring them in to the real world.  It makes me feel a little bit creative and most importantly, it makes me feel good.  The intention of this blog originally though was to be a means of keeping everyone up to date with the goings on in life here in New Zealand.  So back to basics and I will try to write more about what we are doing as opposed to the deep and sometimes dark bursts of philosophy.  Afer all, I also wanted this blog to become a personal record of this adventure as well as a means of keeping everyone informed of my life.  So, whats new.......?
Life continues to roll along and sometimes I have to double check dates for it really to make sense just how fast time is passing.  When I think of things I did a year ago, it seems like a few months ago, and so my entire sense of time and order are constantly being challenged.  In a few days it will be two years since we drove away from our farm, and that moment indeed does seem like a lifetime ago.  Everything since then thought is all as recent as yesterday in my mind and my emotions.
Work continues to grow and evolve in to a constant learning experience.  There is no monotony or routines at Hamilton Zoo.  I am always being offered opportunities to grow and to challenge myself, and I am always taking them.  I don't just go to work and to the basic zoo keepers role, albeit this is the most important and enjoyable aspect of my job.  I have been given opportunities to get involved in policies and procedures, education services and leadership and do not tire of these new inclusions.
Our mini-farm here has grown by two this past week, with the birth of two calves and another two expected sometime soon.  This is a much better outcome from last year where we only had two calves born, both still born.  I am selling the three geese however as they make a hell of a lot of noise and chase the chooks around the place.
A for travel, summer is here and so we have begun going camping again for the season.  In December we are going to be climbing Mt Taranaki, a volcano on the North Island.  In Februaury we booked flights to Vanuatu and in April we booked time to go on a week long road trip to the north of the North Island.
So that's us in a nutshell!

What I want.......

Sometimes we want so much that we lose sight of what we actually have.  I am a classic example of this and recognised this trait in myself a long time ago.  Some would have you believe that it is a negative trait to possess, one that needs to be exorcised from the demon within thus leading to pure and happy thoughts about life.  Taken to the extreme, I can see some truth in that belief.  Taken to the extreme, it could be seen as greed and pure over exasperated self indulgence.  But kept at a balance, wanting for things, whether it is a new jacket, a holiday in Rome or to find true love, can be a mode of emotional transport through life.  We know we will not get one tiny ounce of the things that we want, but this doesn’t stop us compiling those imaginary fantasies in our minds.  Some of these things, with time, become our goals or they start to shape our thoughts, our emotions and our attitudes.  Sometimes they even help us get by, even though we know they are unattainable.  The wants become part of the life plan and before we know it, we have gone from just wanting stuff to fill our lives, to having something to aim for in the future.  So next time you feel guilty for wanting something, stop and think about it and just enjoy the thought.  Maybe you will end up finding yourself buying a new jacket, while on a holiday in Rome with your true love.  Doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?

The worst of South Island

- Gorse: the noxious weed is everywhere and scars the vistas all too frequently

- Hamner Springs; marketed as tiny mountain village with quaint attitude and a destination in itself, horribly good marketing for a dull, crowded and souless urban settlement.

- Recreational hunters and hunting everywhere. A mentality I just don’t understand and a practice I abhor.

-Picton: The first landfall for the ferry from the North Island is encircleed by scarred hills from forestry. What isn’t covered in rubble or pines is covered by gorse.

In hindsight, if this is the worst on offer then the best can surely be noted as being brilliant!

South Island....again

The best of the South Island


- The West Coast: aggressively rugged coastline, being comforted by a lush smooth blanket of wind sculpted rainforest, a true juxtaposition of beauty.

- Oamaru: architecturally gracious city reflecting the perseverance and strength of the early European settlers.

-Coronet Peak: Queenstown ski field with the most impressive facilities and efficient operations I have ever seen at a ski field.

-McKenzie Basin: endless, sweeping, snow covered pastures, surrounded by protecting ranges, a white wonderland.

- Kaikoura: coastal village managing to retain its small village atmosphere amidst a multimillion dollar whale watching tourism industry, jagged mountain peaks plummeting down to the shoreline.

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move. -- (Robert Louis Stevenson 1850-1894)

Southern Alps, New Zealand

The governing feature of the South Island is the magnificent Southern Alps. They run for 450 kilometres stretching the entire length of the island . Their highest point is Aoraki/Mt Cook at 3,754 metres compared to Mt Kosciusko 2,228m, Mt St Helens 2,549m, Kilimanjaro 5,893, Mt Fuji 3,776m, Mount Blanc 4,810m and Mt Everest 8,848m. They are one of the most southern ranges in the world and as such they have a permanent snowline above 1600-2700 metres and over 3000 glaciers. Associated with the Alps are raging mountain rivers, wild fjords and expansive glacial lakes. For anyone who has seen Lord of the Rings, you would have seen some of the Alps without realising as the scenery featured significantly in the movie trilogy. My enthusiasm for snow was set free and wild amongst this scenery as the mid winter climate cloaked these glorious vistas in gentle white. It evoked memories of when I studied in the USA and worked in Norway. It cleansed me and fed my soul with nourishing magic.

Me? A tourist??

When did I become a camera carrying, rubber necking tourist? Was it when I turned 40? Was this the point at which I leapt at being an independent traveller to a crusty crazy snapshot tourist? Maybe I am over exaggerating, but it was thoughts like this which burst in to my head during our recent holiday on the South Island. Buying a new multi lens camera kit, with carry bag, on the first day of the road trip, probably aided in me seeing myself in a different sense. I couldn’t take enough photos from enough angles without feeling like I was viewing everything through a lens, and not the reality. A bit like watching someone else holiday unfold on a television travel show, a hazy insight in to the experience but not doing it yourself. Now that I am back to base, I have hundreds of photos of the trip. What I didn’t realise at the time that I do now though, is that these hundreds of photos will immortalise the many memories I also have of the trip. So the crusty crazy snapshot tourist may not be a comfortable coat to wear, but the physical evidence of memories which evoke emotions of enjoyment and adventure outweigh any fleeting negative self image I may have stumbled upon. So if you will all excuse me for now, I have some more photos I need to go and take…..

South Island

 

McKenzie Basin, South Island

 

Queenstown....

 

South Island....Awesome.

We have just returned last night, from a two week road trip around the South Island of New Zealand. After 3954 kms, my eyes are full of the visions of snow, soaring mountains and panoramic landscapes that evoke feelings of strength, wonder and spectacle. Being my second visit to the South Island, this recent trip rekindled the magical impression I already had of that astonishing fragment of the world. Historic modest seaside villages nestled in picturesque coves, appearing diminutive against the backdrop of the Southern Alps. These Alps are the spine of the island and viewable from almost all corners. As a size comparison, the South Island is 151,251 km², roughly the equivalent of the size of the US state of Illinois and twice the size of Scotland, Austria or the Australian state of Tasmania. Here are a few photos to begin the picture I want to paint for you. In upcoming entries I hope to share more about the journey, what I discovered and to relive the experiences which have already begun to be converted into past memories.

Winter is officially here. The days seem shorter, everything is always wet either from rain or from dew, and the mornings will soon be getting frosty and even colder. YIPPEE! I have been waiting for this for a long time it seems; looking forward to the winter rains, the snowy peaks and the moods Mother Nature goes through to produce this fine landscape all around me.
In less than 2 weeks, we are heading south to the South Island for a few weeks of camping and adventure. Camping in winter I hear you shriek with surprise? We have all the right equipment and look forward to the company of nature and weather along our journey. We will be fine…..hmmm.
My next journey beyond that will be back to Australia in September for the second of my residential schools for University. This time I will be spending a week out at Mt Lawson Nature Park, between Albury and Corryong, where I will be trapping and monitoring all types of flora and fauna. Much better than sitting in a classroom.
My family recently came for a visit which was great. My sister, brother in law and two nieces hired a motor home and trekked off around the North Island, while Mum came to stay with us for a week. Everyone spent the last few days here at our house before flying back to Australia again. I hope they enjoyed it as much as we did.
Other than that, all is well on the home range. Work continues to take up much of my time, so lucky I have a pretty good job. We try to get out and do walks or go camping or other interesting things on our days off. This helps keep that ‘holiday’ feeling I experienced when we first arrived in New Zealand. As they say, all work and no play………..

25 things you may not have known about New Zealand

1 - Cook's cure - Captain James Cook, the man who navigated New Zealand, is said to have discovered a cure for scurvy, a disease that results from Vitamin C deficiency, when he played around with medicines.
2 - More births- New Zealand births exceeded deaths by 29,890 in the September 2005 year.

3 - Older brides - New Zealanders are getting married older. The latest statistics show that the median ages of men and women marrying for the first time is 29.9 and 28.1 years. These brides and grooms married, on average, nine years older than their parents did.
4 - Big on butter - For each person who lives here, New Zealand produces 100kg of butter and 65kg of cheese each year.
5 - Clever Kiwis - A New Zealander invented the tear-back velcro strip, the pop-lid on a self-sealing paint tin, the child-proof pill bottle and the crinkle in hair-pins so that they don't fall out.
6 - Olympic gold - New Zealand has won more Olympic gold medals a head than any other country.
7 - Sheep dip - In the early 1980s, New Zealand was home to more than 70 million sheep, but now has 40 million, or about 10 sheep to one person. This decline hasn't stopped New Zealand from bringing in 50 per cent of all international trade in sheepmeat.
8 - Golf swings
Measured by club memberships, golf is the most popular sport in New Zealand, followed by netball.
9 - Curious Kea - The kea, native to New Zealand, likes to eat the strips of rubber around car windows.
10 - Quick work - The shortest interval between separate births in the world is 208 days. New Zealander Jayne Bleackley gave birth to Joseph Robert on September 3, 1999, and Annie Jessica Joyce on March 30, 2000.
11 - Why bother? - Two Massey University students broke a Guinness World Record in December for the world's largest tape ball. The ball, which weighs 53kg and has a circumference of more than 2.5m, was made by winding Scotch tape continually around itself.
12 - Spelling test - The longest place name in the world still in use is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipikimaungahoronukupokaiwenuakitanatahu… a hill in Porangahau in the Hawkes Bay. The Maori name translates to "the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as Landeater, played his flute to his loved one."
13 - Middle age - The median age of New Zealanders is growing. In 1901 it was 23. By 1991 it was 31 and in 2001 it was 35. By 2021 it is expected to be 40.
14 - Rising prices - In 1984, $43 in New Zealand would buy approximately the same as $100 today.
15 - Blacked out - The longest blackout in the world was on February 19, 1998, when the four main power cables supplying Auckland city, broke down. The disruption, which lasted 66 days, affected 7500 business and residential customers and cost businesses an estimated $300 million.
16 - The sea, the sea - No part of New Zealand is more than 128km from the sea.
17 - Lost in space
In the scene of Star Trek: First Contact, when Picard shows Lilly she is orbiting Earth, Australia and Papa New Guinea are clearly visible but New Zealand is missing.
18 - Bottom line - No capital city in the world is further south than Wellington.
19 - Animal farm - Less than 5 per cent of the population of New Zealand is human - the rest are animals. This is one of the highest ratios of animals to humans in the world.
20 - Pipebands galore - There are more Scottish pipe bands per head of population in New Zealand than in Scotland.
21 - Big readers - New Zealand has more book-shops per head of population than any other country; one for every 7500 people.
22 - Bad behaviour - New Zealand has the third highest rate of deaths in the developed world from maltreatment among under-15-year-olds; third to Mexico and the US.
23 - Freshwater spring - More fresh water flows up from cracks in the limestone at Waikoropupu, near Takaka, than from any other freshwater spring in the world - more than 2100 million litres every 24 hours.
24 - Trout heaven - More rainbow trout in the 2kg to 3kg category are caught annually in New Zealand than in the rest of the world put together.
25 - World-beaters - New Zealand is home to the world's smallest dolphin, the Hectors Dolphin, the rarest sea lion, the Hookers Sea Lion, the largest flightless parrot, the kakapo, the oldest reptile, the tuatara, the heaviest insect, a weta, the biggest earth-worms, the smallest bats, some of the oldest trees, and many of the rarest birds, insects, and plants in the world.

Ngarunui Beach

Me? Snowboard??

Here I am, roaring down the slopes of Mt Ruapehu. The person that falls over in about half way through, is not me. I am the one zooming past in the orange jacket. Anyone else impressed? Or just me....?