My New Hairdresser

Apologies for the delay in getting a post written. I did have time to do it this weekend after getting back from Australia, but was 110% focused on starting the new job on Monday, so writing a post didn't even cross my mind. I am now two days into the new job and have so much to think about, but decided that complete single-mindedness is not actually a functional way to exist, so here's evidence that I can take a break to consider something different.

So, of the many delightful things I did in Australia this time, having my hair cut by Sorenne is, if not my favourite, at least right up at the top of the list. (Hard to beat lying in bed while Sorenne read me a surprisingly hilarious book.)

Anyway, I am increasingly intolerant of the hassle of having long hair, and therefore await with escalating impatience for the moment when it is officially long enough to donate and I can therefore cut it again. The Australian equivalent of Locks of Love (which Sorenne's mom Amy told me about during my last visit) requires 14 inches (35.5cm), and I finally had enough in January, so asking for Sorenne's help during the February visit was perfect! I was so thrilled when she decided she'd do it, and then the reality far exceeded my expectations.

She carefully divided the hair into four parts, making sure each part was long enough and relatively even. Then she plaited the bottoms, as it helps it stay nice during shipping.

Outside we went (thankfully it wasn't as blazing hot that day) to do the actual cutting. Sorenne was admirably cautious and intentional, and it was lovely to see how her confidence grew as she progressed through my masses of hair.

You wouldn't think it, but it takes a while to get it all chopped off.

Then comes the fun part - evening it out. Sorenne has a much better sense of how to do this properly than I do, and carefully trimmed and evened each separate section, before putting the finishing touches on the cut overall.

I did not hold my two plaits well, as it looks like just one, but oh well. The point is, I'm hoping someone will be very happy to receive all this hair, and I'm sure that I am very happy to no longer have it attached to my head!

After a wash and a bit of twisting, we're back to my favourite of all the many ways I wear my hair; short, curly, and pinned back out of my face. Of course, it took me several days to remember how to pin it properly so it actually stayed out of my face, but I've mastered it now.

In conclusion: Thanks very much, Sorenne! I know who to come to when it's too long again in a few years!

Helicopter Tour of Kapiti Island

My Christmas present from J was a special package deal: a helicopter tour of Kapiti Island, followed by beer and cheese tasting at Tuatara, a local brewery whose beer is everywhere in NZ now. We scheduled it for the height of summer (yesterday) in the hopes of good weather, and it worked out perfectly.

We took the train out to Paraparaumu, which is on the Kapiti Coast. The Kapiti Coast is north of Wellington, following the west coast up towards Whanganui, and it is a stunning stretch of seascapes that I always admire when I drive that way. You can see Kapiti Island from the highway (which you can see in this picture I took from the train) and every time we go by I reassert my desire to go there someday. Who knew I'd be flying over it?

This is the helicopter we went in. It's bigger than the one on our Coromandel Flight, and we sat up in front while another family on the tour sat in back. 

Lifejackets have done a lot of slimming down from the big orange ones I remember as a kid. These are much more comfortable as well.

This is the view down the Kapiti Coast (looking towards Wellington) as we headed out to sea.

And looking towards the island, which is 10km long and 2km wide. It is a nature reserve, and has been completely cleared of all invasive species, making it an ideal and unique place for native birds and plants to thrive. I am very interested in doing a hike or tour of it someday, because it has thriving populations of a long list of native birds, including some that are extinct on the mainland. How amazing!

We were very lucky to go on a day with no fog, cloud, or mist, because we could see everything so clearly and the colours in the water were at their best.

The island is beautiful, with so many interesting shapes and angles. I think this is my favourite viewpoint.

The colours in the water are mesmerizing.

This is part of the coast on the far side, which of course we'd never seen before.

And here's a more complete view of it. I never would have guessed that the other side has such steep cliffs - completely different than the gradual slopes on the side towards the mainland.

It's funny to look back across at the North Island, which even from just a few kilometers away looks like a lush little island. Which I suppose it is, in the grand scheme of things.

From just above the cliffs, the stunning beach and colours of the water remind me of Rotorua.

And then just a few seconds' flight away is this rugged coastline, stunning in such a different way.

We learned that Kapiti Island was very important during the height of the whale trade, and at that point about 2000 people lived there! No wonder there was some work involved in getting it back to pest and predator free! See those two islands next to it? Even they were populated, and the far right one had a store on it.

They're beautiful little islands. The top one is Motungarara, and the bottom one is Tahoramaurea. I'm pretty sure our pilot said they are privately owned. Imagine owning a place like that!

A Māori chief named Te Rauparaha controlled a large empire from Kapiti Island from the 1830s to the 1860s. His domain included the southern part of the North Island and the northern part of the South Island.

As we headed back to Paraparaumu, we saw an enormous pod of pilot whales (or dolphins, depending on who you ask). There were hundreds of them, and they were jumping and diving and splashing, and it was amazing! Not something that a picture would capture, so I didn't try. Don't go looking in the pictures for them, as they're not there.

Next, they dropped us off at Tuatara Brewery. Tuatara beer is absolutely everywhere in NZ, and it never crossed my mind that they actually started out as a little Kapiti Coast brewery, and that we were going to their home base. What a nice surprise!

If you'd like to learn more about Tuatara, please click here.

We each got a beautiful platter of beers and cheeses, matched to compliment each other. There were also crackers made from the mash left over after making beer, which were quite delicious. I am not a fan of beer, but it was fun to taste the differences and I learned that I prefer the ones with citrus flavours. And the cheeses were very impressive!

Tuatara is J's second favourite NZ brewery (after Boneface), and he treated himself to his favourite beer to wash down the sample ones. Kiwis tend to like their beer with lots of hops, and J prefers the less hoppy varieties, so he has to be choosy with his selections.

After lunch we strolled around Paraparaumu for a while, which was nice. It was mostly walking through the town (to bike stores to test out electric bikes for J, which is exciting as well), and then randomly, right off a big road, was this view! What a delightful accident! It doesn't appear to be somewhere you can walk through, but how beautiful!

So that's how we spent the day yesterday. It was utterly delightful, and I am so thankful to the weather for being cooperative, and of course to J for planning such a charming day out!