Easter Musings from Suzi

The countryside of New Zealand makes me think of the places at home that I am so blessed to have in my life. It is Easter week and very emotional feelings are filling my being. At this time of the year, the ranch is just as green as this incredible New Zealand area, and there are wildflowers everywhere. With so much water it must be amazing right now, and the Easter Celebration of Thankfulness will be wonderful. It will be the first family Easter gathering without Willie's physical presence, at least in human form, and we will all be on alert for the essence of his sweet spirit, which is always there anyway. As my dear family and friends struggle to make sense of the difficult challenges which abound, I am filled with a deep sense of love and gratitude for all that I have been given. Thank you everyone for being in my life, supporting and helping me greet each day with strength, courage, and confidence. I send warm, loving energy to all of you. 

The volcanic Mt. off Highway 45 on the west coast of the north island.

Looked like so much fun and we wished we were in those saddles.

Some old Hippie standing by his Van and thinking of burning one !!

Pretty photo, wish I could tell you what it was of.

Ten miles of beach and only (2) people.

Sending good vibes your way Liz -

Must of seen a thousand of these turkeys, they were all over.

We drove so far we got back to PCH, I was looking for Laguna.

Beautiful horse country just south of Auckland.

North Island

Keli (Dick & Kitty's daughter) and Suzi at Keli's house in New Zealand

Catheral Cove was as pretty as 9th St. Beach in Laguna and it had a fresh water shower for after those V-ball games

More of Cathedral Cove on the Coramandel Pennisula

Wishing for sunshine ....

The cave went all the way through to another cove.

Weird rock formations and crystal clear water.

The fishermen use tractors to launch their boats.

The tractors are higher off the water so they can go deep enough to launch or pick up the boats.

I saw a bunch of these tractors in people's front yards and wondered what they were for.

We have thoroughly enjoyed driving through more amazing lands, meeting cheerful, interesting characters, and relishing all that is wonderful about New Zealand. By the time we finished the fantastic ferry ride from Picton to Wellington, we were quite ready to stop and try to relax, not something that is easy to do in the beautiful city of Wellington. The ferry ride over through Queen Charlotte Sound was beautiful, and once we got into Cooks Strait, which can be horrendous, the crossing was easy. We found the only campground in town, in a carpark on the wharf and stayed there after a great walk along the harbor and wharf. We did stop for a late drink at the infamous Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club where the wonderful seafood dinners are way beyond our budget, and it was easy to crawl into our comfortable van bed and fall fast asleep, even with the traffic of the city close by. Even this carpark had warm showers welcoming us to our day in the city. We did muster up the energy to take in the fabulous Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. We were both exhausted after three hours, but the new exhibition of the Maori Civil Rights Movement and struggles was amazing and disturbing, reminding me of our own Civil Rights Movement in the US. It has been many years the indigenous people, along with many New Zealanders who are seeking human rights for all, have struggled peacefully, and their presence is certainly now felt.  We drove out of the city, knowing we missed a great deal of culture, but we needed to get out of town and back to some peace and tranquility. 

We decided to drive the west coast Surfer's Highway, which took us to some great towns on our way to New Plymouth. We stopped at a few of the famous surf spots but there were no waves. We met classic salty-dog fishermen, surfers looking for waves, and many people just living life in the laid back area. After many weeks of David eye-balling all the golf courses in every town, we stopped by one and the older guys invited him to come play the next day. So, we stayed two nights in a lovely campground on the beach in Oakura; David was in hog heaven golfing with the guys, and I was delighted to hike the trail down to the beach for the afternoon the next day. As with all the campgrounds we have stayed in, each one has great kitchen facilities, laundry rooms, internet availability, usually a TV room, and clean showers. What more could we need to mellow out?!

The next couple of days we worked our way up to the Coromandel area to where Keli and Chris live,  an incredible area of stunning beaches and amazing countryside. We started by continuing up the west coast on a little country road to the very quiet mostly fishing Kawhia Harbor, with beautiful sand dunes and views at the state park, and then began our drive to the east coast of Coromandel and the lovely town of Tairua. We stayed with our friends' daughter, Keli, her husband, Chris, and their son, Ryder. We had a great curry dinner and laughed as we recalled people from the past they both knew from growing up in Laguna Beach. They live in a great house at the top of a hill overlooking the bay, and Chris and Ryder surf and do stand-up paddling daily. Even though the weather was marginal, they inspired us to go to Hot Water Beach, the Lost Springs Resort in Whitianga, enjoy a fabulous dinner at Squids, and hike to Cathedral Cove, one of the only beaches we have ever seen which could be just as beautiful as 9th and 10th Street Beach in Laguna. 

Hot Water Beach

We left the Coromandel a couple of days ago, and drove the Pacific Coast Highway to Auckland,  bypassed the big city, and are now in Wangarei, having a wonderful visit with cruising friends we met in El Salvador. David is really happy wandering the boatyard where Scream is having work done on her bottom, and the sun has finally come out. We will enjoy some more time here tonight and be on our way tomorrow, heading for the Bay of Islands and a few other places we have been told about. It is hard to believe this amazing vacation is almost over. We certainly have thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful country and its people!  We are both a bit tired of camping in the van, but it has really been a reasonable way for us to see as much as we have. We are definitely lucky to have been able to be here in the land where people really do embrace what they have with smiles on their faces.  Life is good.          
   
The pictures of me meditating are letting Casey's girlfriend, Liz, know that I am sending her love and light. She is struggling right now in Portland, Oregon and needs all good vibes sent her way. I love you, Liz.  I love you, too, Casey.

Abel Tasman, Arthur's Pass, West Coast

We have included some photos of our trip through the Authur's Pass area as well as some of the Abel Tasman National Park and the ferry over to Wellington. We stayed in Nelson the night before driving to Picton where the ferry left for Wellington. The ride on the ferry took us out through Charlotte Sound, which is absolutely stunning and we have heard that trekking that area is wonderful as well. Another time. I will try to label the photos after Kris posts them for us. I haven't been able to figure out how to put captions on them before they are posted. 

The area we drove through on our way up to Arthur's Pass reminded us of driving up 395 on the way to Mammoth. The only difference was the lack of people and the size of the rivers. There is no shortage of rivers and water in New Zealand, and they make use of it with lots of hydroelectric dams. No nukes for this country.I have to apologize for so many photos of mountains and rivers but around every corner seemed to be a prettier shot. Hard to choose what to include and what not to. Hope you enjoy.

Waterfall in the way, no problem, just extend the creek.

Designer cows, they all had the one white stripe.

Why is boys always have to throw rocks ??

Sunset on the Tasman Sea.

Every town, small or large, had at least one Golf course.

If you played good that day you paid, if you played bad you didn't ??

Davey Crockett as the greens keeper.

Pancake Rocks

There has to be fish in this river, just has to be !!!

Kayak trip in Abel Tasman National Park

David thoroughly enjoying kayaking

Tide goes out, boats roll onto their sides, no problem.

Loading up for the crossing over to the north island.

Just after leaving Nelson on the ferry.

Just through those rocks you enter into one of the worst bodies of water in the world. It's the channel running between the north island and the south island of New Zealand and connecting the Pacific with the Tasman.

Very cool rock formations on the southwest side of the north island.

The green is a moss line from the freshwater in the river.

A rainbow to greet us as we docked in Wellington.

Our brief stay on the West Coast of the South Island was also spectacular. Although we never did make it southwest to the Fox Glacier (another time I promise myself), we thoroughly enjoyed the little campground in Punikaiki, where the tropics meet the Tasman Sea. The Pancake Rocks were really interesting and the drive up to Westport was awesome, sort of like a tropical Hwy 1 through Big Sur. We then headed inland and ended up in a little kayaking/river running town named Murchison. We strolled along the river at the campsite, met some amazing kids who were kayak and river guides, mostly enthusiastic, bright young women, and enjoyed just being that evening. Next day we drove to Abel Tasman for two days of wonderful fun.  Suzi and David

P.S. from David on Golf

The photos I have of the Murchison Golf course are typical of so many golf courses I've seen during this tour of the south island of New Zealand. Almost every town, large or small, has its own course and sometimes even two courses. They never seem to have many players on them but they all look well maintained and very attractive to try. Green fees are anywhere from $15 - $40, and if you get there after the starter has gone home or is at lunch, you just put your money in a box and head off to the first hole. It's all very casual and low key, but today I found out the course members are not only good players but take their games seriously. I played an 18 hole course here in Oakura on the west coast of the north island, and four of the nicest guys allowed me to play a round with them. There were only 5 other people on the whole course, so it didn't matter that with adding me they now had a 5-some. I rented some clubs that would have been considered antiques back in Calif. but I didn't really deserve any better, and they all seemed to be there. That is, until I tried to use the 7 iron and found it was a left hand club. Oh well, sometimes it's good to have a left hand club in your bag; you may get stuck up next to a tree and can only swing from the left side. Could have used that 7 iron a few times though!!!! My playing partners were cool guys, all about my age and friendly as hell. They didn't even laugh at my swing which is more than I can say for some of my friends back home. Anyway, I had a load of fun, made a few good shots and had a few beers with the guys afterward. I just wish I could understand this New Zealand English better..............David

Heading North

It's Thursday noonish, and we are on the coast near the entrance to the Abel Tasman National Park. We stopped by Kaiteriteri for a little rest on the beautiful cove, looking toward the North Island before going to Marahau for one or two nights. We plan on kayaking there tomorrow with some guides who were highly recommended. The weather is beautiful and it feels great to stop and have a new adventure. We will write and send pics that will tell this next story. Our drive has been spectacular; the land (bush) changes constantly and is so lush. The towns we have gone through have the beautiful fall colors and are full of character. We constantly meet wonderful people who are always so welcoming. This is definitely a magical place to experience.     

Oming in Otago

Hannah and Suzi hamming it up.

Near a small town a few miles from Queenstown, love those fall colors.

Elephant Rocks on our way to Oamaru.

These ladies spun their own yarn before knitting hats and scarves.

We have been having a great time here in Otago Region about 6 km from the wonderful city of Oamaru. The couple we met in Manipauri own a huge dairy farm, along with tons of land. Bruce Gray comes from one of the oldest farming families in New Zealand, and we have learned so much local history. Kristi is originally from Christchurch, spent a bit of time in Australia, and has been in this area for about nine years. She has three kids, the youngest one, Brittney, is a senior in high school, her middle daughter, Haley, has a 10 mo. old daughter and lives in Nelson, and her oldest son, Byron, is at the University in Dunedin studying to be a doctor. Bruce's kids all work for the farm, and we have met all three of them in the last couple of days.  




Lyndon ( in scull cap) closing in for the kill.



If you look closely you can see the ball on the ground under all those guys.

The first night here, David went out with Lyndon hunting for rabbits (a real bunny hunter!) and he had a great time, returning home around midnight. His daughter and her family live in the old family home up the road, and yesterday we watched Jeff, the oldest son, play rugby against Lyndon, his youngest; that was really fun. We then ended up in the town of Oamaru and went to Kristi and Bruce's old city house which is being rented on the website of "bookabach." (Look it up online....Otago and then Oamaru...) It is a cool old home and we stayed there last night since it was not being rented. We visited the Old Town pub, walked down to see the little blue penguins, found a bite to eat at a wine-tasting bar, and strolled our way back to the home. 

After sleeping in the honeymoon suite, David and I woke up this morning to a brilliant golden lit sky welcoming us to a new day. Kristi drove us all southwest toward Dunedin area to go riding some awesome horses with Paul Robinson, the National Champion Bronco Rider of New Zealand. I was honored to ride his favorite "pick-up" horse and David rode another fiesty pretty horse as well. Paul and his sweet girlfriend took us on about an hour ride on the land next to his and we felt so privileged; it reminded us of fond ranch ride memories, and Paul, if he tries to ride in the Salinas rodeo, will be heartedly welcomed by the Gabilan Ranch crew. All the horse people in this area know each other, of course, and I felt right at home. 

David, Paul, Suzi and Ashley after our ride.

Think it was cold in the Doubtful Sound area ?

Bruce telling the "mower" what to cut next.

I got to ride along; that machine had all the whistles and horns you could imagine.

Suzi and I were honored to ride with Paul and Ashley.

The saddle Paul won as the National Saddle Bronc Riding Champion.



Inside Paul's ranch house with Kristi, Bruce and Ashley.



Paul's prized belt buckles

Cowboy Dave and sidekick Suzi ....

Jeff applying the milkers to the cows.

On our way back home, we visited other warm people, and stopped in Oamaru one more time to ride the old-time bicycles called penny farthings. Kristi is the 2000 World Champion Penny Farthing Rider. Our pictures will tell the story of our incredible time here. We are leaving for the northwest area of the South Island tomorrow and it is time for dinner, so I will say good-night. Pictures will be sent to you tomorrow morning after we rise early and go watch the cows be milked. We are so lucky. Good-night for now.  Suzi 

World Champion Kristi in action.

Suzi keeping up with the Pro.

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