Books of the Aro Valley

Just before Mom got here, I learned that Danyl McLauchlan, the dad of one of the children I teach, was launching his second book, set here in Wellington, specifically in the Aro Valley, which is near where I work. He and his wife invited me to the book launch at a local book store, which I attended the night before Mom got here. Danyl is a quiet person in general, and so I wasn't expecting the abundance of clever and confident humour in his speech at the launch. I had already decided to read the book, but his speech exponentially increased my anticipation. I purchased the first book at the launch, and my friend and colleague Jess bought the second one, so we could trade off.

I love reading books that are set in places I've been or lived (and visiting places that I already know from books). I mentioned this to Danyl at the book launch, and he said, "Oh, have you been to the Aro Valley?" Like the smooth, non-awkward person that I am, I replied, "Erm... well... no. I guess I just meant Wellington." He explained that the Aro Valley has its own, unique character and feel to it, which is a vital part of the book, so I should go and check it out. Which, of course, I did.

Mom read the first book soon after she got here, as I was already in the middle of another book. She enjoyed it, and then passed it on to me, and I totally loved it! So before she left, we took a little field trip to the Aro Valley to feel its unique aura, and to be able to say we'd actually been to the place where the book was set.

The excursion was well worth our time, and I can completely see why having been to Wellington in general is not the same. The Aro Valley is generally rather poor, quite artsy, and appears to be full of people who aren't too bothered with what other people think of them, or by the fact that parts of their neighbourhood are slowly returning to wilderness.

We were delighted to find this never-ending flight of stairs leading who knows where. In the book, there are lots of secret paths leading all over the place in the Aro Valley, and even the characters, who know lots of hidden paths, sometimes discover new ones hidden in the undergrowth.

Danyl also describes the "looming" houses perched over the street, and Mom and I could picture one of the more ghastly characters lurking behind the black windows of this tall, thin house in the middle, peering out at passersby.

(Also, notice that one house has been beautifully restored, while several next to it seem to be calmly falling to bits.)

Aro Street runs through the valley, so the characters often spend time on it (or running away from someone down it), and turning up Epuni Street. In fact, when you get to the top of Epuni Street, it rather abruptly turns into a wooded, overgrown area where, in the book, they discover an ancient temple. Standing there looking up, I could imagine that the temple could really be there.

When I talked to Danyl about our excursion, he said if I go back, I should walk a bit further down to Holloway Street, which epitomizes the Aro Valley. So I will have to do that soon.

This is in the more business-minded end of Aro Street, where there is an art gallery where a character works, and a video rental store that the man who inspired another character used to run.

I don't know about the availability of these books in the States, but I highly recommend them, if you like the juxtaposition of humour and satirical horror, with a heavy helping of bizarre, beautifully written with quirky wit and hilarious self-mockery. Oh, and abstract mathematics and occult conspiracies, of course. I have never read anything like these books, but I was hooked from page one, and tore through both books, laughing out loud from time to time. The characters are captivatingly flawed and inexplicably lovable, the plot is intriguing and compelling, and the writing style is delightful. Danyl says that his writing matured a lot in the second book, and I think that I agree - the humour is even more impressively graceful and witty - but I actually liked the plot of the first one the most, so each had its strengths, in my opinion.

Night Tour of Zealandia

While Mom was here, we went on a night tour at Zealandia. Zealandia is a wildlife sanctuary near where we live that does amazing work breeding native species that are endangered and educating the public about the importance of conservation and what they can do to help. The Māori name - Te Māra a Tāne - means, "the garden of Tāne" who is the Māori guardian of forests and land animals. Despite living not far from it, J and I had not gotten around to going yet.

We decided to go on the night tour because Kiwi are noctural, and we thought it would be very exciting to see a Kiwi out in the somewhat "wild." I saw one in the zoo a long time ago, and J and Mom had never seen one. We also invited Harry to come along, and he's never seen one... and still hasn't. We did our best to spot a Kiwi, but didn't manage it. Oh well. I would have thought that I would be more disappointed than I was, but the rest of the tour was so fantastic that I was just thrilled with the evening in general.

I took pictures of some of the animals we saw, but since it was dark, they are not exciting. I will show them to you anyway, but I have also used the great and powerful internet to help me show you what these creatures look like when not blurry and/or lit by red night-vision lights.

First, here is our tour guide, who was very knowledgeable, telling us about the wall they constructed around Zealandia to keep out predators. It has an overhang at the top that is wide enough to prevent possums from climbing up and over, and is tall enough that cats can't jump over it. It also has a metal matting coming horizontally at the bottom to keep rabbits from tunneling under it. She pointed out that if they were smart enough to back up a ways, they could tunnel under, but so far not a single rabbit has figured that out. It has very fine, metal weave to keep mice and stoats, which can fit through impossibly tiny holes, from slipping through. They are very committed to a predator-free environment, because so many of the animals they're working to conserve are defenseless.

Even though the city is actually all around you, you feel like you're out in the wilderness as soon as you enter Zealandia.

The first animals we saw were Shags, of which I didn't get any recognizable pictures at all, even though it was still fairly light. I am fond of Shags because we saw them often around Virginia Lake in Whanganui.

The next animals we got to see were takahē - flightless birds from the South Island. I was eager to see them, because from the pictures I'd seen, they looked similar to pūkeko, which continue to be among my favourite birds. I have now learned that takahē are hight on my list as well.

It was actually not that dark when we saw them, and they came right up to our guide, who gave them some food, for which they'd clearly been waiting. It was so exciting to see them up close.

(When I looked a my pictures later, I discovered that due to the longer exposure time in the deepening darkness, and the right takahē's perfect timing, she actually has two heads in my picture! Magic!)

You may thank the internet for this much clearer picture of a takahē. They are shorter and stockier than pūkeko (likely because they don't have to worry about aerodyamics) and have iridescent wings that range from dark blue to bright green, moving back from head to tail.

Takahē are extremely endangered, and were even believed to be extinct at one point. They are being bred at various safe sites around NZ. The two we got to see were a breeding pair that are now, at 20 years of age, too old to breed anymore, and so have retired to Zealandia to be spokes-birds for their species, to make people like me come and fall in love with them.

If you'd like to read more about takehē, you can click here.

Next, we saw some kaka, which are native NZ parrots. It was fairly dark at this point, and so we were using our red night-vision flashlights. In real life, you could actually still see them pretty well, but my camera was not appreciative. You can see the shape of the kaka in the middle left.

Under better photographic conditions, this is what a kaka looks like.

And this is what they look like in flight. They save their brightest colours for under their wings. Interestingly, I actually saw six kaka in the trees at the Botanic Gardens when I was there with my children this week! The other teacher and I were more excited about them than the children were, until the kaka started tearing huge, white flowers off a tree and throwing them, which the children found vastly entertaining.

Kaka are threatened, but are doing much better than many other native birds. Introduced mammalian predators are their biggest worry, but breeding programmes in protected areas have been successful. Zealandia's programme has been so successful that the kaka population is flying out of the sanctuary and spreading out through the city (as evidenced by my experience in the Botanic Gardens). Unfortunately, like many parrots, they are rather devious and can be quite destructive, so some Wellingtonians are not very happy about their proliferation. Also, there are many houses with lead nails here, and the kaka are pulling up shingling and eating the lead nails, giving themselves lead poisoning! The same thing is threatening kea, another native NZ parrot. I would have thought lead nails in roofs were a thing of the past, but apparently not. Hopefully, this will spur people to action and they'll be gone soon (the lead, not the kaka).

To read more about kaka, click here.

We were very lucky to get to see a tuatara, as it is the middle of winter and they usually hibernate. Our guide told us that this one is known to be quite hardy and can be seen on days when all the other tuatara are in full hibernation mode. She also told us that tuatara can slow their heartbeat down to one beat per minute!! That is unbelievable!

The internet was particularly generous with tuatara photos, and provided one with the tuatara in the same position as in my photo. Thanks!

Tuatara are pretty incredible creatures - they are directly related to many dinosaurs, and are the only member of their order that did not go extinct over 60 million years ago! They are only found in NZ, and are the only reptile native to NZ, so they are unique all over. They are threatened by introduced rodents, but are doing well on offshore islands that are pest-free, and in sanctuaries like Zealandia. We even got to see some little baby tuatara on our tour, which was fantastic.

If you'd like to read more about tuatara, click here.

The best part of our night tour for me (and one of Mom's favourite parts) was seeing the glow worms. J and I saw glow worms on our kayaking tour, and that was stunning, but I think they were even more awe-inspiring here. As we walked through the dark woods, at times we were surrounded on all sides by points of crystal blue light. They twinkled and shone in an impossibly magical way, making us feel like we'd been transported to a new, mystical world. I think I could have stood their and admired them forever.

(Thanks again to the internet for providing an image of something my camera can't see. Even this picture doesn't do them justice, but I don't think anything could.) 

Relaxing in Picton

When I told some of my Kiwi friends that Mom and I were going to take the ferry to Picton, they all assumed that we would then be going somewhere more interesting from there. Picton is seen as the place where the ferry drops you off so that you can go to the places on the South Island you actually want to visit.

Well, we decided that the ferry ride itself was the actual goal of our trip, and that we weren't interested in spending time or money getting somewhere else once we'd arrive in Picton. We had from about 12:00 on Saturday to about 2:00 on Sunday, and we were confident that we could very pleasantly pass that time in Picton. In fact, given our love of reading and enjoyment of doing word puzzles together, we really could have pleasantly passed that time almost anywhere, but as it turns out, Picton offered plenty of its own amusements. 

This was our first view of Picton. Pretty nice, I'd say. 

Picton is a town of about 3,000 people, which clearly centres around the people who travel on the ferry. Mom's search for a hotel turned up over 40 results right off the bat, which is heaps for such a small town, and I'm sure there are lots more that weren't on that particular site.

We had quite a good laugh about booking hotels, actually. Mom had the good sense to remember that we wouldn't have a vehicle, and so wanted to check the distance from the ferry to the hotel, to make sure it was reasonable to walk. Turns out, you could walk every street in the town in about 15 minutes, so we didn't really have to pick our hotel based on location.

This is the view from our balcony - you can actually see our cruise ship in the bay, although it doesn't look as colossal as it really is. Also, don't get excited about the pool - it is "seasonally" heated, which we assumed would mean that now, in the dead of winter, it would be warm. No. It is heated in the summer and left to be freezing in the winter, so we did not go swimming.

We were wondering why this bridge was so steep, and I was ready to be accept that it was simply for aesthetics, but Mom wisely reasoned that it was so that boats could get under it to sail into the marina. It seems so obvious now that she's said it. 

We strolled through some absolutely fabulous local artisan shops, filled with stunningly beautiful and surprisingly affordable creations. Mom bought the most fantastic fingerless gloves I've ever seen, of which I really should have taken a picture. Also, I bought some beautiful tea towels to replace the crappy ones we bought when we got here, intending to replace them as soon as we were settled in. Almost three years later, we are still using them, so I guess it was about time to get some nicer ones.

The man at a charming used book store recommended a hike along a little path by the harbour, which I was delighted to discover was one I'd seen from the ferry and said, "We should walk there!" I love life's little coincidences.

This was one of many beautiful views from that path.

When we woke up the next morning, this was the view (from the other side of our room) over the marina. In real life, the water looked like a smooth, silver pane of glass, with the boats hovering impossibly over the top.

Mom and I sat on the outdoor patio of a restaurant on the bay and looked out over it. I love the many layers of hills.

We did another hike on Sunday, this one to a hilltop lookout over the bay. It was a bit rough and root-filled as far as paths go, but we enjoyed it.

We did not, in fact, ever find the official "Hilltop Lookout" marked on the map, but when we started going down the other side of the hill, we decided we must have passed it, and turned around. We decided, upon being blown away by the beauty of this view, that this must be the lookout. We'll take it.

This palm tree and its five friends are the charming gatekeepers of the harbour area, around which Mom and I wandered before catching the ferry back to Wellington. Also, notice the wonderful layering in the background. Amazing.

By far the best part of our wanderings, and maybe of the whole trip (and possibly of my whole life) was when we met two girls, around nine years old, exploring a rocky section of beach. As we were passing them, we heard one squeal, "I found a BIG one!" Well, that is a statement that has to be investigated, so we climbed down over the rocks to the beach and I asked, "What did you find? Can I see?" The two girls, without one second's hesitation, delightedly explained that they were looking for crabs (and anything else of interest) and had found a big one. Even better, said crab was determinedly holding onto a stick, clinging to it even as it was lifted from the beach and carefully placed into a seashell. The girls comfortably chatted to us about other things they found, rescued an itty-bitty fish that had somehow gotten too far up the beach, and even found the tiniest starfish any of us I'd ever seen! 

Best of all, when we had to say good bye and head to the ferry, one of the girls smiled up at us and said, "Now, when you come back, you'll know the best place to find crabs!" I was so overwhelmed by their openness and abundant enjoyment of life that I almost didn't know what to say. I wish that more children could spend their childhoods looking for crabs and welcoming strangers as partners in their delight in the world around them.

Ferry Ride to Picton, South Island

Along with her brilliant Contra Dance plan, Mom had the great idea of taking the ferry from Wellington to Picton while she was here. I had vaguely thought that that was something I'd do "one day" and not thought any more about it, but when we looked it up, it sounded pretty fantastic! It's a three hour ferry ride that goes across Wellington Harbour, over the Cook Straight to the South Island, where you pass through the Marlborough Sounds, the Tory Channel, and the Queen Charlotte Sound. We read about all of this online, complete with a quote from "Wine Spectator" (which is apparently a magazine) that said it was one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world. Well, how do you turn that down?

We then excitedly invited J to come along, and got shockingly far into the ensuing conversation before any of us remembered that J gets horribly seasick and should definitely not embark on a three hour ferry ride. Darn. So we bought two tickets for the weekend and crossed our fingers that the fairly constant rain that had fallen since Mom arrived would take a break for our trip. And it did! We had absolutely perfect weather for the entire trip, for which we are so thankful.

I took almost 200 pictures throughout the weekend, and Mom helped me perform a major cull, leaving me with the more approachable number of 29. It's just hard when each cove, island, bay, hill, etc. has its very own unique beauty and charm. I often have to remind myself that since the majority of the country looks like a postcard, I am obligated to develop more discerning taste or risk overloading my computer with pictures.

Anyway, here are a select few of my pictures of the ferry crossing - some from the way there on Saturday, and some from the way back on Sunday. I will do a separate post to share our activities in Picton in the intervening time.

This is in the Wellington Harbour, with Miramar on the right in the foreground, which we will go around to head out into the Cook Straight.

And this is looking back towards Wellington centre city, curving around the harbour.

This is the structure that holds up the life boat, that Mom thought looked like a dog, and I thought looked like a brontosaurus. Either way, it is very cool, and nice of it to hold up the lifeboat, which can't be light!

This rocky promontory was the first part of the South Island we saw up close. In all the time we've lived in NZ, I have never been to the South Island, so this was special for me. And what a beautiful introduction!

Because we were lucky enough to go on such a clear day, we were able to see the mountain in the distance. From what I can put together from maps, I think that mountain is Tapuae-O-Uenuku, which means "Footprint of the Rainbow."

I absolutely love this kind of landscape! And notice the multitude of white specks, which are only a small portion of the amazingly huge flock of seagulls hanging out in this particular spot.

We loved watching the landscape unfold as we came around curves like this one. You never knew what would be behind the next curve, except that it would be stunning!

I realize that this is a pretty darn underwhelming picture, but you get it anyway, because once you know that that brown slit is, in fact, the flipper of a kekeno (fur seal) that was waving to use as we sailed along, it becomes much better (cognitively, not visually). In real life, we could see the kekeno clearly, as it languidly turned and floated and relaxed in the water, every so often lazily waving a flipper at us, much to our delight.

We saw several flocks of sailboats, like much larger versions of our seagull friends.

Mom did a wonderful cruise through Alaska with Paul (her grandson, my nephew) and she said many of the views here, including this one, were very similar. Makes me want to do the Alaskan cruise someday!

This particular hillside was one of our favourites, because it looks like a spined lizard, maybe even a tuatara (NZ's native lizard), sunning itself. Can you see it? The head is up to the left, and the tree "spines" end just before the end of the tail in the bottom right. As is to be expected, the resemblance is not as striking in the photo as it was in real life, but it's still pretty good, I think.

Coming next week: our exploration in the charming little town of Picton.