On May 12, Jody flew to Hamilton on the North Island to conduct interviews at local schools. On May 14, I took a 9 hour bus trip to Hamilton to join her. It was a delightful trip through the bottom part of New Zealand's North Island, traveling north from Wellington to Hamilton. On the way I again passed many of the same sites we saw on our last road trip to Taupo. Our brief stay in Hamilton included a walk through their botanical gardens which were quite extensive and included areas devoted to different countries. The Fall colors were simply fantastic to these colour-starved eyes used to mostly nothing but green in Sarasota, Florida. I love a country filled with whimsy and an appreciation for Lewis Carroll.
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Last night Jody and I danced for the first time since arriving in NZ at Supreme Dance in Wellington. A great group of people. Here is Jody walking toward me after winning the big prize - a HUGE Cadbury chocolate dairy milk bar.
On Friday, May 2, Jody and I returned to Zealandia for a night tour. It was a great evening with a terrific nature guide. And, we finally got to see the Kiwi in their natural habitat. They can normally only be spotted at night and we used red flashlights to see them, hence the red-tinted picture. The elusive Kiwi who scurried right in front of about ten of us and calmly began eating off the ground while paying us no mind. A picture of a Kiwi off of the Internet. A beautiful Pied Shag bird.
On April 27 Jody and I were invited on a nature walk on the hills surrounding Wellington by Jody's workmate, Allison, Allison's daughter and her friend. Below we are seen overlooking Wellington Harbour. At one point my hat flew off my head down the hill, it was that windy. New Zealand - a country that forbids nuclear energy plants and aggressively pursues alternative energy resources.
On April 26, Jody and I had the pleasure in seeing the Coppelia Ballet performed in Wellington by the Royal New Zealand Ballet. The St. James Theater was great and we had wonderful seats in the balcony to observe the ballet along with the full orchestra. A superb performance.
Today, our friend, Patricia Hotchins, sent us this wonderful article from Huffington Post about New Zealand. Here is the link. It shows why Jody and I love this country so much. It's entitled, What New Zealand Can Teach The Rest Of The World About Living Welll: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/25/new-zealand-living-well_n_5186920.html?ir=Healthy%20Living&utm_campaign=042514&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-healthy-living&utm_content=Title
Today, my Mother-In-Law, JoeAnn, sent us this fabulous picture of Hobbiton at dusk and I just had to share.
On April 27, 2014, Jody and I took the ferry over from Wellington to Somes Island, a brief 30 minute trip. Following are some of the pictures we took from this beautiful nature excursion around this thoroughly protected nature preserve. I really don't think it gets any bluer than this. Wellington from the island. Here is the sweet little fantail that serenaded Jody and me. Abandoned gun turret housing from WW!. Although this is not the Caribbean, the water seems as clear as the tropics. Gorgeous colors.
Jody and I celebrated our First Wedding Anniversary quietly on Good Friday in Wellington. I made dinner and we just chilled while recuperating from over six weeks of house guests. It has been a great first year, particularly considering that Jody has had to adjust to a guy who has had to evolve and embrace a more international attitude. I'm working at it. American Exceptionalism has not been good for me.
We had a treat last night, April 17, - a visit from Jim Raudabaugh, our mutual Sarasota Unitarian Universalist Church friend and my former fellow Democratic Club of Sarasota Board Member. Jim has been on a month long group travel journey to both Australia and New Zealand. He arrived in Wellington the day before and returns home this Saturday. His hotel was a short 10 minute walk from our home and as we had planned last year, he joined us for an evening of dinner and comparing of travel notes. A great time!
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