Nov. 1, 2024 (Friday!)
“It’s very nice to go travlin’, with just a toothbrush and comb. It’s very nice go go travlin', but it’s oh so nice to wander home.”
Amen, Frank Sinatra!
I think New Zealand may be my spiritual home. My GOD that place is stunning. And NICE. Those people are so pleasant…and even a whiny child in the park is more appealing in that accent. I AM THUMBS UP ON NEW ZEALAND.
Of course, the distance is a challenge. Or not. Maybe the distance is like the barbizon and moat; the distance is WHY NZ is so fabulous. It’s too hard to get there, see? So only the most determined—or the most Maori in their war canoes—ever actually make it to New Zealand’s shores. Did you know that New Zealand HAS NO REPTILES?? Sure—wander into that field of tall grasses. NOTHING is going to jump out at you. Damn!
(One gardener Twig talked to said the large creek we were looking at had no fish in it at all—just some really big eels, one of which tried to swim into his boot when he went into the creek, so now he won’t go in there anymore and who can blame him?!)
I ran out of blogging gas the longer I sat in front of the lovely fire at the Pihopa Retreat in Nelson; it was simply too anesthetizing to resist. But we DID have a lovely time in Nelson, and I felt like a little down-time after all that “native cultures” experience in the islands was good with me.
And the endless day of travel was an endurance challenge, but it wasn’t too bad. Because of the international date line, our first flight (from Nelson to Aukland) was at 11:15 on Halloween, and our third flight (from San Francisco to Washington, DC) left at 8:55 ALSO on Halloween, so the third flight actually left more than two hours BEFORE the first flight, and that’s the sort of thing that can keep you chuckling when the patience wears thin.
Here are some photos I took on those last days. I’m interested to see what they are myself, since I can’t actually remember much about that time now that I’m home with my cat draped over my forearms. She’s snoring and purring. If I could purr, I’d be purring too.
Breakfast at the Pihopa Retreat--pretty good spread! (It speaks to my uneasiness with the concept of christian missionaries that I don't like the name "Pihopa" as much as you might think; it turns out to be the Maori word for "bishop," as the retreat hotel is on the grounds of the former bishop's home in Nelson. Seems to me that the Maori ought to have a name for THEIR own religious figure...why do they need one for the religion that I think was forced upon them? Sorry. Got on my soap box there. I'll get down.)
We went to the Nelson Provincial Museum (meaning the museum of the province; not that it was provincial in the common meaning of the term), and it was a HOOT. An astonishingly eclectic and fabulous museum with something for everyone...including this peculiarly dark statement printed on the floor along with astronomic information. Can you read it? It says "A comet that illuminates the sky each evening is a source of great concern...a comet is a world that has transgressed...and is now being destroyed by fire, as this world of ours will be before long." This is NOT commentary of mine on the upcoming election. However, I'd bet you a nickel that the speaker had been to the Bishop's retreat on more than a few Sundays...
Nelson has park benches backed by netting. That's pretty cool. See baldie in there? Not just for kids! Love it.
Twig, our horticulturalist, was fascinated by these huge purple flowers. She looked it up; it's called "Queen of Madeira" or "Viper Bugloss," which means it must be an import. No vipers in NZ!
I tried to take a photo that would demonstrate that the land AROUND Nelson looks like a Hollywood set--a painted backdrop of hills. This did not do the trick. Sorry. You'll have to take my word for it!
I'm not fond of war, but I am fond of a good war memorial!
Ewww! An eel! Twig found it.
At the Queen's Gardens in Nelson. They have a Chinese garden with this beautiful paving of river stones on their sides, arranged in a hexagonal pattern. Good looking!
He who does not like to be photographed, and I apologize for posting this here...but he's such a sweetheart and such a nice guy that I needed ONE photo of him for posterity!
That's it, man--this edition of the trip journal is now over. Until the next journey!
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