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)

Prior to writing this entry, I went back and read several of my earliest entries leading up to our departure from Australia. I was brimming with enthusiasm and looking forward to the unknown challenges, both good and bad. I was optimistic about what potential adventures were in store for me and ready to embrace opportunities to go forward in my life, emotionally, physically and mentally. We have just passed the three month mark of our stay and I have got to say, all of those feelings and emotions I was experiencing prior to arriving in New Zealand are just as robust now if not more so. The transition period has been swift and full of activity yet nowhere near over. I can’t see this new environment ever becoming a staid and routine one, where everyday life takes over from the excitement of what each day is going to bring. Of course, not every day is full of vibrancy and awe with exuberance and happy smiles. Life is life after all. But there is no concern that things will grow old and comfortable because of the nature of what we are doing, who we are and where we are. Off the top of my head, here are a few of the big positives that keep me on this high:

We live in lovely cottage set in a beautiful location, summer is mild, the grass is green, crickets and cicadas chirp musically all day and night, the flowing stream near the house lulls me to sleep at night and wakes me gently in the morning, I work independently with the same goals at my colleagues, I can travel without having to reorganise my entire life, I have less reasons to be bound to the home on days off, I live less than 10 minutes to the Tasman Ocean with its beaches and rugged coastline, it rains, I get to go tramping regularly, we are saving lots of money so travel lots of travelling to do, our dogs are arriving next week from Australia, several family and friends are visiting us during the year beginning with my mum on Thursday!, I go to the gym every week and have lost almost 9kg since leaving Australia, I eat better and live healthier, we are off to the South Pacific island of Samoa next month, we have 5 chooks and to top it all off……….I feel great!

It's not how long you live, but how you live, that is the most important thing.

It is time to answer some frequent questions I have been getting so here are some specifics about our new work environment. For those not working in the zoo industry, some of these aspects may not mean anything at all. For fellow keepers, they may wet themselves with glee!
The Zoo – Hamilton Zoo is 14 hectares in size (approx 36 acres) compared to Adelaide Zoo's 8 hectares (approx 20 acres). It is situated amongst a low hilly area just outside of Hamilton, with room to grow and indeed already has a lot of land earmarked for future developments. It is a network of paths and boardwalks which criss cross through landscaped native forest and gardens, across lakes and through the biggest walk through bird aviary in the southern hemisphere - complete with waterfalls.

Browse – These are the trees and bushes that the animals eat and for keepers, good browse can be like gold to find. The zoo is so big that there are pockets of browse trees scattered around the zoo. This includes poplar, willow, paulownias, lucerne tree and mulberry. It is so easy to get enough browse, freshly picked, any time of the day. It’s such a luxury.

Again relating to the size of the zoo, we have gators and kobotas (two types of little buggies) with tray backs and trailers to zip around the zoo in. It’s great on a warm day to drive fast along the boundary roads to get a cool breeze blowing through your hair! It’s downright fun too!

The working roster is over a two week period. It is 3 days on, 2 off, 7 on, 2 off, then back to 3 on. If you don’t like the 7 days in a row, you can swap it with one of your other days off to break it up. Phil and I are both on the first roster I described, which is great for us as it allows us to go away for overnight trips on our time off. The hours are we start at 8am and finish at 5pm, with a morning and afternoon break and a lunch break. People tend to take a longer morning break or longer lunch and skip the afternoon break, which works really well. It is a very flexible working environment.

There is enough staff to cover all of the working areas each day, but we could always use more to allow for development and extra jobs that need doing. We have brief morning meetings each morning, just to get a feel for the big picture of the day ahead and sort out any extra jobs or issues that need to be dealt with. We have section meetings at least once a month, then all staff meetings every few months. Twice a year we have appraisals where we sit down with our supervisors and talk about our jobs, our roles, how we are doing and what do we want to achieve in the next 6/12/24 months. Our next one is in March and I am looking forward to that!

Please ask any questions you have about my New Zealand experience, as there is so much to tell I run the risk of boring you all to death. Better to be avoided, me thinks!

Never confuse motion with action. Benjamin Franklin

It is so liberating to promote dramatic change in your life. I am going through an unconditional new phase of my life and loving everything about it. What is one of the greatest feelings is the sensation of familiarity of the process I am going through. Despite being in an entirely new environment with all of its fresh challenges, different people, enjoyable routines and so on, there is something comfortably familiar about what I am experiencing. I realise now that this is an old feeling I have harnessed once again, a feeling I have had several times before – of leaving everything I know and going off in to the unknown, where no one knows me, my past or my plans. By taking only my physical self into these new situations, I have shaken off all the personal baggage I have accumulated – the worries, the misdeeds, the negatives. I have chosen what to take with me, and what to discard. The end result is a clean palate on which to paint the next story. It is just so liberating.

Not that I had things I needed to run away from, but we all get weighed down in our current lifestyles without even knowing it. It is only with such breathtaking changes can we become aware of how heavy our loads have become without noticing. Additionally, with even modest changes comes the realisation that much of this tedious load is unnecessary and oppressive. Forcing ourselves to regularly reassess our loads can free our minds and souls. Of course not everybody is in a position to pack up house, leave their jobs and take off towards the horizon in search of new adventures. But we would all be better off if we stopped once in a while, remembered who we are deep down inside where no-one and nothing else can touch us. Then consider for an instant about where we have come from and the experiences and relationships that have helped shape us. Finally, combine these whole emotions and thoughts to clarify a plan for the future. Once we do this, we can then take a deep breath and progress confidently along our selected paths. Smiling assists the sense of liberation to set in.

To be successful you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can't just accept the ones you like. (Mike Gafka)

Everywhere I look I see apes, and I don’t simply mean hairy folks with low IQ’s. On the work front, I have been living and breathing Chimps since arriving in New Zealand. For those unaware of the situation, two of the Chimps from Adelaide Zoo coincidentally arrived at Hamilton Zoo the same week I did. It has been years in the planning, and an example of how life continuously weaves a magic tapestry. So, just when these two females think they have seen the last of me and heard their last Aussie accent, there I was when they pooped out of their boxes on the other side of the Tasman. Shock? Horror? Disbelief? Disappointment? Well, it was actually reassuring and comforting for them and very importantly me, to have familiar face to bond with in this new country. Since then, there was a 30 day quarantine period (for the chimps, not me) with intensive contact and interaction, followed by a process of introducing them to the existing troop of 6 chimps. For the uninitiated, Chimps are not all cute and cuddly like the Chimps in old movies or Disney films. They can be viscous, manipulative, cognitive killers just waiting and watching to cement their place in the world by asserting dominance over others. Of course, they can also be hilarious, peaceful and loving animals, given the right social mix and stimulating environment. So, at the moment, we started off with the former and we are aiming for the latter. As the chimps begin to mix and match their personalities and preferences within the group the dynamics will change. The tension will develop and unfold to create a stable and respected social hierarchy, which will keep everyone (including the keepers), happy. Along the way there has been blood, tears and lots of screaming, and that was just from me. The chimps all have a assortment of wounds of numerous descriptions and some are playing mind games with others, testing who is to be feared, who can they persuade to be on their side, who will make the strongest team when it comes to defending themselves against the bully boys and so on. It’s a complicated process of matching personalities and strengths with others and guessing the top twenty possible outcomes and being prepared with a plan B, plan C and plan D for every possible one. The screaming is blood chilling and not something you’d want to experience without warning, then their physical strength is astounding as they throw each other from elevated platforms and their speed is blinding as they bounce of the walls like spider man. It’s all too much for a soft head like me.

As a result, I dream of chimps, or sometimes Orang-utans, almost every night. They are usually escaping out of their exhibit and I am typically the only person around to get them back in. Last night however, I dreamt of taking a bunch of Orang-utans to see a movie?!? I took them home early because they needed to go to the toilet and they didn’t know how to use the public ones in the cinema. OK, someone analyse me quick and sort this head out.

Life is an opportunity and not an obligation.