Repatriation

It’s hard to believe it’s been a month that I’ve been back on US soil. Seattle is so familiar that most of the time it feels like I picked right back up where I left off. Almost as if New Zealand never happened; or, at the very least, New Zealand and Seattle do not seem half a world away from each other. And then there are those moments where you catch yourself going… “wow! I’m not in New Zealand anymore!” Moments where something that should be familar catches you off guard and feels strangely unfamiliar. Below are a list of a few of those Moments…

1. When I looked up at the stars last night I saw Orion, rightside up, and it looked dim and weird.

2. When figuring out routes to take I still think Left turns are the easy turns and constantly have been creating traffic turning nightmares for myself. (And, in relation, sometimes I still go to the wrong side of the car, or turn on the windsheild wipers. )

3. I am AMAZED by the produce selection in the grocery stores. (or really the selection of items in general).

4. Sometimes I find myself ordering a Long Black.

5. I hate tipping. And find the constant monitoring, checking in, and pestering of your shopping/dining in the name of “service” incredibly annoying.

Back in the US of A!

Hey Folks!

Sorry for the silence of the last month. I was focusing on soaking up the last of my Australia and New Zealand Travels rather than reflecting on my time. But now I’m back in the US feeling strangely alien and ready to delve into full reflection mode which means one thing… pictures! Stay tuned in the new few days because I plan to post pictures from each stage of my travels on the blog. And probably a few thoughts of culture shock from my repatriotisation. Right now it just seems like everyone has a funny accent and I keep thinking Aaron is turning into oncoming traffic! I’d kill for a mince and cheese pie too.

Seeing the Milky Way

I remember the first time I really saw the milky way. Our family had taken a trip to Yellowstone National Park and from our campground I looked up and was in awe of the glowing streak of stars in the sky.

In the US, the ambient light of cities make it hard to see the stars. But down here, especially on the South Island, the isolated island in the middle of the ocean with fewer than 1 million people and a deteriorating ozone layer lead to ideal star gazing conditions. I could see the Milky way from my side yard. And, most recently, have been able to lie in bed at my vacation rental and look up to the southern cross embedded in the milky way.

I also still get a high off seeing Orion upside down. (Down here they call it “The Pot”).

Yep, gonna miss these stars.

Nearing the End of the Tiki-Tour

On the 11th of February, my friend Katy and I picked up our Nissan Sunny rental car in Wellington and started our tiki tour**.  I dropped Katy off in Auckland and dropped back down to Taranaki before picking up another friend, Trish, to spend some much needed R&R time in the Bay of Islands.  Tomorrow, I leave for the last leg of the tour up to the very north of the North Island, Cape Reinga.  I’m hoping to stop off for some more nice beach time and maybe a kiwi night tour.  When I return my “Sunny” to Auckland on Wednesday morning there she’ll have added 2500 kms to her odometer.  Perhaps its been a few too many  hours spent listening to my new Fleetwood Mac Tribute CD while driving but it’s been the best way I know to come to terms with leaving this special place.  Thank God I have one more vacation before I return to the US.  Aussie here I come!

** Tiki Tour— Getting there the long way

Greetings from “Tara-dise”!

“Tara-dise”– Taranaki Feb’13, a set on Flickr.

I’m way behind on updating photos from my travels, and even further behind updating this blog. So I thought I would post a little teaser from my current solo leg of the journey.

I’ve spent the last two days in Taranaki. My good friend and previous coworker Al Boys is from here and insisted I must make it here. Katy and I got rained out earier in the week so I’m back here on my own exploring this amazing wonderland of a place!

It was well worth the trip! Lush rainforest, empty surf beaches… green green green… and a stoic (if a bit ominous) Mt Taranaki standing watch over it all. It’s a pretty magical place… sort of like the Pacific Northwest, only empty. I like the empty. I’ll miss the emptiness of New Zealand most of all.

The one in taranaki

Feb 17 2013 Mag 3.5– 12:24 PM

I was staying up past my bedtime watching sky tv in the hostel room when I felt the shake.  At first, it seemed normal.  A little shake.  And then… wait?  but I’m not in Chirstchurch?  Did I really just feel that?

Apparently the north island doesn’t want to be left out of the action.

No good at goodbyes

I’m no good at saying goodbye.  I feel its best to do it like a band aid.  Just rip it off and be done with it.  So unfortunately, the way in which I’ve scheduled my final time here has been a bit hard.  The staging of the trip as made it a series of goodbyes…

Goodbye Gimley

Goodbye Konini Street

Goodbye Work

Goodbye Banks Pennisula

And individual goodbyes to all my christchurch friends.

Then this morning I said goodbye to christchurch.  I wish I could say I shed a tear, but I didn’t.  I was sad for sure, and as the plane flew over hagley park I could see my buildings at the Arts Centre, the empty lots of the red zone and I knew that the work there would continue without me.  The whole flight up to wellington I was looking down on roads I’ve traveled, beaches I’ve walked and saying goodbye.

The hard part of these end travels is that they are making my goodbye to new zealand a long drawn out goodbye.  Like a breakup that just won’t happen.  I want to relish my time here, but at the same time it is hard to be saying goodbye to this place I know so well. Aotearoa will always be in my heart.

Luckily there are only two goodbyes left.  After my travels next week, I will have to say a final goodbye to the South Island and then, on March 15th, I will say Goodbye New Zealand.

 

#48– The last one

February 4th– 4:44pm Mag 3.8 Mercallii III

This was the last one… at least for me.  I was packing my bags at my friend’s house when it hit hard.  They are on the second story of a slightly wobbly building and nearer the hills where this occured.  It gave me quite the start and was probably the most unnerved I’ve been by one in about 6 months.  But then I got a bit sad.  Realizing it would likely be the last christchurch quake…. for me.

#47

11:49pm Jan 23 2013– Mag 3.1  Mercallii III

I was staying up late catching up on The Block Australia.  It was just a sway.  enough to make the curtains move and enough to make you wonder if perhaps it was just a gust of wind… if wind could make the bed sway.

Things I will not miss…

SCIRT.

For those of you not familiar with the earthquake related beauracracy down here. SCIRT stands for stronger christchurch infastructure rebuild team.

See you know that little earthquake they had here in February of 2011.  Well, it caused the entire ground to settle… unevenly… all over town.  In some places near the ocean it sunk as much as 300mm (1 foot).  Well as you can imagine this reeked havoc on the roads and, more importantly the sewer systems, which are a fine balance of falling flow to the collection points.  This means there is a LOT of sewer work in Christchurch and a LOT of road work.  While I think SCIRT does attempt to let people know, they just don’t do a very good job of it.  Given the amount of projects going on the greater public notification would be a nightmare… and often these jobs only last a week or two so I guess it’s not totally worth the effort.

But I will definitely not miss, trying to go somewhere in a city I don’t know very well, with super confusing road systems* only to be stopped by a road closed sign and very little detour information. Especially when said detour is between myself and the only salvation army drop box I know in the city!

(Christchurch has a radial grid and an ungodly obsession with cul-de-sacs! With no public transit system to speak off… for a city in love with its suburbs its infuriating to have to go through town to get anywhere… especially when “town” is closed for a few years.)