Gulf Harbour Trip Part 1

Well, we are home from our first trip up to Northland, and it was a great success. We went to stay with a woman named Jenny, who works with a colleague of my mom's, and who I connected with as a fellow educator. She invited us to stay with her for a couple days in Gulf Harbour, which was so generous, and ended up to be a wonderful catalyst for this trip.

Google maps says it should take about 6 hours to get to Gulf Harbour, which is just north of Auckland. However, that assumes that you drive the speed limit the whole way, which is fairly impossible, given the twists and turns in the roads. So it took us more like 7 and a half hours. But we didn't mind, because the landscape was stunning the whole way. I mostly just looked on the way there, but I took pictures on the way back, so I'll post them later.

When we got to Jenny's house, we chatted with her for a while, then she showed us some beaches around Gulf Harbour. Shakespear Regional Park is on the same little peninsula, and this is a picture looking down into it. It is a wildlife reserve, and very beautiful, with both forest and beaches.

Jenny made us a fantastic dinner that night, and then we relaxed, drink tea, and chatted all evening. It was both interesting, stimulating conversation and a comfortable, easy atmosphere, so it was perfect.

The next day, we headed north 20 minutes to Orewa, which is a charming little beach town with lots of shops. We wandered around the shops for a bit (looking for, but not finding, sunglasses), and then had a nice walk on the beach. Next, we went a little further north to Wenderholm Park, which is also a wildlife reserve, to do some hiking. There was a sign at the entrance that said, "Tangata Whenua (people of the land) acknowledge this place as the home of their tupuna (ancestors). They share this area with the plants and animals of the forest: the children of Tane Mahuta (god of the forest). Please treat this area with respect." Then, when we got to the part of the path that went into the deeper forest, there was a sign that said, "Save our Kauri Forests. They are dying from kauri dieback disease. It spreads by soil movement. Act now to help stop it." Hanging under the sign were scrub brushes and santizing spray, along with instruction on how to clean your shoes, and a warning to stay on the paths. I find both of these different causes (cultural and environmental) very important, and I hope that people take them both seriously.

With clean shoes and a respectful attitude, we headed into the forest.

After a surprisingly steep walk, we got to a look-out over the bay. Unfortunately, it was solid overcast (and occasionally raining), so you can't see how stunningly blue and clear the water was. But it was still beautiful.

Notice J's outback hat. It's not as cool as mine, but it is still pretty fabulous.

It is so interesting to see how the plants grow, die, and decompose in such a lush environment. Even though I probably would have wished for a sunnier day, the sound of the rain in the canopy was charming, and the wetness made it feel all the more like a rainforest.

After quite a long hike, which left us a bit worn out and definitely wet from the rain, we decided to embrace the rather damp day and head to the hot springs. On the way back to Jenny's, we stopped at Waiwera Hot Springs Resort. There is a natural hot spring there, but it has been built up as a warm water park. Apparently, there are germs in hot springs in NZ that can cause meningitis, so there are lots of regulations to do with them, and they can't be left natural. Anyway, Waiwera is a pretty cool place. There are lots of different pools, and the water for all of them comes from the hot spring.

Can you see the spiral water slides off to the left? Well, we went down them, and they were pretty exciting! 

Waiwera, as well as Gulf Harbour, is on the Hibiscus Coast, so it is fitting that there were beautiful hibiscus plants all over the resort. I just love them!

This was the first place we headed when we got to the resort, and it made us laugh a bit. In case you can't see it, it says, "Lava Pool: 48C (118F), Sapphire Pool: 0C (32F)." After a moment, I realized that the "3" must have fallen off the Sapphire Pool's number, and was relieved. I said so to J, and didn't notice that he didn't hear me. So then when I asked if he wanted to try the Sapphire Pool, I was rewarded by one of the most incredulous looks I have ever received, which is saying something. As it turns out, the Lava Pool is the one that comes straight from the hot springs, and then flows into the Sapphire Pool, which is quite a nice temperature. Despite what it looks like, the pools don't really feel like they're inside, because it's just a partial shade roof above them.

The resort was very crowded, which wasn't a huge problem, but it did make us inclined to look for more private space. We decided to try out the spa, and then ended up spending the rest of the day there. We got our own, private jacuzzi/spa room, which was wonderful. Although we appreciated the jacuzzi, I think our favourite thing was the shower, because we needed it to cool down between activities - namely the dry sauna and the steam room.

Have you ever been in a steam room? I had never done it, and it was such a cool experience! It is a million percent humidity in there, which more steam puffing in all the time, and the smell of eucalyptus. Neither J nor I could breathe at first, because the water and heat made us cough. Once we got sat down, it was okay, because our bodies cooled the water that touched them. However, moving any body part made it amazingly hot again, as it came in contact with new hot water molecules. It was amazing! The hardest part was leaving, though, because you have to deal with the heat as you walk to the door. That didn't stop us from doing it several times, though. 

I've been in saunas before, but I think that this was the nicest one I've been in. The wood was so smooth that it felt soft, and it was the perfect temperature. After getting quite cool in the shower, it was just lovely.

Having gotten totally relaxed and happy in the spa, we decided to get massages, which was "definitely the right choice" as J put it afterwards. We each took a turn, and our masseuse was kind and very skilled, and we both felt like curling up for a nap afterwards. 

Lucky for us, we could go back to Jenny's for a relaxing evening of pleasant company. More on that later.

Somehow or other, it came, just the same!

Turns out, Christmas comes and goes even when it happens in the middle of summer. I kept thinking of the poor Grinch at the end of the story, standing there stunned, thinking, "I didn't stop Christmas from coming, it came! Somehow or other, it came, just the same!" Of course, I wasn't trying to stop Christmas from coming, but I also wasn't managing to welcome it with open arms, since I couldn't quite remember that it was real.

But it was real. And quite nice, in fact. Our friend Jonathan and his parents, Marie and Ernest, invited us to their family Christmas, which was great. We chatted and snacked all morning, had a delicious Christmas meal in the early afternoon, and then played games until we headed home in the evening. We also got to try pavlova for the first time ever, and it was fabulous! It's basically a mountain of meringue, which you let get all crispy and good, and then smother with sweet yogurt and berries. Amazing. And all day, it was such a pleasant, happy home, full of wonderful people who enjoyed each others' company, so it was perfect for Christmas. We are so lucky to have great friends here already.

Boxing Day, which is the day after Christmas, is also a national holiday in NZ. It seems a bit like Black Friday in the States, in that there are tons of Boxing Day Sales, but the history is nicer. There are multiple stories, all originating in England, but a lot of them have to do with charity. Rich people used to give a box of goodies to their servants the day after Christmas, and then they'd get the day off to go home to their families. They also put donation boxes in churches for people to give to the poor at Christmas time. In more recent history, it has just become another day to spend with family, rather than going straight back to work.

J and I spend Boxing Day curled up at home watching movies and playing games, which was nice. We are headed up north past Auckland tomorrow morning for a 3-day trip, and so it was nice to have some down time before starting that.

I don't know if I will post anything while we're on the trip, but rest assured that there will be lots of pictures when we get back!!

Christmas Confusion

Even after months of internal and external reminders, even after seeing Christmas decorations around town, even after spending hours Christmas shopping with Kirsten, even seeing the small pile of presents in the corner of our lounge... I can not get it through my head that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It is sunny, gorgeous, warm beach weather, and I cannot make that fit with Christmas.

Moreover, it seems that Kiwis struggle with that as well, despite their many years of practice. For example, Santa still wears his warm winter clothes (and is very sweaty), the Christmas stockings are decorated with snowflakes, the "holiday" images in a lot of the stores include snowy winter scenes, and some wrapping paper still says, "Let it snow." As if this wasn't confusing enough, it not only doesn't snow at Christmas here, it doesn't snow ever here. They don't need to associate snow with anything, let alone a summer holiday. On the other hand, perhaps since they never have snow, it's not as weird to talk about it at Christmas time, because it's as good a time as any to focus on something that doesn't happen here. I actually heard that the only time it's snowed in Whanganui was during a freak cold snap in summer, and that it was around Christmas time.

While we're on the subject of climate, I should mention that Whanganui has one of the most moderate climates in the world, as measured by the least difference between the coldest ever and hottest ever temperatures. Isn't that interesting? That is what makes it possible for somewhere that never experiences snow to have it happen in one of the warmest months - summer and winter just aren't as different as someone from... say... Kansas would expect. They don't have the extremes, and so their "unseasonable" weather can therefore closely resemble the opposite season. I think that's pretty neat. I know that the weather can change quickly in Kansas, but we could never have a -10F (-23C) day in the middle of summer, or a 105F (40C) in the middle of winter. But here the range is only about 32F (0C) to 82F (28C), and you can switch between those temperatures surprisingly quickly, especially with how incredibly windy it is and how intense the sun is.

Hmmm, that was nothing if not a tangent, but now you know.

As for Christmas, it has not sunk in at all. However, we are going to our friend Jonathan's parents' house for a big, family Christmas, and I know that that is something recognizable. So I'm just waiting for that, and it will feel like Christmas, I'm sure.

In the mean time, I have to show you what Jan and her husband, Brian, gave us for Christmas:

Jan had this painting, and others that Brian has done, (which are all amazing), hanging in her café. I have always loved this one. I love the bright colours - they are much more impressive in person - and the smooth, shiny vases. Anyway, I frequently complimented Jan on it, and she told Brian, and they decided to give it to us for Christmas. How spoiled are we? I hung it up in the lounge, and we are loving it!

Comment Problems?

It has been brought to my attention that some people are having problems commenting using the instructions I posted for commenting as "Anonymous." I don't know what to do about that, as I have no control over posts from other people. When I sign out and try to post as "Anonymous," it works the same way as always, but I know that other people have experienced typing a post, selecting "Anonymous," and then clicking Publish, only to find that their post disappears without being posted. I'm really sorry that this is happening, and I wish I knew how to fix it, but I don't. If you are having this problem, please send me an email (ecelm87@gmail.com) and let me know. If it's happening to lots of people, I will have to find a way to contact Blogger and see what can be done.

Thanks for your understanding and patience.

Surfing!!!!

J and I got to go surfing today!!! Yay! Our friends Anna and Ollie invited us to go up to Opunake with them to surf. Of course, given my rather unsatisfactory week and my love of water sports, I was instantly ready to go. J, on the other hand, worked all week, and has to get up at 4:15 tomorrow morning for work, so he was looking forward to a quiet Saturday at home. Lucky for me, though, he was up for it, and off we went. It ended up being us, Anna and Ollie, and three of their friends from work, all of whom were very nice. It is about an hour and forty minute drive to Opunake, Taranaki. The views from the car were lovely, but I restrained myself from taking tons of pictures.

We got to Opunake and picked up lunch at a cute little café there, then went and rented our wet suits and surf boards from Dream Time surf shop. The people there were very nice and helpful. 

We went down to the beach, which was beautiful, and had a picnic lunch before we started surfing.

J and I almost look like we know what we're doing, hey? Wrong! I have never been surfing before, although I did go body boarding once in the Galapagos. J has been body boarding lots of times in Florida, but never surfing. Anna and Ollie very kindly showed us how to get on the board, and explained how to catch a wave and stand up, and then we just went for it!

This is me riding a wave (if you click on the picture, it gets bigger). I found it challenging to figure out which waves were good ones to try to catch, but J had a pretty good sense of it, as did Anna and Ollie, so I depended on them.

This is me STANDING UP on the surf board!! I was so proud of myself! I did it a bunch of times, although I fell before the end of the wave all but one time. You can see in this picture that I am getting rather off-balance. 

I didn't get any pictures of J surfing (because I didn't get out of the water for hours), but he was SO GOOD! He stood up loads of times, and had such good balance! I didn't know that I was married to a good surfer!

I really loved surfing. I love how fast you go when you catch a good wave, and the challenge of trying to stand up without losing your balance or the getting behind the wave. I also just love being in the water, and the feeling of floating and moving with the waves is wonderful. And it was nice that Anna and Ollie were experienced and skillful and could show us the ropes, and then since J picked it up so fast, he could help me along, too, and then I got comfortable quickly enough to have a lot of fun! What a success!

When we were all tired out from surfing, J and I decided to explore around the bend of the cliffs on the side of the beach, which involved a lot of rock-hopping, which I love. I think the different layers of rock are beautiful as well.

J rock-hopping away.

I love the ocean!!

This was the view a bit further around the bend. We went on quite a nice walk, and then came back to the beach and had some yummy ice cream cones to cool off. J had chocolate banana and I had passion fruit. I think it's so odd that we don't have much passion fruit food in the States - I think it is delicious!

On the way home, we got a wonderful view of Mount Taranaki. I was surprised that it still had snow on the top in summer, but it sure is beautiful. We will have to go and explore it some day.

I have mostly gotten over my disappointment at not getting that one particular job, but have been struggling this week to feel positively about my prospects for getting a job soon, and about my ability to be happy without one. I realize that surfing has nothing to do with that at all, but getting out and just having a really fun, adventurous time with J and some friends did me a lot of good, and I am feeling much more positive, even in my post-surfing exhaustion.

I am looking forward to going surfing again sometime soon! We already have plans for a trip between Christmas and New Year's (more on that later), and then J gets to choose our next day trip, so that will be something new. But sometime this summer, more surfing will be on the schedule! 

Just Keep Swimming

Yesterday afternoon, after quite a nice day of visiting Jan and taking Holly to visit an early learning centre, I sat down to write a blog post about how wonderful my life is, and how lucky I am to be living here. I had biked through town, and was impressed with how beautiful this city is. I had gone to South Beach for the first time with Kirsten, and it was stunning. I had pulled up to my house and stopped to appreciate this gorgeous, if a bit overzealous, bougainvillea in front of our house.

While I was appreciating it, I noticed this beautiful lily growing at the base of it. Lilies always remind my of my friend Kelly, who died years ago, and they are such a positive way to remember her without sadness. This one, as you can see in the picture, is absolutely glowing, and just made me so happy.

I got inside, sat down at my computer, and decided to check my email before I wrote my post. To my dismay, I had an email with very upsetting news. I had had an interview for a full-time position at a private early learning centre last week. I didn't write anything about it on my blog, because I was fighting a losing battle against counting on it as a sure thing, and therefore setting myself up for disappointment. But I was confident that the interview had gone well, and that my skills and qualifications would make me a good candidate. Plus, I hadn't even applied for the job - they had sought me out and asked me to interview! I hadn't been at all sure at first that it was the right position for me, but it had seemed like a better and better idea. I confess that I am so eager to get a job that I might have slightly glossed over the less-than-perfect aspects of it, but so be it. Anyway, as you have probably figured out, the email said that I didn't get the job. They said that they had way more applicants than they expected, that they were all very qualified, and that in the end, they chose a teacher who is "very experienced in the NZ curriculum and context." During the interview, we talked about how NZ is at the forefront of a lot of early childhood education development. They are moving in the same direction that we are moving in the States, but they have done it faster and more successfully. What they do here is actually very consistent with most of what I learned in the States, although it is not always being applied as well there as we'd like. However, there are also things that I learned there that I think could benefit programs here. As is usually true, there are pros and cons to both systems, and I think that the best scenario is to be able to find and use the best of both. Anyway, I think that they may have been disinclined to hire someone who didn't have the benefit of being educated in and working within their system. Which may be logical, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I'm sure that they made the best choice for their centre, but I feel disheartened and worried that I am not a good candidate for jobs here, even though I got a great education from wonderful professors, and even though I am eager to keep learning and adapting to meet children and families' needs. (Just to be clear, all I know is what they said in their email, and they could have a million different reasons for the decision they made, so most of this is just speculation.)

I hadn't realized how much having the potential of a full-time job in the near future had been buoying me up, even just for the week that it was there. It felt like the light at the end of the tunnel of unemployment, and it made it easier not to worry about it when I didn't get called in to teach, or when the job listings continued to be nonexistent. By the way, still no jobs listed, and I have worked a total of zero days this week.

I was feeling terrible yesterday, and didn't feel up to writing about it. J helped to make me feel better, assuring me that I was a good candidate for any job, and that I shouldn't feel bad about not getting the very first one I applied for. He also said that me not getting this job was "unlikely, bordering on the what-were-they-thinking." He may be a bit overconfident on my behalf, but I don't mind, and his comments made me smile. But then he had to go to work (last night on the night shift for a while), and, left to my own devices, I consoled myself by watching Remember the Titans and then going straight to sleep.

Today is better, of course. I am disappointed, but okay. Moreover, I am more capable of remembering the things that made me unsure if I wanted that job in the first place. I just want a job so bad, it's hard to take those things seriously, but they are still important.

I stopped by the Kindergarten Association today to give them some paperwork and let them know that I would continue to be available for relieving, and the Senior Teacher there, who I've talked to a lot, seemed genuinely thrilled that I wouldn't be leaving to work in a private early learning centre. Moreover, she said that she would keep me in mind for any permanent positions that become available, and for any longer-term relieving jobs that come up. It felt good that she seemed to truly want me to be there, and to value my contribution (how ever small it is right now) to their teaching team.

I also stopped by and visited Jan and Karen today, which always makes me feel good, and in a few minutes, J and I are going to go out to eat and then just relax this evening. 

I just have to remind myself that all of those things that I was thinking and feeling yesterday, before I got that email, are still true today. I am still so lucky to be here, still so happy to be able to enjoy so many wonderful things in my life, and still moving towards a good job, someday. It will happen. Just keep swimming.

Un Peu de Noël (A Little Christmas)

The other night, Anna and I had a French/English/Kiwi Christmas afternoon, and it was lovely. We spoke only French, of course, and we made mini mince pies, which are a traditional Christmas food in England and in NZ. I have eaten them before, when I was in England, but I've never had them in the States. I am still getting used to the idea of savoury pies, but they are yummy. Anna had made hot mulled wine, which I had never had until I moved to France, but which I absolutely love. I have to be very careful, because hot alcohol seems to affect me more than cold (which is saying something, because I am a terrible lightweight). Anyway, delicious food and good company feels like Christmas to me. Plus, Anna has a Christmas tree, which we don't, so that felt nice and Christmasy. You'll notice in the picture, though, the sunny balcony and general green-ness outside do not exactly evoke Christmas thoughts. We'll just have to get used to that. You'll also notice Bananagrams under the tree - who knew they'd have that game in NZ? I'm so glad they do, although I did bring my copy from the States, just in case. Anna bought one for a friend for Christmas, but we cheated and played it before she gave it away. Bananagrams is a word game, and we played with words in American English, British English, Kiwi English, French, and a bit of Māori and Spanish. I love multilingualism!

I also had Anna and her boyfriend Ollie over for dinner the next day, and although it was significantly less Christmasy, it was lots of fun. I made taco salad, they brought more mince pies, and we played Bananagrams and Heads Up. How nice.

J has been working a mixture of night shifts and day shifts, include long weekend shifts, so he's been missing out on some of the fun, but he's still doing well at work. We're still getting to spend some good time together, though. It was beautiful outside today, and we took Holly for a nice, long walk. We are a nice, little family, I think.