New Zealand Family

This weekend we were able to visit with our dear friends, family really, from New Zealand. Auntie Hoki and Uncle Owen have been family friends with my side of the family for over 60 years. They became our adoptive Grandparents in New Zealand and we owe much of our wonderful experience there, to them. We hadn't seen them for two years, (since the last time they came for General Conference) and the children had been asking weekly for those two years when we would see them again! Auntie Hoki brought lollie's for the children and we had a wonderful time catching up and remembering wonderful times. We will miss them dearly until we see them again.

New Zealand Friends and Football

I just didn't get to say enough last week about how wonderful it was to have our dear friends and adoptive grandparents visit from New Zealand. We were privileged to spend time with them three different times over the weekend. Daniel is excited that Auntie Hoki promised to send him some New Zealand coins for his collection along with some more "Legacy of Love" books for Dad.

Auntie Hanna looking so beautiful and strong!

Uncle Dave, Uncle Owen and Daniel at a BYU football game with dad.

New Zealand Grandparents

We had a lovely weekend spending time with our adopted New Zealand Grandparents, Hoki and Owen. They were visiting Utah for General Conference, and we were honored to haves them spend time with us. Lots of other fun things happened this week, but they will all have to wait until the next issue since this blogger desperately needs to go to bed!

Kiwi's and Kauri Trees

During our trip, we were able to horseback ride on the beach, view a marine sanctuary from a glass bottom boat, see a massive gannet colony with all their young, and watched a sheepdog show. (All these pictures were lost, but hopefully they are on a back-up of the computer. I will post them when we find them.) We spent 5 days between the likes of Goat Island and Sheep World and two nights at Whatoro near the Giant Kauri tree forests. We saw the giant Kauri Trees (up to 45 feet in circumference and 2000 years old) that were truly awesome in size. A highlight of the trip was a guided night walk through the Kauri forest. Kiwi are nocturnal and endangered and very few people have the chance to see them in the wild. Steve took the older kids on the night walk and they were lucky enough to see a real kiwi! For a lifelong birder like Steve it was a true miracle. I stayed back at the caravan with the little girls and we had our own wildlife adventure. A weka (a cricket like bug about the size of a mouse) invited himself into our small trailer and jumped all around until I could shew him out! Yikes!

The Greatest of Ease

Remember the crazy, dangerous playgrounds I told you about? Well you should see their adventure parks! We went to one at the Bay of Islands that had giant slides, and real tight rope walks a professional sized flying trapeze! I never thought I'd have to see my husband and daughter "fly through to air with the greatest of ease," but watch I did through the cracks in my fingers that were over my eyes. Well they obviously lived (and loved it by the way pictures) to see another day.

Daniel, not so sure about the giant slide.

Steve L. on the monkey bars.

Dad on the trapeze

Whitney ready to take the plunge. (We took video of her swinging, so I don't have more pictures.)

Good old NZ humor.

Bay of Islands part 2

We serendipitously ended up at the Bay of Islands during Waitangi Days, which is the celebration of the signing of the peace treaty between the British and the Maori in the 1800's. We learned much about New Zealand history and culture. We saw traditional Maui song and dance and helped launch the massive Waka (War Canoe) at the Waitangi treaty grounds.

Tree stump of the giant tree that the canoe was made from.

A powerful cyclone hit Australia during our 10 day stay at the Bay of Islands. Being toward the north end of the North Island we received the backlash from the storm. Monsoon like rain dumped for 48 hours straight. It was unbelievable! We extended our stay in that region by a couple days because we certainly couldn't drive in the severe weather. Fortunately we had followed Steve's promptings to take a tour out to Cape Reinga (at the northern most tip of the island) and Ninety Mile Beach the day before the rain started. This didn't make a lot of sense because we planed to camp closer to Ninety Mile Beach the next week. Not ones to second-guess promptings, we went that Monday and had a fun time on our tour that we found for 1/3 rd the regular cost. That night the storm set in and washed out the roads and a bridge and they had to alter the tours. (We talked to one guy in our camp who said they took the busload to a pub instead of the lighthouse at Cape Reinga!) Once again, we felt so blessed that we are watched over in our travels. We stayed nice and dry in our Caravan (without power!) and played games together. When we emerged, we found the playground under 18 inches of water and the gentle Wytangi River we had kayaked the week before was raging and full of rapids.

Cape Reinga, the northern most tip of the North Island.

Janey fell on the wet playground!

New Zealand

While staying at the Bay of Islands we took the kids on a boat tour out to "Hole in the Rock" and a dolphin watching cruise.

A view of The Bay of Islands
Hole in the rock. We saw (and could almost touch) dozens of playful dolphins on our way to the rock. We took lots of video, but didn't get any great dolphin pics.

A natural rock formation that looks just like a woman's profile.

To see a map of the places we traveled so far in this series, click on this link: <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=-40.359103,172.875366&spn=8.067848,12.128906&z=6&msid=116765397961150020384.000451b63510a46db34d4>

Whangamata by Noreen

The best part on staying at Opoutere for 8 days was it was only a 20 minute drive to our favorite beach Whangamata (said Fongamutah, go figure?) Playing at the beach at Whangamata were my father summered as a child was my favorite part of our trip. It's the best boogie-boarding beach we've ever seen and we taught all the children down to Janey how to ride the waves. They took to it like fish and had so much fun. Clark Island is an island not far of the beach that at low tide you can walk out to on a sand bar. Anxious to try this Steve found out when low tide would be and he and Whitney hiked over to the island and explored. They had fun but the water was up to their chests and we didn't feel it safe for the younger kids to try. When we came back to the beach a couple of days later we found that he had misread the sign and they had actually crossed at high tide! Oops. We crossed that afternoon at low tide and the water only came mid-calf on the little girls. The children were fascinated with all the hermit crabs they found hiding in the rocks and we played until the tide was turning and we had to head back to the beach.

Clark Island.

The walk to Clark Island.

Opoutere

We found the loveliest spot in all of New Zealand quite by accident. Opoutere is an enchanting campground that borders a pine forest. A short walk through the woods puts you onto the worlds most gorgeous beach and rare bird preserve. We originally signed up for two nights and ended up staying 8. We just couldn't tear ourselves away. We took the North Island at a much slower pace compared to the whirlwind South Island Trip. We filled our time with morning and evening walks on the beach, ice cream novelties, buying fresh plums from roadside stands, flashlight searches for eels at night in the river, and playing board games.

Opoutere happens to be the best place to view the New Zealand night sky in January in the entire country. Opoutere boasts it's own resident professional astronomer for five weeks every summer. He comes from Wellington to study the stars and gives evening lectures to everyone interested. The children were fascinated and asked great questions. We were fortunate enough to be present the week that McNaught's comet streaked past. We got to view it in the astronomers telescope and see it with the naked eye. (Click on the above image to make it larger.) This was a rare and unforgettable experience!

To see a map of the places we traveled so far in this series, click on this link: <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=-40.359103,172.875366&spn=8.067848,12.128906&z=6&msid=116765397961150020384.000451b63510a46db34d4>

L&P and Hot Water Beach by Noreen

Our favorite beverage in New Zealand is called L&P, a Sprite type drink (only much better) bottled in Paroa from their spring water. We couldn't resist a tourist picture with a giant bottle while passing through town. Their label claims "World Famous in New Zealand!"

Our next stop was Hot Water Beach. Because of an underground lava flow you can dig down a couple of feet in the sand and reach positively HOT water. Sometimes you burrow down with your feet and jump back out with singed toes. Come prepared with a shovel and dig yourself a whole. It fills with very warm water and you have your own jacuzzi!

To see a map of the places we traveled so far in this series, click on this link: <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=-40.359103,172.875366&spn=8.067848,12.128906&z=6&msid=116765397961150020384.000451b63510a46db34d4>

Labour of Love by Noreen

After our whirl-wind 3 1/2 week tour of the South Island we booked it back to the North Island in time for the Labour Missionary Reunion held at the GRB and Kai Hall next to the Temple. We had a delightful time meeting the wonderful Labor Missionaries who had worked with Grandpa B building the temple, church college and chapels in NZ, more than 50 years ago. Many remembered my Dad as a little boy, and all sent love and well wishes to him and Grandma B.

Steve had volunteered his services and they used him almost every minute, photographing groups or video taping missionary's memories and testimonies and was even asked to speak at one of the meetings. The food was wonderful and everyone enjoyed talking to our children. One auntie adopted Daniel for the day and wanted to take him home. He sat by her and helped clear all the tables after meals and another woman gave him a beautiful bone carved necklace. He was so fascinated with the different amulets everyone wore and what the stood for. The highlight for me was the Sunday Night fireside held in the GRB Hall, built in honor of and named after my Grandfather. I was only a few months old when he passed away, but I felt close to him as I sat in the GRB with his handsome portrait smiling down on the proceedings. Steve is was excited about the book he was asked to lead for the Labor Missionary Foundation and we feel like this is one of the main reasons we were able to go to New Zealand at this time.

Our family at the GRB hall. Grandpa B's picture is the largest one in the background.

Daniel and his adopted Auntie.

Some of the amazing Labour Missionaries we had the privilege to meet.



To see a map of the places we traveled so far in this series, click on this link: <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=-40.359103,172.875366&spn=8.067848,12.128906&z=6&msid=116765397961150020384.000451b63510a46db34d4>

Caravan Life by Noreen

When I announced this New Zealand Memoirs series, my cousin said she was especially looking forward to the parts about how we all lived together in an 18 foot trailer for three months without strangling each other. I decided to take a break in narrating between the South and North Islands, and talk a little about caravan life. So, Mrs. O – this one’s for you.

The challenge in picking a Caravan, as they are called in NZ, was finding one big enough for 7 people, light enough for our van to pull, and in our price range. The one we found was technically for 4 or 5 people, but we made it work. At bedtime we literally used every inch of available space and after experimenting with several different configurations, we finally hit upon the one with the fewest complaints.


The trick to getting everyone to sleep in such a tight place was simple – bribery. We held a contest every night after prayers. Whoever was asleep first (or appeared to be) would win 50 cents, and (here’s the brilliant part) if we couldn’t tell who was asleep first because they were all so quiet (he, he) they would all tie and each win a prize. It was rare if everyone didn’t get paid out. It may not sound like much, but every 4 days or so they had enough for an ice cream novelty and everyone was happy. I think Whitney had the hardest adjustment, being 12 and having always had her own room. Now she was 24/7 with all her younger siblings and no real personal space. Sharing a bed with Janey was probably the hardest thing she had to do on the trip, and without the afore mentioned bribe, I don’t know if it would have worked out. Steve and I would sit outside the carvan and watch the stars or the wild hedgehogs and talk or play a board game while the kids tried to convince us they were sound asleep.

People have wondered how we could live in such a small space, but really the caravan was our bedroom by night, our sitting room by day and we lived in the great outdoors. I’ve never had a bigger home. Each holiday camp we stayed at had full kitchens and nice restrooms with showers and generally a playground for the kids. They were all nice (except one) and some were down right enchanting.

We had a small table inside that we used occasionally, but we generally set up our dining area outside our caravan under our awning. In inclement weather we ate inside the camp kitchens. We always cooked a big breakfast and dinner and generally packed a lunch for the day’s activities. Our favorite thing to do was put a crock-pot on when we left for the days activities and come home to something warm and ready. We ate out rarely, but would occasionally treat ourselves to the world’s best fish and chips. We washed all our dishes by hand, having the kids rotate responsibilities weekly. Some days it felt like we were never going to get beyond the cooking and cleaning to get onto the days adventures, but we generally did.

Twice I remember heading out for an activity only to turn around and head back to camp to do more chores. The bickering in the car had reached such a level on those occasions, that we simply couldn’t reward it with an adventure. Luckily, the kids believed us in the future and the threat of turning around was all that was needed to return peace, or at the very least quiet, to the car. We always read out load from the book of the day while on the road which is one of my favorite memories.

Regardless of the daily squabbles or tantrums, getting out in nature was always the cure. My mom sent me this quote from a book she was reading and asked me if it was true.

"Go to the mountains or the ocean and notice the automatic shift in
your attitude. Watch your children as they play in the mountains or
by the water, and compare it to how they play at home. Make a journal
and pay attention to it. You will find that children play harder, laugh more,
and will tend to get tired at sunset- as nature intended."

The answer was unequivocally YES, this is true. We decided our family is at its’ best when we are out discovering nature together, so although it may sound crazy for 7 people to spend 3 months in an 18 foot trailer, it was one of the best times of our lives.

Caravan Life

Watch for the next post in this series next week. (Needs more work and I'm getting sleepy!) If you have missed any of our posts about our New Zealand experience so far, you can click on the New Zealand Memoirs link to catch up.

I am also hoping for an ice cream review next week for all of you who have been asking. First I need Steve in town (he has been traveling for work and doing scout camps) then he needs to buy ice cream and sit down and eat it, then I can get him to write about it. Wish me luck!

Whale Watching by Noreen

From Queenstown we drove to Lake Te Kapo, where we spent a couple of days camped next to the lovely turquoise lake. We drove to a lookout point to see the majestic Mount Cook, but it was shrouded in clouds that day, so we satisfied ourselves with a post card.

There are busloads of Japanese tourists at the major sightseeing venues, and the women are quite taken with Janey and Ellie. I imagine they are the first American children many have seen, as we did not meet any others in our travels. They are always patting them, pinching their cheeks, and saying how cute they were. At Mount Cook Janey was quite the celebrity. Maybe it was because there was no visible mountain to photograph, but a young adult asked if she could get her picture with Janey. Janey was happy to oblige, and then tourist after tourist lined up to have their picture taken with her. It was so fun to watch, and I only wish I had gotten a picture of everyone taking a picture with her!

What we saw.

Post card of what we could have seen.

We were able to tour ¾ of the South Island in the 3 ½ weeks we were there. It looks so compact on the map, but it entailed a lot of driving and pulling out to a new camp every one or two days to get it all in. The drive time went fast, as we read together most of the time. We got through J.M. Berry's, Peter Pan (interesting), George MacDonald's, The Princess and the Goblin (delightful), and The Princess and Curdie (fascinating) and Robin Hood (adventurous!)

After Te Kapo we spent the night in Keakoura. This was a highlight of our trip south as we took the chance to go wale watching the next day. Ellie was too young to go on the boat, so Steve took the boys at 6:45 in the morning and I took the older girls at 10:45. The boys saw a sperm whale 3 times and the girls saw them four times. The technology they used to know where and when the whales would emerge for about ten minutes at a time was fascinating, but being so close to an animal so large in the wild was breath taking. I think it was an experience the children will never forget!

Photo by Whitney

Photo by Whitney


To see a map of the places we traveled so far in this series, click on this link: <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=-40.359103,172.875366&spn=8.067848,12.128906&z=6&msid=116765397961150020384.000451b63510a46db34d4>