Well it’s about time I hear you say!

Sorry it has been a long time since I last wrote a bit of an update.  There are of course all of the same old excuses of being busy, work and holidays, but none of them can really be considered acceptable reasons to be so slack with keeping you up to date.

It is coming up to three years since we left Australia and headed across to New Zealand for a change of scenery and a bit of an adventure.  And the adventure continues.  Time has moved along at a pace that it hard to distinguish a difference between when we left Australia and what I did last week.  It all seems to have blurred in to one.  Maybe this is a sign of the adventure we are on, or maybe it is a sign of getting older.  Either way, it feels good.

We moved to a new house earlier this year. The little cottage we were living in was the original family home of our landlord, and she wanted to move back in after a relationship break-up.  There was no hurry for us to move so we took our time to search for the next great house to make our home.  We found one in April and moved what little we had with no fuss.  The new house is bigger, much newer and warmer so there were some nice changes.  It is also closer a tiny settlement which has a store and a great coffee shop (the only two buildings in the village) which we can walk to for any last minute supplies or a coffee in the sun on our days off.  It is also closer to the coastal town of Raglan, our most loved corner of New Zealand.  We did sell our cows though, which was a bit sad to see them go.  They all went to the same hobby farm somewhere near Auckland so I am sure they are happy.  The yard is bigger so more room for the dogs to run around and the view looks right out into the landscape compared to our last house which was nestled in a bit of a valley.  So, all up, it has been a good change in scenery.

We have been travelling around as much as time permits.  We spend a little over a week in Vanuatu in April.  We have gone out to a Pacific Island each year we have been here and so we hope to get to Tahiti next time.  We also travelled around the east coast of the north island which was the last of the regions in New Zealand that we had not yet conquered.  Can cross that one off the list now.  The most recent big trip ended just yesterday, after a week-long skiing/snowboarding trip to the South Island staying in Queenstown and Wanaka.  It was sunny the entire time so the skiing was great, although very bright, and school holidays had just finished so the place was relatively stress free.  Wanaka has been a favourite place ever since visiting there on our first trip to NZ and it has proved yet again why.  It was so peaceful and serene.  In many ways it reminded me of when I was living in Norway with the steep glacier formed valleys and countless waterfalls tumbling from the slopes.  Our next trip is already booked and that will again be to the South Island but we will go out to some of the islands that have become refuges for NZ’s rarest of birds as well as a visit to the sounds in Fiordland

Work is going well.  I am currently the acting Team Leader of Mammals which is a long way from what I thought I would get to do over here.  My boss is away on a long holiday and I got nominated to take on the role until she returns.  I have been filling in for her on her days off but nothing for as long as this.  What were they thinking, eh?  It is a good way to learn a lot very quickly and a small part of me will be disappointed when she returns.  There is an opportunity looming to become a team leader in the next few months, but there are so many other things to consider.  Like I started off saying, it has been three years and I find myself thinking of home more and more.  As for Phil, he is also growing a developing himself.  Apart from doing a lot of tiger training and becoming a primary keeper of the carnivore section, he is also one of the heads of the design team involved with building a new gibbon exhibit and modifying the tiger exhibit to accommodate more tigers.  Our year way from Australia to learn a few more tricks is really paying off for both of us.

The dogs are all good.  I am sure Flinders misses having goats to chase like he did in Australia, but we take them to the beach often and walking around the country roads around the house.  There is one goat down the road which likes to chase the dogs if they get too close, so that is their ‘fix’ of herding animals.  We also left our chooks at the previous house, so it’s just us and the dogs now.  A far cry from the days of our farm at Rockleigh back in Oz with all the goats, chooks, peacocks, pigeons, frogs, snakes, geese, emus, fish, guinea fowl and everything else.  I miss having lots of animals around us at home, but we really don’t spend as much time here as we did back in Oz.  Our days off are often used up going places and walking or skiing or just taking the dogs to the beach.  We wouldn’t have time to appreciate or properly care for anything else these days.  It will probably change upon our return to Australia although it has been good not having to organise someone to feed a hoard of critters when we go away.

As always, if you want to know more, I am still maintaining my blog that I started when I left Australia although I don’t update it as much as I would like.  It is now being archived by the National Library of Australia as material which they said was of national significance.  I’m not so sure about that, but just glad to hear that someone is reading it.

On this past holiday I promised I would try to write to family and friends more often so I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy and rest assured that I think of everyone often.

Hugs from Aoteroa

John

Good Morning Sunshine

Here are the cows getting a morning feed in front of our house. Saves Phil from doing the mowing. Phil is loitering around on the verandah.

Misty morning on the farm.

Our cows!

A sunny day out!

At last our dogs have arrived and what an immeasurable sensation it was to see them again. After scampering between various offices within Auckland International Airport to acquire the right stamps and signatures of approval, we were finally allowed to see them. We hadn’t quite completed the processes when a door opened and there was Renner, pulling at the leash attempting to go somewhere, anywhere, just get me outa here! Then she saw me and got really excited…..for a second……then headed to the grass areas for the first of many comfort stops. Poor girl. I felt even worse for Phil who was denied this first opportunity to be with Renner because he got called in to the office to pay the final ‘fee’. While one of the quarantine folks walked Renner, I went and got Flinders, who was equally as oblivious to everything, just wanted the grass area. Phil eventually came out of the office and we were all reunited and free to leave. After one fit of running up the road and back to the car, we headed off for home, the dogs hanging out of the window with all of the new smells to inhale. Tiredness took its toll, and eventually they fell asleep. At home they were so tired, there was little else to do except let them recover from their travelling ordeal, and sleep. The next morning they were different dogs completely, all rested and revved up they were crazy and full of energy bouncing from Phil to me and back again, not knowing which way to run or turn, so just running everywhere and barking with glee. It was so comforting and reassuring to see after the previous nights lack lustre reunion.So, they are now settling in very well. Renner loves the creek and all the puddles that are around. We take them for little walks each night to try and get them used to the fact that the creek is only to be visited with Phil and I around as it can flood with rain, going from several centimetres to about one and a half metres deep of raging water. They run through the tall green grass as if it brings them great pleasure and cool relief. I know it does for me.

You will never plough a field if you only turn it over in your mind.(Irish Proverb)

I’m not quite sure what I was really expecting with my arrival in New Zealand. I was a little too idealistic in my attitude of leaving many old thoughts and concerns behind as I left Australian soil for the green grass on the other side of the fence, known formally as New Zealand. Without realising it, I think I was hoping for an easy transition where everything would go perfectly and my life would be full of adventure and fun. Now that I have landed here, physically and psychologically, I have realised that no matter where you are, life consists of the same elements for everyone. The daily struggle of relationships- both old and new, of work – the eternal time consumer for life itself, and finally of leisure – the things that make it all worthwhile. I am learning now though, that while these elements and their issues will always remain, it is how I respond to them that will be important from now on. Relationships. Leaving everyone we know in one country and moving to another means that everyone we meet will be a new face, and maybe even a new relationship to develop. This takes time and effort and there will be no other way around, just time passing by and letting bonds by showing respect and interest in those around me. Then there is Phil, my comrade in arms on this adventure. Facing all of these challenges and changes alone could be daunting, but even more so with someone else. Once again, extra effort will be needed to increase my levels of consideration and patience with the one person I know can make this adventure even better than it already is. Work has so far been great, and I am looking forward to learning and growing through my new role and responsibilities here. Previous inconveniences have occurred when I inadvertently become involved in the politics of the work environment and this will be avoided by not being judgemental and remaining conservative in expressing my opinions. Leisure. This is what will secure it all together and there will be no stopping me. While the first two elements of relationships and work will be fraught with limitations, boundaries and the associated challenges, leisure will be the wild horse running free to balance the whole equation out. Bush walks, cycling, gym workouts, flying, driving, swimming, skiing and then some more bush walks from the tip of the North Island to the tip of the South Island, not forgetting the offshore islands as far away as Fiji, Samoa and maybe even Tahiti! Yep, no matter what, leisure is going to be the element which drives this vessel.

So, enough of the deep thoughts and contemplative comments and what is really going on? While I am being a little more realistic about the unfolding of his adventure it is still a great one to be on. We are living in a little unit on a farm about 15 minutes from the centre of Hamilton which is surrounded by green fields and cows, with fantastic views of the surrounding ranges. The zoo is about 10 minutes drive from our house and a lovely drive at that, through the countryside on roads lined with hedges and flowers and more green fields. Have I mentioned how green it is over here? I am working with the Chimps to begin with, primarily because two chimps from Adelaide Zoo that I worked with arrived here at Hamilton Zoo the same week. It was all a coincidence really, but it is working out well for them to have a familiar face in this new environment, and vice versa! The round also has Red Panda and Agouti (big rodent like critters from South America), so a nice variety. The zoo itself is quite big because the animal exhibits are enormous compared to most other zoos. Everyone is friendly and helpful and seem genuinely very welcoming. As you may have guessed from the opening paragraph, while I have no hesitation in meeting new people and making friends, it is almost surreal to be having to do this with so many people at once with no respite in familiarity. Hamilton is a small city (170000 people) in the centre of a productive rural floodplain. The fast flowing Waikato River flows through the centre and the area is fringed by low ranges with the west coast being about half an hour from town. The high volcanic peaks of Ruahepu and Taranaki are only a few hours drive away, Auckland is about an hour north of here and there is an airport that has flights to anywhere else we may with to spontaneously visit. With this picture in your head, I will sign off to contemplate once more life’s elements and the joys that they bring.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. (Theodore Roosevelt)

Some years ago I left Australia with an international air ticket in hand and just $38 dollars to my name. Somehow I managed to work and travel my way around the globe for the most part of a year. As my oldest friends will tell you, for much of my adult life it was a case of now you see him, now you don’t. Moving across the country on the spur of the moment, calling to let people know what I am doing after I have done it. So why is this move to New Zealand, a small hop across the ocean, providing so much more emotion for me? I lay awake most mornings before I get up thinking about this, not worrying but thinking deeply about what lays before me. I believe there is no answer to my question. Just let it be and enjoy the experience.

I am on holidays again and have continued to slowly pack up the house. Slowly I say, because I am finding it difficult to pick up an item and not remember where it came from, who gave it to me/us and what memories are associated with it. Then I have to decide whether to pack it into storage, give it away, throw it out or keep it to take to New Zealand. At the moment, that is what my life feels like – I am choosing the memories I want to keep and the ones I want to dispose of. It’s a bit surreal but at the same time liberating. This move is a great opportunity to clear out the clutter and material possessions which somehow have become so integral in my existence. Never have I spent so much of my adult life in one place – almost 8 years.

On the planning front, this is the latest. My dear mother and nieces came to stay for a few days and helped do some serious cleaning. Mum will be back in a few weeks again, when most of the furniture has been moved and we will get cleaning again. The emus went to their new home on the weekend and the last of my peafowl, pigeons and turkeys will be going this morning. This will leave us with a few chooks and the two dogs. It is so quiet around here now. We have been catching up with as many people as possible along the way and there are still more to see. I can only hope that we see everyone we want to before we depart.

Overall, while there are negatives, everything is outweighed by a renewed spirit of adventure. This journey is turning out to be much better than the original exchange we had planned. I will never thank the two NZ keepers, but I am glad they pulled out of the deal now. They were the worst part of this whole plan to go to NZ. We now have so much more flexibility with our adventure – where to live, car to drive, pets to have etc. We will be going over on our own terms and not bound by the association of others.

To sum up my situation at the moment, there is a piece by Michael Leunig which I have long cherished.

Overlooking my life so far
"In my life I had accumulated many things in my head - too many things. Memories, tunes, facts, fears, visions, loves, etc., etc. As many as possible. In a fertile mind, such things will interbreed. Mongrel visions are born; hybrid memories; inbred memories, idiot love. It gets very confusing.
I decided it was time for a good clean-up, so I emptied all this out of my head and pushed it into a big heap to sort it out. There is was - everything that was me, all in a big jumbled heap. I walked around it. What a mess!
Then suddenly I saw it in silhouette and realised what it was. It was a heap. A simple heap. You don't sort it out, you climb it. You climb it because it is there. Excitedly I clambered to the summit and raised a flag. I was now looking beyond everything that I knew. The view was simply…….magnificent!."

I'm gunna miss them!!!

The ups and downs continue, much to my dismay. One of the redeeming facts for me of having the other two NZ keepers pull out of the exchange deal was that we were no longer obliged to stay at their house, which was unsuitable for dogs. It was a shared arrangement in a suburban house with a cat. Therefore, we could now find a house where we could take the dogs with us! Smiles, happy times, how great is this?!? For me, this possibility really cancelled out the many other problems we were going to need to overcome in order to get to NZ. Do you know where this is heading yet? That's right........ taking the dogs..... is no longer an option. We knew it was going to cost a bit of money, but in fact it turned out it would cost us $4000! I was heartbroken, devastated, frustrated and despondent. Why was everything becoming so difficult now? What are we doing? How can all of this confusion and hurt end in anything worthwhile and enjoyable? Without the dogs joining us, things seemed less exciting and comfortable. With a heavy heart I knew an alternative had to be sorted and very soon. We still don't know what the final solution will be, but we do have a last back-up plan if nothing else arises. That last plan is to pay for a few fence modifications to my mothers house, as well as a bit of gardening around her yard. She already has a dog called Tibby which is just as energetic as our two and the three of them get along really well. We would also organise and pay for someone to come an walk the dogs a few times a week, if not more. That way she doesn't have to worry about trying to fit them into her busy schedule or being dragged around while walking the three dogs, all pulling in different directions. Settling on this plan made me feel much better, but nothing was going to be as perfect as taking them with us. If something amazing comes up for us in NZ while we are over there, and we do decide to stay longer, then we will fork out the money and bring them over to us.

Having sorted out an alternative, I can now see some of the positives of leaving the dogs here, at least initially anyway. We have nowhere to stay as yet in NZ, so they possibly would have been in a boarding kennel initially while we stayed in a cabin in a park or something similar. Not having to work around pets will give us a much greater flexibility in when and what we do as we try to get our feet firmly planted on NZ soil - finding a car, getting into a routine, finding a house etc. And of course, the dogs love being at mum's place with all of the visitors she gets, running around with her dog Tibby, they know her and the family, its in a country town close to the river and so on. It has to be a better arrangement for them, too.

So now I am beginning to hate roller coasters, but this one will come to an end soon. Now it is time to focus on packing and organising ourselves at this end. My remaining peacocks, turkey and pigeons will be going in the next few weeks, as will the two Emu's. The last few chooks will stay to the end before being taken to a friends place a few days before, likewise with the dogs to my mum's place. We have a few catch-ups with friends to work in to all this, as well as getting the house ready to rent out to some lucky person/people! Through all this though, I can still see this adventure as turning in to an opportunity to enjoy life.......beyond my imagination............

Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.

Ronald E. Osborn