Travel's broadening influence

 The big adventure is over! We have returned from New Zealand and washed and put away our gear. I have around 1400 pictures to go through and I've begun posting a few on Facebook.  We left spring's lengthening days and returned to a cold snap in a Midwestern fall. It's all very disorienting! 

It was a fabulous trip! There were some challenges; I was worried I wouldn't be able to do the hiking but, with Rick's help and encouragement, I kept on keeping on. I will say, though, that the 6km round trip hike to a waterfall nearly killed me!  As a resident of the Midwest, I'm not used to hills!  There was one day trip to Milford Sound that we were not able to do, due to an avalanche blocking the road through the mountains. It was disappointing, but a couple of days later, I got to photograph the sunrise in the hills above Lake Wanaka and the disappointment (at least for me) faded.

The new experiences more than made up for the challenges. A lot of the wildlife was unfamiliar. On the day we arrived in Queenstown, we were waiting for some fast food on a pedestrian street when we heard a car alarm. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from so I asked a passer by. It turned out to be a Tui bird. They are great mimics of common daily sounds. We saw a Weka in a parking lot, just hanging out-they are large, friendly birds. There were Shags, Oyster Catchers and Pukekos near the water, seals on the rocks and lots of deer in the hills. Then there were the glow worms! Rick has wanted to visit the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves since second grade. Much as I hate caves, I have to admit it was fascinating. In return, he agreed to do a spa treatment with me, at the hot springs in Rotorua. 

Many of these things could have been hokey- given the American Disney treatment. What made them special to me was the Maori culture that was woven into everything. We received a blessing before starting our Spa treatment, along with an explanation of the healing properties of the mineral hot springs.  We had a cultural entertainment and feast where, along with learning a few words of Maori and watching some native dances, we were assigned tables with people from other countries and encouraged to get to know about each other's cultures.  When we went to a wildlife center to see a Kiwi, we learned the legendary tale of how the Kiwi lost his wings and why he is so revered in Maori culture.

New Zealand is a long way from the USA but we discovered that everyone is watching the American Elections. I had the same experience in England in May; we have to remember that there is more at stake in this election than just our American democracy! 

This was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip but we are already talking about when we can go back! There's the trip to Milford Sound that we missed and the whole of the East Coast of the South Island, including the wine growing area around Marlborough.  Maybe we can see some of Australia next time...  Looks like the bucket list just got a bit longer!