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....?

Water restrictions? What a strange and foreign concept. Growing up in rural Australia, water was always seen as finite resource and restriction were commonplace. It is now at point where it is no longer a question of whether there are restrictions in place or not, but at what level the restrictions are. Furthermore, the restrictions are no longer seen as a temporary state but a permanent part of life – all year round. Farmers can no longer to ever expect to get 100% of their water allocations, summer watering hours are enforced as harsh as speeding fines or other minor criminal offences, and green lush lawns are frowned upon even in public spaces. This is what I left behind in Australia, this new cancer firmly chiselled in to the Australian psyche.

Leaving Australia in November last year, we flew over vast plains of dry, brown grass and dust. Nothing too unusual for the south of the continent at the end of spring though. Arriving in New Zealand, we drifted over great swathes of dark green grass, not a patch of bear earth to be seen anywhere. Brown was not a colour clearly visible in the New Zealand landscape. Instead, it is a palate of shades of green, surrounded and mottled by various hues of blue. These were the colours which assaulted my eyes in every direction I looked. Even in the height of summer, everything was green and lush helped along by summer storms between the long fine runs of sunny days. Come winter, it turned colder and then the skies delivered the real reason behind this perpetual greenness. The rain tumbled down, filling all the creeks and rivers and creating other temporary ones. The fields became marshes and soil remained sodden. The opposite of water restrictions and preservation were methods to drain the land as quickly as the rain falls. Channels and drains criss cross the landscape to allow the water to remove itself and its inconveniences with it.

So, water restrictions? Still pretty much unheard of in this part of the world. We clean with water blasting machines, not brooms, we have shower heads that deliver enough water to fill the Sydney Harbour in seconds and everyone has dishwashers, swimming pools, and washes their cars and driveways with hoses. Just one of the many minor differences that remind us that even though a form of English is spoken over here, we are not in Australia anymore.

Be great in act, as you have been in thought. (Shakespeare 1564-1616)

What I learnt today.

A recent rest from work has reminded me why I wanted to move to New Zealand and inspired me to get even more motivated to experience the new and challenge my self-perception. Since deciding to stay on indefinitely in this country, I have noticed my mind become more work focussed and life has been taking on a new rhythm revolving around getting the most out of my job and finding satisfaction in the routine. All good, but this was about to change.

When friends recently visited from Australia, we headed off on a road trip and ended up spending the last few days on the slopes of Mt Ruapehu snowboarding. Downhill skiing I had accomplished back while studying in USA, and had many opportunities since. Cross country skiing was the mode of transport over winter when working in Norway. Snowboarding was that uninspiring activity that I saw all the young kids creating havoc on the ski slopes with. Not for me. It’s a fad and it will never last anyway.

But last it did, and even flourished you might say. Ski down any number of slopes these days, and the boarders equal if not outnumber, the skiers. I needed to see if it really was that much fun, or were all these people just doing it for the tough image of being a rebel, of one who walks to a different beat, or should I say of one who slides down a different slope? Either way, the board was on my feet, the appropriate gear was donned, the German instructor was ready to instruct and the fun began. Fun trying to stand up, fun trying to stay standing, fun trying to move right, fun trying to move left, fun trying to turn, fun trying to stop, fun getting on the lift and then fun doing it all over again…..and again with a few falls…..and again with 2 falls….and again with no falls…..and again. And then it sunk in why there were so many people boarding than skiing these days. It was loads of fun! Snowboarding was so much more challenging and rigorous than I imagined, yet a strong sense of grace and smoothness – unable to be compared to skiing at all really. Inspiring!In the aftermath of this latest adventure, my mind went in to inspiration overdrive. I had experienced something new and stimulating and loved it. This posed the question - what else am I missing out on? Everywhere I looked, I came up with ideas and new challenges I wanted to attempt. Surfing, dancing, painting. Writing, singing, documentary making! It’s all there for the brave and all I needed to do was step forward and make the most of my privileged situation. So next time you are travelling around the New Zealand countryside look out for the singing, juggling artist and author who plays the guitar with a distinctive Latin American dance rhythm while surfing the breaks along the coast of Raglan. It could be me.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain)

If you like to travel....

I found this website about travel quotes, but it also has so much more including free volunteer opportunities, advice, suggestions and everything else you that may interest fellow travel minded people. The link goes to the quotes page, but it is an inspiring palce to start.
Brave New Traveller

Also, for those who do not have access to facebook yet, I have created a Picasa album of our recent road trip with Lisa and Richard. have alook here.

What winter?

“Watch out for the Waikato Winter” I was inform many times when I arrived in New Zealand. With steady reminders about how cold and wet it gets here, I was braced for a daily confrontation against cold, icy mornings, constant rain, driving winds and bad moods. Ready to conquer the predications that a mere Aussie will not cope with the onslaught and will be pointed at and teased, eventually forever being shunned as a fool. So I waited for the intensity of winter to bring on its wrath, I waited to step up to the challenge of showing my capacity to adapt to the climatic extremes of New Zealand, and I waited to see spring arrive so I could exultantly call myself the victor of this battle against the elements. And I am still waiting. It did get cold. It was minus 4 degrees Celsius a few mornings, it definitely did rain more frequently than my place of origin in Australia, and I can see snow on the distant volcanic peaks. But now the daily temperatures are in the mid to high teens again, and rising. The nights are mild enough to start the day in a short sleave and vest. The grass is growing, the birds are singing, the bulbs are flowering, the days are getting much longer, and yes, spring has pounced upon our paradise. So why don’t I feel triumphant, like I survived the nastiest weather experience ever and want to run up the hills shouting “Victory to the Aussie, Victory I say!”. I think it is because many locals have this idea that all of Australia is sunny and warm year round. Many have relatives living in Queensland, which of course is not the best representation of Australia, so that is what they know best. Every time you see a travel advertisement or a holiday package deal it is also to Queensland, yet again spreading the rumour that all of Australia is warm and sunny. Full stop. It is unacknowledged that places like Adelaide and Melbourne can get icy cold in winter, and that it snows in Canberra and Hobart. Queensland is not Australia, but it is what many people over here seem to identify with. So, I did survive the winter unscathed, and upon hearing a few locals say that was the most terrible winter they recall, my confidence is enhance to endure the next few winters with less struggle than the last. I guess that still signifies I can get into my boots, ascend the nearest knoll, and roar “Victory is upon us, let’s celebrate!”.

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. (St. Augustine)