Going, going…….

A week has passed quickly, now leaving less than two weeks before our departure.  The less time we have, the faster it goes.  We don’t have much left to organise or pack, so I will be trying to enjoy this time peacefully.  Enjoy the crisp autumn mornings, the cool fog hugging the countryside waiting for the warmth of the sun to awaken it and give it life.  Slowly watch it rise and clear the view to reveal the artistic landscape that I have become so fond of.

I do have few familiar feelings resurfacing from the period when we were preparing to move to New Zealand.  The sense that time is now in control, that my world is getting smaller and things are changing.  All feelings captured in some of my earlier posts, in September and October 2008.  So long ago.

Must go for now, the fog is waking and commands my attention.

“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.” – Frank Herbert, author (1920-1986)

Leaving.

In less than three weeks’ time, we will be moving back to Australia.  Our one year adventure quickly grew in to more than the three years it has ended up being.  I thought this imminent departure would surely be an exciting time, having made the decision to return to my beloved homeland to be embraced by its warmth once more.  Many months ago, the thought of returning would have generated all sorts of wistful emotions and immediate thoughts of what I miss so much about Australia.  Now, sitting three weeks out from the departure date, I can’t see any of these things.  My vision is impeded by all that is around me now and exactly how much of an amazing place New Zealand is.  It has been a generous home and we have been gifted with far more than deserved by the people we have met and the places we have visited.  I’m not sure how I am going to get through this.

The packing has been largely done.  There was none of the grand shedding of physical belongings which I found so exhilarating and liberating when packing to move over here.  We have accumulated little since arriving, but still it has been sad to discard even the most mundane of belongings.  I have never been so attached to a kettle in my life as I am right now to our current one. I recall purchasing it on our first shopping trip in our new country, along with an assortment of other household items.  The sense of new beginnings and unknown adventures became embodied in this kettle.  It has greeted me each morning, whispering the continuing promises of this new beginning and adventure.  It has been part of every visitor to this house, family and friends from Australia have benefited from its faithful presence.  As I gather it up, ready to be packed for selling, all of these thoughts go through my head; all of these memories are fighting to stay free and continue being remembered.  But as the box of items disappears down the road in the back of someone else’s vehicle, so to do the memories which are attached to them.  Like I said, I’m not sure how I am going to get through this.

I know I am going to be excited to be home in Australia, to catch up with family and friends, see the sights, the experience the heady smell of eucalyptus laden air again.  I know it is going to be great shopping for new cars, going through our storage shed of belongings and re-packing for Darwin.  I know it is going to be exhilarating to arrive in Darwin with its tropical climate, majestic palms, dramatic scenery and outstanding sunsets.  I know it.  I just don’t feel it.  Not while I can see all that I am leaving behind.

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” - Seneca (4BC-65D)

Xtreme, Yoga, Zoo

X is for Xtreme snow sports.  I took the opportunity to learn snowboarding over here.  Slowly I got the hang of things and managed to look a little impressive as long as I stayed on the beginners trails.  The need to feel more competent and the desire to get to the higher points of the fields saw me share time between snowboarding and skiing – my easier option.  Alas, skiing is now all I do on the slopes but I am glad I can now say I’ve done it.

Y is for Yoga.  Something I had never really had any interest in doing before, but again, a change of scenery made me realise how easy and important it is to learn new things.  A local instructor was starting up beginner classes, so off I went and my body has never felt better.  Stretching and twisting is a lot harder and tiring than it looks.

Z is of course for Zoo.  Without the Zoo here at Hamilton and all of its superb staff and animals, this adventure in New Zealand may have ended long before now.  It’s what has kept us here past our original plan of a year and it’s a place to be cherished forever.

Unknown, Volcanoes, Wanaka

U if for the Unknown.  Everything was such a big unknown when we left Australia.  There was no certainty, nothing solid and all sorts of potential roads to go down – some would be our choice, others would be dictated to us by circumstance.  It was a little scary and possibly even reckless, but it has been exhilarating beyond all expectations.

V is for Volcanoes and this area of the north island is one of my favourites of all New Zealand.  These mammoth natural wonders rise nobly from the central plateau and command your attention from hundreds of kilometres away.  Their beauty is only equal to their mystique and provide a range of activities from bushwalking to skiing in what can only be described as a place of incredible power.

W is either for Wanaka or Wellington as they are both deserving of a mention.  Wellington has always been the favourite of my New Zealand cities – full of charm and fascination it won me over before it had even said “hello”.  Wanaka is a small town not far from Queenstown, but has yet to be tarred with the hype of it bigger sister.  Nestled on an alpine lake with a backdrop of dramatic ranges it was always going to be a favourite.

Queenstown, Raglan, Snow, Travel

Q has to be for Queenstown.  My original visit about 5 years ago left me feeling more than a little disappointed.  I had heard so much, probably too much, about the town and its bigger than life personality only to get there and think it was an empty hulk of a tourist town plumped up by the ‘you-have-to-go-there-hype’.  On subsequent visits though, I fell for the place and most specifically its dramatic location within the valleys of the Southern Alps.

R was either for Rain or for Raglan.  Rain because there is so much of it although I still couldn’t get enough of it.  Raglan because this is where I have spent many hours combing the beaches with Phil and the dogs, being tantalised by the every changing black sand coastline, the huge estuary, the flame red flowers of the Pohutukawa trees, the laid back pace of life and friendly charm.  There are more reasons why I love Raglan on this old post…………….

S is for snow and plenty of it.  Being so close to ski fields gave me change to really indulge in snow sports and I love it, love it, and love it!

T is for Travel as that was one of our objectives when moving here, not only within New Zealand but out to the Pacific Islands as well.  There is no corner of NZ which has not been witness to the Phil and John road show of adventure plus a number of Pacific Islands as well.