It has been a VERY eventful couple of month! In a four week period in July and early August, we packed up our house in Christchurch, sold most of our possessions (yet again!), sold our car, packed everything remaining up in seven boxes, got on a plane to Auckland, briefly toured parts of the north island and the city of Auckland, got back on a plane, flew to Edmonton (via Vancouver), visited family in Edmonton, got in a car, drove 6 hours further north, visited my parents near Eureka River, drove to Beaverlodge (northwestern Alberta), and moved into our new house (renting, yet again). A lot to do in a month, for sure – it makes me a little tired to write (and remember) it all.
We knew when we moved to New Zealand that we would have to acquire all the trappings of a household (including furniture and a car), and that we would also have to get rid of those same things when we left the country to return to Canada. That prescience, however, didn’t make the divesting process any less uncomfortable. Luckily, a new lecturer coming to the University of Canterbury was able to move into our house and buy most of our household goods – it certainly made the process much easier for us (as well as for Will). Unfortunately, I had to leave both my bikes behind as well. I wasn’t too sad about leaving my ratty red road bike, but was rather sad to see my golden cruiser 10-speed go. With all its chrome, swept-back handlebars, steel-spring seat, and rat-trap on the back, it was a load of fun! I’m hoping to find another similar bike to ride around Beaverlodge.
It snowed heavily in the last week we were in Christchurch. This isn’t typical; apparently they get a decent snowfall only once every five years or so. Everyone in the city seemed to enjoy the snow a lot, and several snowmen appeared on every block the next day. It wasn’t as novel for Shelley and I, but Aya and Rowan had a lot of fun playing in the snow.
With all our things packed up, we said goodbye to our friends (Shelley’s lab had a farewell party for her), and headed to the plane. Luckily, our friends John and Jenny were able to drive us (and our huge ‘luggage’ boxes) to the airport. A long wait and a short flight delivered us to Auckland. We had planned to spend a week in and around Auckland, but this meant that we had to store our luggage (giant boxes, in our case) at the airport for a week. To do this we had to ferry the boxes from the domestic to the international terminal. It was a warm and sunny day, so it wasn’t as onerous as it could have been. With all our boxes safely stowed away in a storeroom, we took a shuttle from the airport into the city of Auckland to our hotel – the Scenic Hotel Auckland. I had booked the hotel for four nights, based primarily on its location (very central to the downtown) and its cost (relatively inexpensive). An art-deco building right on Queen Street, it exceeded our expectations. The staff were great, the room was very nice and very clean, and the service was terrific. Thank you Scenic Hotel!
Lobby of the Scenic Hotel Auckland. Nice + clean! [not my photo... thank you internet!]
We spent the next three days walking around Auckland, seeing the city. We visited the Museum and its very impressive collection of Maori artifacts and art, the wharf district, Queen Street and its surrounding shopping district, and Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium. Auckland is an interesting and vibrant city, but an architectural mess – art-deco buildings sit shoulder-to-shoulder with glass-and-steel skyscrapers and very formal gothic revival buildings. I did particularly enjoy the cafes of Vulcan Street (only 2 blocks long), which is a hidden gem of an alley crammed with cafés, pubs, and restaurants.
Vulcan Street in Auckland! Cafes + pubs + restaurants = good. [not my photo, I borrowed it from the internet]
We also took the ferry across the Auckland harbour (leaving from the ferry berth at the Queens Wharf) to Devonport. Devonport is a cool little village (suburb) with a beautiful view of the city, nice little parks, a cool seawall, and lots of little shops and cafes. Plus, it was fun for Aya and Rowan to go on a boat on the ocean. We had great weather in Auckland, and had a good time.
We wanted to see more of the north island than just Auckland, though, so we had arranged to rent a caravan (from the rental company Jucy) for a couple of days. We drove north of Auckland for three hours or so, stopping to explore when opportunities presented themselves. Driving north out of Auckland we turned off Highway 1 at Warkworth to head east toward Goat Island Marine Reserve, a small 'no-catch no-interference' marine reserve. It was a beautiful (!) place, adjacent to a University of Auckland Field Station. I had heard the snorkeling there was amazing, and it looked like it was – clear blue-green water in a shallow basin surrounding a small island. Walking along the rocky outcrops we could see all kinds of sea life, including schools of large fish (~ 30 cm) in shallows. I was then amazed to see a huge snapper (probably 70 cm long and 30 cm in diameter) swim up to the rock I was standing on. I had never seen fish of that size swim so close to shore. The snorkeling there must be amazing – the setting is beautiful, the water is warm, and the sea life abundant. I can't wait to go back in the summer... hopefully!
We drove north along the coast (on a very marginal road – beautiful but a little rough and narrow in spots) to rejoin the main highway. Traveling north again, we stayed the night at a DOC campsite just north of Waipu. It was a great campsite (primitive by NZ but not Canadian standards), and was immediately adjacent to the beautiful beach that adjoins Bream Bay. We spent the next morning exploring the beach with Aya and Rowan. Shelley is convinced that she wants to move to the North Island – it is so beautiful and sparsely populated compared to similar regions of Canada. Sitting on the beach, we watched a pod of dolphins (almost a dozen of them, swimming only 25 m or so offshore) swim by. A great way to spend our last morning in New Zealand!
We drove to Waipu – a small town that had been settled by Scottish settlers from Nova Scotia. There is still a bit of a Scottish feeling about the town, and we enjoyed walking around the town and its parks. I had a flat white at a café there (of course) - I will miss the excellent (and consistent!) coffee of New Zealand.
We stayed another night at a campground closer to Auckland, then headed to the airport. Returning the caravan was uneventful, but then we had several hours to kill at the airport before our flight left. A 13-hour flight seems even longer when you have to wait for seven hours before you board. Still, we managed. We boarded the plane and began the long flight back to Canada.
Long flights to and from NZ are not as bad as they might be. Generally, they are night flights, so you can sleep (if you are lucky) for much of the flight. Also, they have great flight staff and a great selection of movies, TV programs, radio, and music. They provide a entertainment pack (toys and an activity book) for kids, which helps a lot. Aya and Rowan don't like to sleep on planes, but Aya was perfectly happy to watch TV for hour after hour... Rowan doesn't really like TV, so he takes more work to keep entertained.
Even after we landed in Vancouver, we still had another leg of the journey ahead of us. Another 3 hour layover passed before we could board the flight to Edmonton. It was a HUGE pain shuttling our enormous stack of boxes from the international to the domestic terminal. A man with a trolley quickly came out to help us, and started loading our boxes up before we realized that we would have to pay him (a lot!) if he moved our luggage. We declined, and moved our boxes ourselves. We were already missing the honesty and transparency of New Zealand!
FINALLY, we made it to Edmonton, after an epic trip. My brother Wayne (and his family), and Shelley's mom (and her friend Sandy) were there to greet and help us. Back in Edmonton! Nice, but a little surreal, to be back in the city where I did my undergraduate degree! I always forget how long it takes me to adjust to a new time zone. Aya, Rowan, and Shelley also find it hard, and we had many sleepless nights ahead of us.
I'll write more again soon, including our final thoughts on New Zealand, and how it compares to Canada. Photos to follow soon as well!
Take Care!
T.
