After spending the last quarter of 2009 hosting family, getting back into the work routine after a four-week holiday hiatus, and enjoying all that Summer had to offer, it is time to post again on The Starbuck Report!

I will start with a tramping excursion Rus and I completed at the beginning of February on Mt. Fyffe, the tallest summit of the Seaward Kaikouras (not to be confused with a second set that runs parallel and further inland, aptly named the Inward Kaikouras) - about 1600m (5,250 feet).  This meant that we would travel, once again, to one my favourite places in New Zealand - Kaikoura.

Since there was a popular concert happening in the area, budget rental cars were sold out across the city.  We did not want to pay for a better car when all it would do is sit in a carpark all weekend, and it looked like we might have to cancel our trip.  Thankfully, one of my workmates allowed me to borrow her SUV for the weekend.  I took the bus to her house after work on Friday, drove the car to my house, and we packed it up with the necessary gear.  Soon afterward, with the windows down and the warm sun shining, we were on our way to Kaikoura!

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the drive to Kaikoura is one of the most breathtaking one can imagine, and this time was no different.  It has been a rather wet and cool summer, so the grass on the plains was as green as green could be.  Combined with the Alps as a backdrop and the turquoise water, it was stunning!

We arrived around dinner time, set up our tent for the night at the holiday park (before nightfall), and treated ourselves to a nice dinner and wine a restaurant in town that serves local, organic food.  We enjoyed expertly-cooked pieces of quality meat (me, venison; Rus, beef fillet); we understood we would be eating far differently the following day.

After a lovely sleep in the tent, we woke up late, had a coffee and a big brekkie at a cafe, then drove to the start of the track about 20 minutes inland.  It was a perfect day - sunny, clear, and sure to be warm.  Once at the carpark, we double-checked our packs for the proper gear.  The Department of Conservation (DOC) maintains huts on tracks throughout New Zealand with bunks and basic facilities (though no shower at this one); however, because of the time of year (summer), the fine weather, and the influx of Europeans who come to New Zealand to tramp, etc., we thought it would be best to bring our tent in the event the hut was full.  It turned out to be a good move…

Ten minutes into our walk, I was wondering what we were thinking.  We started entirely too late for the weather (nearly 11:00AM), meaning that it was already warm (about 28C/ 82F), even without our 22kg (50lb) packs!  The track was steep; the terrain groomed, course gravel.  The profuse sweat started near-instantaneously.  Without much breeze coming from the Pacific (unusual for this location), it was going to be a long day.

Despite the hot (and, at times, miserable) day, the views climbing the to the summit were becoming more spectacular with each step.   After nearly four hours of steep, sweaty climbing (with plenty of short breaks in between!), we finally reached the hut.  The first thing on our minds was a well-deserved lunch of tuna (from pouches) and crackers.  Whether it was sheer hunger or not, it tasted amazing.  We met another couple who arrived before us who were curiously shaking something in peanut butter jars.  After introducing ourselves and mingling, we learned that they were making a no-bake cheesecake.  How’s that for “roughing it”?

The hut is not at the summit; the summit is another 90 minute hike to the top.  Thankfully, however, we could ditch our heavy packs and proceed with just water and poles - phew!  We took a liberal three hour break beforehand; resting, digesting, and meeting the other trampers who came up after we did.  There was Paul, a young lad from the U.K., and two members of the New Zealand Air Force who just arrived…they looked like we had a few hours previous before we dried off and had a hearty meal.  They might have been needing a good rest, but we were ready to climb to the summit!

The last 90 minutes were as tough as the first four hours, even without our packs.  Once we reached the top, though, we were treated with some truly magnificent 360 degree views.  The entire Kaikoura peninsula was in view, as well as the mountains stretching all the way to the south and north.  The ocean stretched as far as the eye could see.  The patchwork plains and rolling hills below made me feel like I was on top of the world!  We took some photos and decided it was dinnertime!

As always, the descent is far faster than the ascent; it only took us about 45 minutes to get back to the hut.  It was not easy, however, because our legs had turned to jelly. By then, it was nearly 6:00PM, we were ravenous, and I was sure we would be in bed shortly after sundown.

Once back at the hut, we cooked our dehydrated camping meals (when I say “cooked” I mean boiled some water on the camp stove, pour it into the bag with the food and let it sit for 10 minutes) and continued to get to know our fellow trampers.  The couple in the Air Force were truly set: they brought frozen (?!) pieces of steak, mashed potatoes, etc.  They also had hot chocolate and a flask of port, a popular post-tramping beverage.  Another couple, well into their 60s, arrived later.  We had seen them on the summit earlier, and they had chosen another track to hike before returning to the hut (!?).  They did more than we did on the day and did not even look tired.   It gave me inspiration for fun and fitness well into the future.  Our friend, Paul, had decided to see the sunset from the summit; he cooked his meal and headed up.    If the older couple had decided to stay in the hut, the hut’s eight beds would have been full, with one needing a place to sleep.   As it appeared the perfect weather would continue through the night, they chose to camp under the stars somewhere nearby, amazing us once again.

This left space for the remaining seven of us to sleep in the hut; however, since it was hot and tight in there, we were happy to use the tent we hauled up the mountain.  We changed our clothes, hanging them on a make-shift laundry line so they would be dry in the morning, and set up camp.  Our tent is small and light-weight mesh, with a wind- and water-proof cover. Because of the excellent weather, we opted to forgo the cover.

A few hours after dinner, the sun was beginning to set, and all of us scattered to different places catch our own views.  Once we snapped a few photos, I was certainly ready for bed - all of my muscles aching with exhaustion from the day.  But Tim and Catherine, who had made the cheesecake earlier, had different plans.  Instead of resting our tired bodies, we gathered around a few camp stoves, made hot chocolate, ate no-bake cheesecake, and shared stories and laughs.  It was one of the highlights of my day!

As the night grew darker, sleepiness overcame the conversation and camaraderie.  It was finally time to go to bed.  Rus and I tucked ourselves into our sleeping bags (which is entirely gross after a long day of sweating!).  As he drifted off, I could not peel my eyes from the clear, starry night visible through the mesh.   This, my friends, is why I do this.  Not only for the views (as spectacular as they are), not for the cool people I meet along  the way, and certainly not for the food.  It’s for the opportunity to view the night sky far from and above city lights, in all of its sparkling glory.  Despite my fatigue, my eyes could not stop scanning the sky for shooting stars and attempting to memorise every single dazzling one.  It was notable that, even atop this mountain, there was nearly no breeze - a perfect night.  I coerced myself to rest my eyes and drift to sleep.

While we were conversing the night before over n0-bake cheesecake, we all agreed to wake up for the sunrise over the Pacific.  The Air Force, Karen and Peter, were in charge of time, and their knock on the tent came too early.  While Rus was happy to snooze through the whole thing (despite my enthusiasm!), I snapped photos from the warmth of my sleeping bag through the tent’s door.  The site was different than what we were expecting: a thick blanket of clouds shrouded the peninsula and plains below.  It looked like the sun was rising from an ocean of cotton.  It was beautiful!

After a quick breakfast of hot muesli, we dismantled the tent, loaded our packs (significantly lighter after using most of the food and water - the harsh truth in the world of tramping!), and began our descent. We offered young Paul a ride back into town so he would not have to walk the long, flat 15 kilometres back to the town centre to catch his bus.  He left before we did but would catch him at the bottom.

As we caught up with the layer of clouds, and left the sunshine at the top, the weather became cool, moist, and overcast.  It only took us two hours to reach the car, and Paul was waiting patiently for us.  Once we made sure all of our gear was in the car - and the tramping boots were off - we drove back to Kaikoura for coffees and pastries.  We enjoyed chatting with Paul about his travels through India and Nepal, and his planned adventures in New Zealand.  It always impresses me to meet young adults who have done so much travelling!

Once we were finished, Paul made his way back to his backpackers hostel.  We stayed in Kaikoura for a bit, scoping out the area on the outskirts of town.  We went out to the peninsula itself and had a cray sandwich (cray = crayfish, very similar to a lobster, except with no claws) on the coast.  Unlike the weather the day before, it was chilly and breezy.

By the time lunch was over, we had had enough.  We were happily tired and in need of a shower.  After a fantastic weekend, it was finally time to drive home.

*Please visit our Flickr page to see more photos of this trip!  It’s well worth it!

Rus and I have enjoyed muesli since Day One here, but it is quite expensive, especially considering we like ours as organic and garbage-free (i.e. preservative, additive, extra sugar and salt, etc.) as possible.  Bags can cost up to $11 each for about four servings!  There is relief, however, because it can be made at home cheaply from ingredients that can be purchased in the bulk section of most local supermarkets.  This Tasty Tuesday is all about how to make your own wholesome, healthy, breakfast cereal.

This is how I make it - and save lots of money on “the most important meal of the day” (of course, it can be modified to fit your chosen dietary restrictions and preferences):

4 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 ground flax seed

2 tbsp rice bran oil

1/4

1/2 chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup sliced or chopped almonds (optional)

1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, apricots, mangos, bananas - anything!)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius).

2. In a large bowl, mix the rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, nuts, and rice bran oil until thoroughly coated.

3. Place the mixture in a baking dish or lasagna dish and into the oven.

4. Toast in the oven for 5-7 minutes, turning the mixture over every few minutes until the desired toast level is reached.

5. Once the level of toast is reached, pour the toasted oats into a bowl.

6.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir.

7. Allow to cool and serve with milk or hot water.  Enjoy!

Rus and I have been wanted to try snowboarding for some time.  We both enjoy downhill skiing and have dabbled in cross-country skiing, but the popularity of snowboarding has tempted us to “give it a go”, as the saying goes here.

Our new flatmate, Simon (age 28, Kiwi from Auckland), has been a couple of times and has his own gear.  He was keen to go to Mt. Hutt, the most popular and commercialised ski field in the area, about 90 minutes from Christchurch.  Winter sport lovers come from all over the world, especially Europe and Japan, during the Southern Hemisphere ski season to experience the snow and the views from the Southern Alps.

Rus and I hired (”rented”) our snowboards and boots from a shop just a stone’s throw from our house.  Once we were geared up, we were on our way to the mountain.  It was another glorious day - not a cloud in site!  We drove down a road on which we had never been on but saw more of the same flat pastures and rolling hills - and, of course, lots of sheep!  Eventually, we made our way to the access road to Mt. Hutt, and that’s where the fun really began!

Since this ski field is quite popular, the road leading to the lodge is wider (two whole lanes!) and, while still rough (as in, not paved), it was not as treacherous as the one we climbed to get to Mt. Cheeseman.  As we winded our way up the 16km road, we were treated to incredible views of the Canterbury Plains, extending all the way to the ocean to the east, the Inland Kaikouras mountain range to the north, and even more snow-covered alps to the south.  It was another one of those “don’t look down” kind of roads - no guard rails - and no chance of survival if you went over the edge.   We were well above the tree line; there were only a few rocks and chairlifts, and many little moving dots of people zig-zagging on the huge white mass in front of us.  Although I was excited to try something new, there is something uncomfortable and intimidating about going into a day where you know you are going to fail (in this case, end up on your butt) all day long.

When we finally arrived at the top, we were directed to park in an overflow lot; the mountain looked quite busy.  It was Father’s Day here (Sunday, September 6th), and we were hoping most people would be enjoying their family time elsewhere.  Regardless, we gathered up our gear and made our way to the ticket counter to purchase lift tickets.  Since we were each inexperienced snowboarders, we all decided on staying strictly on the “Magic Carpet” - the “Bunny Hill”, in other words.  There was an option to upgrade our lift tickets for a reduced price later on in the day, if we wished.  Tickets were $44 a piece just for the Magic Carpet hill - yikes!  Needless to say, we decided to forgo the $95-an-hour snowboarding lessons…

The “Magic Carpet” is actually a conveyor belt that moves people to the top of a pathetic little slope for newbies.  Today, this pathetic little slope was covered, as it usually is, with tiny, young ski proteges… a recipe for disaster considering Rus and I are quite tall and would be far from graceful on our snowboards.  Nevertheless, I strapped the snowboard to one foot and awkwardly scooted myself toward the conveyor belt.

At the “top” (about 150 metres from the bottom and at a “very scary” 15 degree angle), I plopped down on my rear end and buckled my right foot to the board.  I stood up and readied myself to go down the hill…slowly…slowly…BAM!  First fall of the day, barely one minute into it.  I fell five more times before I made it down to the bottom of that little slope.

The rest of the day was more of the same…meaning that I did, indeed, spend a lot of time on my butt.  Or the occasional direct fall on the knees, some of them nearly knocking the wind out of me.  Kids laughed at me.  I actually got laughed at by some little punk demon child.  He pointed, laughed, and said, “Daddy, that girl just FELL!”.  I retorted, “Thanks for the vote of encouragement!” and was thankful his dad was there; I just might have smacked him.  Also, because of all the people and the slow-moving conveyor belt, it was actually faster to take the board off completely and walk back up the hill (adding to the exhaustion factor).

Throughout all the falling and dodging younglings, I did manage to get the hang of it…all while sweating my you-know-what off.  It was cold (obviously - snow - hello!?), but the blazing sun meant the layers were thin and few.  By the end, I was actually enjoying myself surfing across the snow (for however short the slope was) and looking forward to the next run - which would hopefully be free of painful falls.  (Note: Some of the photos are courtesy of Simon, who had two previous snowboarding experiences under his belt and hence decided to upgrade on his lift ticket.  Rus and I, fearing certain death if in error, decided to keep on the Magic Carpet).

And even though I looked longingly at the expert skiers skillfully swishing back and forth gracefully down the steep slopes, I was happy that I took the plunge and decided to “fail” for the day.  Perhaps that, indeed, actually, was my greatest success of the day!

Since it is Labour Weekend (Monday, 26 October off work, yay!), we decided to hire a car and head out.  I left work at lunchtime Friday since it became clear that most potential clients had already done the same.  Rus still had to finish up work (and also had to put in a few hours today; hence, why I am able to write this from our trip!).  We packed, loaded up the car, and were on the road by nearly 5:00PM.

We thought it would be about a five hour drive and anticipated arriving around 10:00PM.  We ran into a slight delay getting out of Christchurch (read: about 10 minutes), and drove through some more beautiful country.  After about 90 minutes into the trip, we were in (for us) uncharted territory, but it was “more of the same” - more beautiful mountains, raging blue rivers, sheep country, and wet forests.

Eventually, we were getting hungry.  It was getting late, and towns were few and far between.  We stopped at a very small town cafe that was just closing for the night.  Though we were unable to eat anything, mercifully, they still let us use their toilets!  We endured until we came upon a small town called Murchinson.  This was the largest town we had seen since leaving the outskirts of Christchurch.  There was even a small supermarket (and by small, I mean, convenience store-size small)!  We chose one of the two tavern/restaurants there and ordered meals that seemed to take forever to be served.  Brett and I shared a lovely vegetable soup and what was called the Commercial Hamburger (”Commercial” was the name of the restaurant, an old inn).  The Commercial Burger is a typical Kiwi hamburger (even found in fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Burger King) - which consists of a burger patty, cheese, sauteed onions, lettuce, tomato, “tomato sauce” (ketchup), fried egg, beets, pineapple, and bacon (shoulder bacon, more like a slice of ham).  Yes, beets, egg, and pineapple.  Brett and I also shared this, and it turned out to be a good thing since it was about eight inches tall and served with enough chips (french fries) for all three of us to share.

Once we were satiated, we were back on the road.  It was 9:15PM, and we still had about two hours ahead of us.  I had booked us into a holiday park in Kaiteriteri - right on the beach and right at the foot of Abel Tasman National Park.  It was dark now, raining, and the roads were mostly empty.  Rus was a champ and drove the whole way.

Finally, after jamming through a very decent collection of classic rock and 80s tunes, we arrived in Kaiteriteri around 11:30PM, and looked for the holiday park.  When I say “looked”, it means that there was no stated address, and since the town is so small, we should be able to “look” and find it.  Furthermore, when I booked the cabin, I told the receptionist that we would be arriving late, and she said, “No problem, if it’s after 7:30, we’ll just leave the cabin unlocked for you”.  How’s that for down home service?!  Sure enough, we found our cabin, Cabin #8, and stepped inside.

This cabin was basic, no-frills accommodation - a bunk bed, a double bed, a desk and four chairs - all built in.  The room, self-contained, is about 12 x 12 - and pretty much perfect for our requirements.  We were exhausted, so, without even showering, we set up our sleeping bags, brushed our teeth, and went to bed.

When we awoke the next morning, we were able to truly examine our spectacular surroundings…

Poor New Zealand. Nobody is quite sure exactly where it is. A favorite joke on tourists in Sydney, my Australian friends tell me, is to convince them that the Sydney Harbor Bridge is actually a bridge to New Zealand (it isn’t, New Zealand is about 1,400 miles away). And the HBO show Flight Of The Conchords has made ignorance of New Zealand a running theme.

But at the very least Google should get it right. But Barry Schwartz has noticed that the top result for a search for Google Ireland on Google itself returns a top result of not Google.ie, but Google.nz. As does a search for Google Egypt.

Neither Ireland nor Egypt are actually New Zealand. It’s in a totally different hemisphere.

Since my last update, a lot has happened!

First and foremost, about a month ago, I accepted a position as an advertising sales representative for a marketing company.  This particular company, called JB Presentations, specialises in producing desk pads and wall planners.  I sell the advertising space surrounding these.  The job is relatively laid back, the hours are flexible, and I truly enjoy the group of people I work with.  The office is in an old shoe factory right in the City Centre, with exposed brick walls, hardwood floors, and lots of large windows.  Besides the managing director (who is male), I work with thirteen other woman of various ages.  In terms of getting to work in the morning, I can cycle there in about ten minutes, ride one of several regular buses with a transit time of 15 minutes, or walk ten minutes to ride the Free Shuttle (total transit time about 25 minutes).  If it’s nice out, I definitely prefer to cycle.

Secondly, my youngest sister, Brett, arrived two weeks ago to Christchurch.  We’ve been scampering around the area since she’s been here, going up to Kaikoura last weekend for Seafest 2009, camping, Lyttelton, and riding the Christchurch Gondola up and mountain biking down the Port Hills.

Thirdly, in the coming weeks, The Starbuck Report will be going through a technological upgrade.  Rus will be moving the blog over to the new Crowd Fusion web publishing platform.

Fourth and finally, I sent away for and received my permanent residence for New Zealand!  I am now able to vote, exit and enter the country freely for the next two years (until I have to renew my visa), and have access to the public health system.  This is a welcome relief, as my work visa expired in July (resulting in a bit of a mix-up at the San Francisco airport in August!  Cheers to the amazingly friendly and understanding staff at Air New Zealand and customs at Christchurch Airport! :))

So, the last few weeks have been busy, and I realise that I have been neglecting The Starbuck Report.  Look for more updates in the coming days!

Reprinted from Yahoo! News

BANGKOK – Sophisticated computer scans of fossils have helped solve a mystery over the nature of a giant, ancient raptor known as the Haast’s eagle which became extinct about 500 years ago, researchers said Friday. The researchers say they have determined that the eagle — which lived in the mountains of New Zealand and weighed about 40 pounds (18 kilograms) — was a predator and not a mere scavenger as many thought.

Much larger than modern eagles, Haast’s eagle would have swooped to prey on flightless birds — and possibly even the rare unlucky human.

Ken Ashwell of the University of New South Wales in Australia and Paul Scofield of the Canterbury Museum in New Zealand wrote their conclusions in the peer-reviewed Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Using computed axial tomography, or CAT, the researchers scanned several skulls, a pelvis and a beak in an effort to reconstruct the size of the bird’s brain, eyes, ears and spinal cord.

They compared their data on the Haast’s eagle to characteristics of modern predator birds and scavenger birds to determine that the bird was a fearsome predator that ate the flightless moa birds and even humans.

The researchers also determined the eagle quickly evolved from a much smaller ancestor, with the body growing much more quickly than the brain. They believe its body grew 10 times bigger during the early to middle Pleistocene period, 700,000 to 1.8 million years ago.

“This work is a great example of how rapidly evolving medical techniques and equipment can be used to solve ancient medical mysteries,” Ashwell said.

Because fossils are so fragile and most of the species were never seen by humans, CAT scans allow researchers to closely examine body parts of the long-extinct animals to learn about their behavior, Scofield said.

“The fossils are very valuable and you can’t just cut into the skull to look at the brain,” he said. “So by using nondestructive techniques, you can get a much better idea of the neurobiology of these animals.”

Scientists believe the Haast’s eagle became extinct about 500 years ago, most likely due to habitat destruction and the extinction of its prey species at the hands of early Polynesian settlers. Before the humans colonized New Zealand about 750 years ago, the largest inhabitants were birds like the Haast’s eagle and the moa.

Scofield said the findings are similar to what he found in Maori folk tales. “The science supports Maori mythology of the legendary pouakai or hokioi, a huge bird that could swoop down on people in the mountains and was capable of killing a small child,” he said.

New Zealand paleontologist Trevor Worthy said the study did a good job of proving the eagle was a killer.

“They provide a convincing case that the body of this eagle has rapidly enlarged, presumably adapting to the very much larger prey it had access to in New Zealand, but that the brain size had lagged behind this increase,” he said in an e-mail interview. “Convincing data shows beyond doubt that this bird was an active predator, no mere scavenger. It is a nice use of modern technology and the same old bones as yesteryear to advance knowledge.”

Jamie R. Wood, a researcher from New Zealand who has done extensive research on the moa, said the analysis strengthens the case that the eagle evolved quickly from a much smaller ancestor, “in what must be one of the most dramatic examples anywhere of how rapidly evolution can occur on islands.”

June 2009’s statistics summary for www.thestarbuckreport.com is as follows:

Reported period: Month June 2009

First visit: 01 June 2009 - 00:12

Last visit: 30 June 2009 - 23:30

Unique visitors: 365

Number of visits: 1959 (5.36 visits/visitor)

Pages: 8685 (4.43 pages/visit)

July’s statistics for www.thestarbuckreport.com:

Reported period: Month July 2009

First visit: 01 July 2009 - 00:22

Last visit: 31 July 2009 - 23:56

Unique visitors: 377

Number of visits: 2258 (6.09 visits/visitor)

Pages: 3816 (1.66 pages/visit)

August’s statistics for www.thestarbuckreport.com:

Reported period: Month August 2009

First visit: 01 August 2009 - 00:20

Last visit: 31 August 2009 - 23:58

Unique visitors: 387

Number of visits: 2174 (5.61 visits/visitor)

Pages: 3521 (1.61 pages/visit)

Since the wedding is over, we should be able to track progress more accurately moving forward!  I will also be posting more frequently

As usual, thanks to all of our faithful readers, and a big “Kia Ora” (”Welcome!”) to our new readers!  I encourage you to join our RSS and leave your comments in each article’s comment section.  Cheers!

Note: Samosas require quite a bit of time and effort, but they are worth it!

Ingredients:

1 small cucumber, grated

1 cup plain yoghurt

4 peeled and cubed potatoes

1 peeled and cubed carrot

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 large chunk of ginger, finely chopped

1 bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped

3 bunches of fresh spring onions, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 teaspooon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

rice bran or olive oil

2 cups warm water

salt to taste

pastry squares, enough to make 30-50 samosas (you can use any fresh store-bought pastry or make your own; I used pre-made, pre-cut wonton pastry from my local Asian Food Warehouse)

Here’s what I did:

1. In a large frying pan (with a lid), saute the red onion in oil on medium-high heat until they begin to soften.  Add garlic and ginger and saute those.

2. Stir in turmeric and cayenne pepper

3. Turn down heat to medium-low heat and add carrots and potatoes.  Stir.

4.  Add one cup of warm water, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally.  The goal is to soften the carrots and potatoes to the point where a fork easily pokes into them.  You may need to add more water during this process.  Warm water is recommended so as not to cool down the pot too much.

5.  Once the carrots and potatoes are soft (there should be little water left in the pan), add the spring onions and fresh coriander.  Mix thoroughly, then remove from heat.

6. Add sea salt to taste.  The stuffing should be the consistency of roughly-mashed potatoes.  If it needs more mashing, do so now.  If not, the stuffing is complete!

7. Take a pastry square and put a tablespoon of the stuffing in the middle.  Fold the opposite corners over to form a triangle and press the edges closed (it might help to moisten the edges to help them seal).

8. Repeat until the mixture is finished or you run out of pastry.

9. Time to cook the samosas!  You can either bake these on a greased cookie sheet at 175C/350F for 15-20 minutes (or until golden brown) or fry them.  We chose to fry them in rice bran oil at 150-175C/300-350F for two minutes on each side.  Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

10. Mix the yoghurt and grated cucumber together to create a dipping sauce (the yoghurt calms the spicy tingle on the tongue).

11. Serve!  Eat with chutneys, fruit preserves, and the cucumber-yoghurt sauce.

Results:

This dish takes awhile to make, even using the pre-made pastry.  Chopping everything took about 45 minutes, filling the pastries took another 30 minutes (and we only made 20), and deep frying took another 30 minutes.  On top of all of the prep time, they were messy to make - and turmeric, used appropriately as a dye in India, will stain just about anything it touches.  Was it worth the effort?  Absolutely!  These were melt-in-your-mouth goodness…we could hardly wait long enough for them to cool down without burning our mouths!   Simon, currently not an “adventurous” eater, thought the sample was so good, he went back for seconds!  Arno also loved them.  The other flatmates were not available for tasting.

The verdict?  While it was a bit of a Disaster in the “prep” and “clean up” categories, the end result for this Tasty Tuesday was a definite Delight!

Since returning from our holiday overseas, we’ve been aching to dive back into some classic outdoor Kiwi adventures!  Monique’s aunt and uncle are vacationing in Australia for the next three weeks, so they have left a vehicle with us during their absence.  Monique had the day off (as did Rus), so our original plan involved taking a day trip to one of the many ski fields.  When it became apparent that most ski fields require snow chains to climb the unpaved, untreated (and, hence, treacherous) access roads to their lodges, we decided to have a day hike instead.  Ultimately, we chose to go to popular Arthur’s Pass (about two hours northwest).  None of us knew exactly which track we would hike, so we donned our layers and boots to prepare for whatever we decided once we got to the visitor’s centre there.

It was forecast to rain in Christchurch, but by the time we left mid-morning, the sun was streaming through the clouds.  We drove towards the towering snow-covered Alps, surrounded by lush, green pasture.  Since Spring is right around the corner, the sheep are lambing, and we saw hundreds of adorable little baby lambs bouncing around in the grass.

Soon, we were weaving up into and then between the giant mountains.  What a sight!  Some had snow, some did not, but all were stunning.  Over rivers and one-lane bridges, we made our way to Arthur’s Pass.  Besides the roads and the occasional utility line, and despite the popularity of the route (which goes straight through to the other side of the country), it was hard to discern humans had ever been there.

Nearly two hours later, we arrived in the tiny village of Arthur’s Pass, which basically consisted of a couple of cafes, a visitor’s centre, a shop or two, a train station, and a handful of backpackers’ hotels.  As we pulled into the visitor’s centre for a trail map, we saw several Kea - a giant forest parrot only found in the alpine and forest areas of New Zealand.   We wanted a closer look and started toward one, but we need not have bothered; it flew over to us and landed on the roof of a car parked next to us!  There, it strutted and showed off, even trying to peck its way into the car!  Kea are notoriously smart birds, apparently not fearful of humans, and it was cool to see one so close up!

After we got bored with the Kea (or, rather, it got bored with us!), we went inside to seek out a trail guide.  Once we determined where we were going to go (Devil’s Punch Bowl Falls), we proceeded to a cafe to grab lunch before setting off.

The walk to Devil’s Punch Bowl Falls is short (less than an hour); we could see the falls from the road.  It is a bridal veil-type falls, a tall, thin stream of water that mists before reaching the bottom.  We walked through a damp, jungle-like forest - full of lichen, mosses, ferns, and moulds - toward the base of the falls.  Once we made it there, we took some pictures and watched the water trip and fall over the rocks.  Rus and I teetered into the river on some rocks and tasted the pure mountain water (for inquiring minds: it tasted clean with a slight “rock” aftertaste).  I tried holding my hand under the rushing water and could only manage a few seconds because it was so cold!

After we had our fill of the scenery there, it was time to make our next move.  We walked back the way we came and went back to the car.  We chose another trail a few kilometres up the road.  This one, called “Bealey Valley River Track”.  The signs said it would take four hours, which was about as much daylight as we had left, so we went for it.

I found the first part of this walk very interesting.  Again, the forests seemed almost tropical, as they were positively dripping and covered with all sorts of moisture-loving organisms.  What struck me as odd, however, was the fact that such an ecosystem could exist in such a cold climate (the temperature that day was about 7C/45F).  The difficulty level of this walk was harder than the first, with many steep “steps” and tricky climbs down.  Eventually, we made it to a river, flowing rapidly from the snow-melt.   We were in a giant ravine carved by the river, with the mountainsides tall and commanding above us.  There was an “Avalanche” warning sign, and we could see distinctly where previous avalanches had stripped the areas of trees and rocks.  In spots, the snow actually covered the rushing river.

Negotiating giant boulders and crunching through knee-deep snow, we made our way to another bridal-veil falls in the distance.  Clearly, no one was here before us as we would have seen tracks.  We had long since passed our last trail marker; however, we were only about 60 minutes into a supposed four-hour walk.  Or so we thought.  A light mist started to fall, and Monique - who was not wearing waterproof tramping boots - was falling behind.   We had been walking in frigid mountain water for the last hour; her feet were surely cold.  I was beginning to tire as the walk was borderline-treacherous.    Was there water rushing beneath the snow?  Would the rocks shift under our weight?  Could the melting snow give way in the higher altitudes and put us in danger?  It was beautiful up there, and I could not get enough of the fresh air.  Monique and I both agreed that we could easily sit and simply watch the rushing water for hours.  All of that aside, however, daylight (and our energy) would start fading soon, and it was best to turn around.  We abandoned our journey to the second water fall and made our way back.  As we we were descending, the sun shone through a cloud onto the mist and treated us with a colorful rainbow!

Once back at the car, we removed our gear and prepared to head back to Christchurch.  On our way through, we decided to drive up the access road to Mt. Cheeseman (our previously-selected ski field), to see just “how serious” they were about snow chains.  The road was one-lane, winding for kilometres, with no guard rails.  It was wet and muddy, and I was happy that we had a four-wheel drive vehicle.  We continued to climb until we saw snow and Monique felt uncomfortable proceeding any further; I supposed we needed snow chains after all!  We took some amazing pictures, turned around, and drove back down to the highway to go home.

Later that night, Rus discovered that the last sign we saw on the trail was actually the end of the trail; we had completed it in about half of the estimated time and were tramping up the river in unmarked territory.  Oops!

In other news (and not unexpected given the particularly cold Autumn), all but one of the eighteen lettuce plants perished.  Also, the cabbages have not materialised like I expected; however, they are flourishing and simply might require few more weeks before harvest.  As a first-time grower of brassicas, I am not yet sure of the timing.  That being said, the weather in late-Winter has been spectacular - sunny, dry (for the most part!), in the mid-teens during the day and above-freezing at night.  Hopefully, this will be the boost the plants need to finish production before I have to pull them out - seeds for our Summer garden are already sowed inside!

All things considered, it was a good experience learning to grow (and growing new things!) in such a small space.  I am not yet sure we have broken even cost-wise on the garden setup, but I am sure we will come out ahead once we harvest the Summer garden.  Can’t wait to eat more fresh broccoli and try the fresh cauliflower!

This particular recipe is (hopefully) a better-tasting version of the “real” version above.  It’s well-planned, well-measured, and “weight-sensitive” - suitable for carrying and cooking on a tramp!  Since Rus is my favourite tramping partner, he decided to assist with this week’s culinary adventure -  even choosing to cook it using our camp stove and camping pots - to test its true viability.  Was it a Delight or Disaster?

Ingredients

300g Arborio rice

100ml olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 cubes chicken stock (or 1L)

150g chorizo sausage

1 courgette (small zucchini), chopped

1 red capsicum (bell pepper), diced

50g parmesan cheese, shaved

salt, pepper, parsley

Here’s what we did:

1. Chop ingredients as instructed

2. In a small pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer, then cover to keep warm

3. Lightly fry the chorizo, onion, and garlic

4. Add oil and rice; stir for two minutes or until rice is well-coated in oil.

5. Pour in a cupful of stock and stir over a medium heat until it’s absorbed.

6. Add the rest of the stock a cupful at a time, stirring frequently.

7. Add the courgettes about half way through, and the capsicum with the last cupful of stock (to prevent over-cooking).

8. When all of the stock has been added, and the rice is soft, throw in the parmesan, season to taste, and garnish with parsley.

Prep time: 45 minutes; serves 4

So…how did it taste?  The chorizo did a brilliant job of flavouring the rice dish.  The capsicum and courgettes are nice additions, both for texture and depth.  The rice came out soft as expected, though we did not need to use the entire one-litre of chicken stock (instead, about 750mL).

Flatmates say:

Dylan, Arno, Leanne, and Simon all loved it.  Rus also liked it.  I thought it was great, especially as a hearty meal after a tramp; however, I could do without the parmesan, and I would skip the salt (the chicken stock provides plenty to make it tasty).  Monique was not available for testing.

I think this will become a regular recipe, from which we will begin experiments with different ingredients - both for tramping and dinners at home.  All around, this recipe was a DELIGHT!

“There are only three real measures of wealth: health, food, and energy. Everything else is a means of exchange or a speculative store of temporary value.” - Charles Hugh Smith

For more real, relevant news (i.e. not the placating stuff you watch, hear, or read in the corporate media), check out Of Two Minds.

I hold my hands in front of me to block my line of sight

It seems my eyes are growing tired of staring in the light

The more I see the more I feel the less I want to know

Because if you think to much you’ll blow your mind

You might just lose control and scream

-Lyrics to “Scream,” by Seven Nations (Kirk McLeod)

In Matt Taibbi’s vivid and provocative new article in Rolling Stone, “The Great American Bubble Machine,” the man absolutely screams. Evoking the image in Edvard Munch’s famous Norwegian painting, Taibbi sounds the alarm to American readers as he explores the sordid story of Goldman Sachs and Co. Tracing 90 years of political and market history, Taibbi colorfully describes the firm headquartered at 85 Broad Street as: “a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.”

Such evocative imagery will surely be discounted by some as hysterical or exaggerated, particularly by those whose senses are deadened by the business press or CNBC-style babble. Rather than engage in a dissection of the details, I would like to explore why Taibbi is screaming and ask why he is screaming for all of us in a way we are not seeing elsewhere in the media. In addition to screaming for us, I wonder whether he is also screaming at us. One thing is certain: he is screaming in a way that a healthy press would do in a hysterical time. Goldman Sachs’ uncontested success blurring the boundaries between market and state is symbolic of a tremendous malfunction in finance, politics and civil society. That the firm is well-managed by all measures and that some fine, well-meaning individuals work there is beside the point. Taibbi is telling us that the rules are rigged. That we are being abused.

This is a time for vivid outrage.

Taibbi’s rage is filling an emotional void. It is a reaction to what is missing after this profound speculative episode that the IMF suggests will cost over $4 trillion in losses on balance sheets and untold trillions in lost output. It is fury over a crisis that is, by any measure, the most profoundly damaging episode since the 1930s (and the Bank for International Settlements Annual Report released this week strongly suggests that the burden on stockholders is far from over).

What is it that leads to screaming? A wonderful passage in John Kenneth Galbraith’s A Short History of Financial Euphoria helps explain. Dr. Galbraith seeks to identify the common elements that recur organically in the buildup and aftermath of every financial boom-bust episode:

“The final and common feature of the speculative episode-in stock markets, real estate, art, or junk bonds-is what happens after the inevitable crash. This, invariably, will be a time of anger and recrimination and also of profoundly unsubtle introspection. The anger will fix upon the individuals who were previously most admired for their financial imagination and acuity. Some of them, having been persuaded of their own exemption from confining orthodoxy, will, as noted, have gone beyond the law, and their fall and, occasionally, their incarceration will now be viewed with righteous satisfaction.

There will also be scrutiny of the previously much-praised financial instruments and practices-paper money; implausible securities issues; insider trading; market rigging; more recently, program and index trading that have facilitated and financed the speculation. There will be talk of regulation and reform.”

Note the elements: anger, recrimination, introspection, law breaking, incarceration, regulation and reform.

Despite the fact that our news media have been filled with financial stories from Bear Stearns failure in March ‘08 to the present, the elements listed above seem neglected, muted, or in short supply (Gretchen Morgenson is the exception that proves the rule). This is disturbing, particularly given the scale of losses that the taxpayer has been forced to absorb, along with disappearing funds for future roads, bridges, health care, schools and a tax drag on wealth creation. It is into the void created by the tepid media coverage of this horrid and costly episode that Mr. Taibbi has screamed.

There is an age-old tension that emerges in situations like this. You can feel it yourself. We know things are not right but do not exactly know why. Finance is complex. Since the progressive era, trust in “experts” has often been suggested as the best way for society to handle such complex phenomena. We are encouraged to delegate to the likes of leading academics, the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Secretary, and financiers themselves to keep an eye on the public interest. Public officials are explicitly employed to undertake this task on behalf of society. Those in the private sector often appeal to experts, encouraging public deference to their superior knowledge. Experts are thought to be the custodians of the nation’s health.

As theologian Reinhold Niebuhr once described in Moral Man and Immoral Society:

“The stupidity of the average man will permit the oligarch, whether economic or political, to hide his real purpose from effective control …. Since the increasing complexity of society makes it impossible to bring all those who are in charge of its intricate techniques and processes, and who are therefore in possession of social power, under complete control, it will always be necessary to rely partly upon the honesty and self-restraint of those who are not socially restrained.”

The problem now is that the experts and leaders from finance have failed us miserably. They have let us down and we know it. We do not trust in the system. No one thinks the Federal Reserve did a bang-up job in the years preceding this crisis. The failure is much more profound in the private sector, yet for the most part that failure goes unacknowledged. Even with losses and bailouts, we have to fight over bonus payments to those who feel entitled, despite the cost they have imposed on their stockholders and, more importantly, society.

What we are witnessing, as I have written elsewhere, is a perverse form of insurance pay off.

Let’s call it political insurance. Ordinarily when insurance is offered, a premium is paid and, over time, the provider of insurance sets the rate on the premium so that they make a bit of money despite periodic payouts for accidents. What we have here is different. The financial sector, and other large patronage donors, spend billions of dollars on lobbyists and campaign contributions. Politicians then run their expensive election marketing campaigns with the proceeds. And finally, the contributors buy downside loss protection from the politicians and their appointees.

Who provides that downside protection? You and me. The taxpayer. The body politic. We get used by this refracted process, and our system is mislabeled as a representative democracy. And, to add insult to injury, we are forced to endure the the horror of the awful marketing campaigns of politicians using the their payoff money to protect donors with our the tax base. The media is on the take, too, collecting advertising revenue from financial companies and from political campaigns. Far be it for them to step outside this circular flow of funds that impedes our political system from incorporating feedback from evidence of its own dysfunction.

We are amidst a crisis of political legitimacy. The leaders of our complex financial firms have failed. They have failed as stewards of our nation’s future. They have failed as protectors of our public Treasury. Now, with trillions guaranteed, hundreds of billions of bailouts paid, and very little in the way of investigation, firings, or prosecution of the perpetrators, we are all being asked to calm down, move on, and stop acting like populists (a pejorative term when used by elite media or financiers). In the mean time, the perpetrators of this disaster confidently pay their political soldiers for another round of lobbying/campaign contribution money. (For more details on the numbers and firms involved see “Sold Out: How Wall Street and Washington Betrayed America.” See also Thomas Ferguson’s fine work collected in his book, Golden Rule.)

Returning to Taibbi’s startling article, there are many reasons for the amplified language he chooses to confront us with in rendering the social experience of Goldman Sachs (an experience that is certainly not unique to that firm). Perhaps it is illumination that Goldman Sachs and the leaders of finance have failed us as stewards and experts and that makes him mad. Or it could be that he is angry at the American people for trusting the financiers and enduring this abuse with little visible reaction. Or that the Bush and Obama Administrations and Congress have shown such little interest in investigating what happened, who did wrong, or who should be fired after drawing on the public purse to the tune of several hundred billion dollars!

It is hard to know what is in a writer’s head and heart, but the Goldman Sachs piece is so intense in comparison to Taibbi’s recent offerings that I sense a message of personal revulsion. For clues to what may have triggered this revulsion, I look back to his writings when he first returned to America and the book that acquainted me with his work: Spanking the Donkey: Dispatches from the Dumb Season. The book concerns the absurd carnival of the 2004 Democratic primaries. In the introduction, Taibbi describes how he had worked in Russia as a journalist for 10 years. He details the atrocities he saw, along with his sense of sympathy and fascination for the terrible things before his eyes. In Russia, he was an observer and not an accomplice, but when he returned to the USA in 2002, Taibbi felt less detached looking at his home country: “We are a country that has a large majority that on some level knows something is terribly wrong, but can’t find any positive idea that it can follow and build upon…” He describes how he had no idea how to cover the presidental election but found the need to develop a strategy to move ahead: “…I did not see much that suggested to me that a groundswell of change is on the way. But I do believe there is a strategy to pursue in the meantime, and that is TO REFUSED TO BE LIED TO….” On the strength of that insight, Taibbi set out to write a book about lies — how to recognize them and stop believing in them.

Taibbi’s look at Goldman Sachs illuminates what is missing in our political energy as we prepare, as he suggests in the article, to get our lunch eaten again in the energy trading market. What’s missing is a recognition that we have been violated by experts and leaders. What’s needed is a proper cleansing of social misdeed through outrage.

It causes me great pain to think that this sensitive and brilliant young writer, who had a ringside seat for the grotesque rape of the body politic in 1990s Russia by rapacious private oligarchs, is sickened by what he sees in the USA now! Let me say that again. He watched the rape of the Russian people up close and he is sickened by what is happening in the USA right now.

Maybe when you see it happen in a foreign country, tragedy can be seen as comedy. Perhaps when it happens in your own country and devastates the people you love, things take on a darker tone. Or maybe it really is as objectively bad here as his scream indicates. Or at least becoming so. Whatever your interpretation, we all owe thanks to Taibbi for screaming. He is warning us, and it will do us all some good to feel his rage and connect it to the rage that resides within each of us.

Feeling Taibbi’s outrage will help us refuse to be lied to by the experts in media, politics and finance. It will help us see through them when they pretend that they have not let us down or play the same old dysfunctional political patronage game to insure that things do not change. It will help us force them to give up some of their advantage to restore some balance and better serve the American people.

I booked our stay at St. Leonard’s Cottage, a homestead nestled amongst the vines in the heart of Blenheim’s wine country. We rented a car, packed it up, and was on our way mid-afternoon on Saturday.  The ride north on State Highway 1 is immensely beautiful and actually a pleasure to experience.  Once we were near Kaikoura, nearly two hours into our trip, the snow-capped mountains came into view, alongside the blue ocean to the right.  With daylight fading, this sight gave a new meaning of “purple mountains’ majesty”!

Soon it was dark (and I mean dark - no lights anywhere), and the rain began to fall.  We were hoping for a weekend of dry, sunny weather, but it was starting to look like the damp cold was following us.  We drove through the town centre and after a few missed turns here and there, we found the road where our accommodation was located.  Down a long, dark driveway, we came upon the house, an old single-story character estate built in the early 1800’s, and were immediately greeted by Paul and Daphne, our hosts.  Paul showed us to our self-contained cottage, called “The Shearer’s Quarters”.  It was one big room with a queen and a twin bed, a kitchenette complete with table and four chairs, sitting area, and full bath. It was fabulous!  Under the impression that St. Leonard’s was bed-and-breakfast, I asked when breakfast would be served. Daphne kindly informed us that breakfast was in the fridge in the cottage - fresh eggs from their hens, freshly-squeezed orange juice from the oranges in the orchard, and homemade jelly and marmalade to eat with toast; we could make breakfast ourselves at our leisure.  Yum!  I couldn’t wait for breakfast in the morning; however, in the meantime, it was time to venture out in search of dinner.   It was after 8:00PM, and we were hungry!

We got back in the care and drove back into town in search of a restaurant Paul and Daphne recommended.  Surprisingly, there was little activity going on in the town centre on a  Saturday night!  The cold and drizzly weather might have been a deterent.  Or, perhaps as harvest had recently ended, all of the grape-pickers returned to their homes.  Anyway, we were able to get a table at a wine bar called Scotch right away.  Rus and I both ordered steak and a bottle of pinot noir - from Marlborough, of course!  It was a beautiful wine called Clayridge. The steak was decent; not the best but still quite nice.  We each had a glass of wine and planned on taking the rest back to the room; however, we were informed by our server that we could not take the bottle with us (the rules in Blenheim are different from Christchurch, where one is permitted to take an unfinished bottle home).  So, since Rus was driving and not wanting to “waste” a perfectly good bottle of wine, we talked and people-watched at the restaurant for another hour whilst I finished the rest of the bottle of wine (tough job, huh?).  Afterwards, we made our way back to the cottage.

After a nice, hot shower, we climbed into the most comfortable bed we had experienced in New Zealand before drifting off to rest up for Sunday’s activities…

Rus made ginger beer again over the weekend, and we were thinking of ways to use up the ginger left over after steeping.  The answer?  Ginger cookies!  So will they be a Delight or a Disaster?

The first thing I did was to Google “ginger cookies recipe”.  After viewing several, I chose the one from Southern Food.  Once again, I had all of the ingredients at my disposal (except molasses, but I used a great substitute which I will mention later); these included ginger (I used 1/4 cup fresh ginger instead of dried ground), flour, brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, sugar (I use raw), baking soda, egg, and butter.  I substituted a mixture of honey and pure maple syrup for the molasses and real, hand-churned butter instead of margarine.  In addition, I included 1 tsp. pure vanilla, 1 tsp. ground nutmeg, and 1/8 cup flax seed (I love to add flax seed to cookies because it adds fibre, nutrients, and heart-healthy omega-3s!  Naturally, and unfortunately, with all the butter and sugar, this still does not make the cookies magically turn into health food!).

Here is what I did:

1. Combine flour, soda, flax seed, and spices in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cream sugar and butter. Beat in egg, vanilla, and honey/maple syrup mixture until light and fluffy.  Add fresh ginger and mix.

3. Stir in flour mixture just until blended.

4. Chill for 2 hours or more (I chilled overnight for convenience purposes).

5. Preheat oven to 190C (375F).

6. Shape dough into small balls, roll in granulated sugar, and place on lightly greased baking sheets about two inches apart.

7. Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.

8. Bake about 8 to 10 minutes, until set.

Results:

These cookies turned out beautifully from the beginning to end; they are easy to make.  The crispy edges were fabulous, giving way to a moist centre.  I thought the raw sugar on the outside would make them too sweet; however, to my pleasant surprise, it gave the cookies a crunchy texture and almost made them sparkle like glitter!   Overall, the spices were not overpowering.  Furthermore, and amazingly enough, I could barely discern all of the fresh ginger.  Regarding cookie size, the first batch was a bit too large for my liking (eight per cookie tray), so I made the balls smaller.  This adjustment yielded me fourteen cookies each of the next two batches.    The recipe says it will yield 96 cookies; I produced about a third of that number total.

Flatmates Say:

Monique, Ryan, Leanne, and Dylan loved them.  Arno does not like ginger, so I could not get his opinion on this one.

These were some of the best cookies I have ever made.  Since they do not taste too sweet or rich, it is easy to eat too many!  This Tasty Tuesday Ginger Cookie recipe was definitely a DELIGHT!

Yes, despite the official start of Winter nearly one week away, the Signs of Spring are everywhere!

The daffodil shoots have emerged from their long Winter’s slumber, the birds are singing (actually, I do not think they took a break), lilies are in bloom, rhododendrons are budding, the magnolias have gorgeous, pink flowers on them with many more to follow.  These examples are plants just around our yard, but in other areas, flower gardens, hedges, climbing vines, and trees are acting like Spring has already arrived.  Winters (except for this one, apparently) are generally mild enough to sustain blooming roses year round, and many native plants have beautiful flowers on them throughout the seasons.

Clearly, these plants must be confused, as I am.  What’s going on?  Climate change?  Transplants (no pun intended) from the Northern Hemisphere?  Perhaps, as new Kiwis, we are simply not used to seeing this level of Springtime explosion so early.

So, does this mean that we can declare Winter over before it even officially begins?

In my humble opinion (which is more strongly influenced by my wallet than I would like to admit at the moment), spending thousands of dollars on a single-use wedding gown is unnecessary.  In general (and especially in the current economic climate), spending a small fortune on a dress is not in the realm of possibility for most brides-to-be.  That being said, my personal style relegated purchasing a bargain gown off the sale rack of a mass-producer down to a last resort.  Designers, I reluctantly admitted, were my best bet in fulfilling my dress criteria - with stratospheric price tags to match.   So my mission became: Where can a future bride source “The Dress” for a fraction of the designer price?

The obvious first choice is to buy a used gown, so I immediately fired up the MacBook and visited TradeMe and eBay.  My goal was to familiarise myself with designers that fit my personal style and to check availability.  (Hint: When searching “wedding dress” on either of these sites, it becomes quickly apparent why including a designer name in your search is much more efficient!) Had I found a pre-owned dress I liked in my size, I would have hit the jackpot; however, I saw many listings for beautiful dresses with tattered or dirty trains and hems - deal-breakers for me. Overall, these initial searches taught me three things:

1. I wanted a new dress.

2. I liked a designer called Pronovias.

3. There was no way in H-E-double-hockey sticks I could afford a new Pronovias.

Since dress sizes can be atypical, it can require a serious leap of faith purchasing “The Dress” on the internet with neither seeing it in person nor trying it on.  To combat both of these dilemmas (clearly not discouraged by my lack of funds), I scheduled a consultation at a local Pronovias boutique, Robyn Cliffe, to sample a few.  I tried on twelve gowns, and it cost me a $50 fee in exchange for proper fitting and styling.  Did you know that wedding gowns have “model years”, like cars?  They do; and, like cars, they are most expensive during the current model year.   Luckily for me and thrifty brides everywhere, unless the model year is in the 90’s or earlier, it is unlikely that dresses preceding the current model year will seem too dated.

Armed with the knowledge of my Pronovias gown size and a few that I liked, I returned to the internet.  Within a matter of days, I honed in on a new gown on eBay that met all of my criteria. It was listed by a supplier in Los Angeles that specialises in selling new, previous model-year Pronovias dresses.   A quick feedback check reassured me the seller was legit.  After a nail-biting auction (which saved another US$150 off the “Buy It Now” price) during which I was the sole bidder, I purchased “The Dress”, my wedding dress, 80% off its original price!  The dress arrived less than week later in ready-to-wear condition; no steaming required.  It fits perfectly, it looks beautiful, I am proud of it - and it was within the price range of mere mortals.

Mission: Accomplished!

I decided to make a quick, tasty salmon dish.  Delight or Disaster?

Using just green onions, red onions, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, basmati rice, a leaf of lettuce, and the salmon, here is what I did:

1. Remove skin from salmon; cut into approximately 250g fillets.

2. In a medium sauce pan, place one cup rinsed basmati rice in two cups of water on high heat.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer until rice is cooked.

3. Chop onion, garlic, ginger, and saute in olive oil on medium-high heat.

4. Once onions start carmelizing, place salmon in pan (the idea is to pan sear the salmon fillets).

5. Once crispy, flip and cook the other side.  Make sure the fish is cooked on the inside (sometimes it helps to cover the pan to achieve this).

6. The onions, etc. should be crispy at this point.  Turn off heat.

7. On a plate, lay down a rinsed leaf of lettuce.  Place a serving of the basmati rice on top.

8. Serve salmon on top of the rice, with a generous sprinkling of the onions on top.  Add salt and fresh lemon to taste.  Enjoy with a chilled glass of Chardonnay

Prep time: 25 minutes; serves 3

Rus and I loved this simple salmon dish.  The fish was amazing, no doubt because it is raised in water with a high mineral content.  The crispy onions added a nice complementary texture against the smooth texture of the fish.  The plain rice balanced the other stronger flavours nicely.  All in all, this was a DELIGHT!

At any rate, May 2009’s statistics summary for www.thestarbuckreport.com is as follows:

Reported period: Month May 2009

First visit: 01 May 2009 - 00:10

Last visit: 31 May 2009 - 23:56

Unique visitors: 339

Number of visits: 1276 (3.76 visits/visitor)

Pages: 5433 (4.25 pages/visit)

Overall, it was a good month in terms of numbers!

As usual, thanks to all of our faithful readers, and a big Kia Ora (welcome) to our new readers!  I encourage you to join our RSS and leave your comments in each article’s comment section.

A few things to look forward to in June:

- More Tasty Tuesdays

- Trip to Blenheim re-cap

- First USA visitor in New Zealand, including a day trip to Hanmer Springs

Stay tuned!

This Tasty Tuesday - freshly-squeezed orange juice: Delight or Disaster? Basically, this was going to taste heavenly no matter what.  The “disaster” potential lies in the amount of orange we waste, if the juice has too much pulp, seeds, etc.

Our house is not equipped with a juicer (does it seem from these posts that the house is not stocked with anything?  I assure you it’s not as bad as it seems!), so we went off in search of an inexpensive juicer.  We found one at The Warehouse, plastic (ugh), with a filter built in, for a few dollars a piece; we bought two. Upon returning, we immediately and eagerly started squeezing!

Here is what we did:

1. Rus cut the fruit around the equator.  He squeezed and handed me juicer #1.

2. I dumped the juice into a funnel, which led to a 1.5 litre bottle ready for the finished product.

3. Manually wipe the juicer of extra flesh and seeds into an additional strainer (we used a sifter and a filter bag (normally used for straining hops for beer-making).

4. Pick up juicer #2 and repeat.

5. Squeeze additional juice out of strainers.

Twenty minutes and about fifty oranges later, and we had a beautiful finished product!

The moment of truth: The juice was as delicious, sweet, and tangy as we expected - absolutely spectacular.  Thankfully, over the next few days, we were able to squeeze nearly FIVE LITRES of juice.  We can’t wait to go back to Blenheim for more fruit and do it all again!

This Tasty Tuesday was definitely a Delight!

Every time I would read about hot chocolate with chilis in it, I kept thinking: Is that honestly any good?

So this Tasty Tuesday, we will find out!  I am making hot chocolate using a double boiler and experimenting with added flavours. Delight or Disaster?

Here is what I used: Whittaker’s Dark Chocolate (1/3 bar), 1 pod star anise, 1 whole dried chili, 1 tsp. double-strength pure vanilla extract (the real stuff, not imitation), 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1 cup of milk.

1. In a double boiler (since we do not have a real double boiler, I used a saucepan and metal mixing bowl), melt the chocolate bar.  I also added some organic chocolate powder so as not to use all of the chocolate bar.

2. Add chili, vanilla, cinnamon, and star anise.  Stir.

3. Add a few tablespoons of  milk.  Simmer while stirring continuously.  This will bring out the flavours of the ingredients in Step 2.

4. Slowly add the rest of the milk.  Bring to nearly a boil, continuing to stir.

Remove the chili and star anise pods.  Pour into espresso or small coffee cups and enjoy!

Results:

I loved this hot chocolate.  It was smooth and very rich, definitely worthy of slow sipping, and only a small amount needed to satisfy.  The flavour of the star anise really stood out, with a hint of spice from the chili.  The vanilla and cinnamon were just discernible.  Rus thought it was too rich and wanted more milk added to his.  Monique loved it, saying it the added flavours gave it an unexpected tang and depth that was missing from the cafe hot chocolate she bought on her way home from work.  Dylan called it “beautiful”; he liked the warmth the chili brought.

Next time, I might experiment with cardamom and another dried chili.  Perhaps try adding some dark rum and brown sugar, with no milk - black - as one of the book’s characters takes it.  The possibilities are endless!

This Tasty Tuesday was a DELIGHT!

1. The houses are, indeed, drafty (or “draughty”, as it is spelled).  No central heating, single-pane windows, and poor insulation mean chilly days and cold nights.  While the temperatures do not stay below freezing for long, it is hard to get and stay warm.  As I naturally prone to feeling cold, this also means that I constantly wear a beanie and my turquoise puffy vest off (inside or outside).  We now understand why Kiwis drink so much hot tea (4-8 cups per day!) and have likewise followed suit.

2. People constantly lose their pets.

We have had three fliers delivered to our door regarding missing cats.  Furthermore, we see fliers in the supermarket and shopping areas, on utility poles, on TradeMe, etc. - everywhere!  I have certainly seen fliers for missing animals in the States, but it has been many years since a person has knocked on the door and hand-delivered notices about their missing pet.

3. The Christchurch police do not carry weapons.

Having come from a place where the police are to be feared and incidents of police brutality and mistreatment run rampant (type in “police brutality” on YouTube for thousands of examples caught on video), this is a welcome and pleasant change.  The police are friendly and have a laissez-faire attitude.  For example, all last summer, Rus and I routinely witnessed kids openly walking around with and drinking beer, seemingly drunk, with police around.  As long as they were not bothering people or damaging property, the police just left them alone.  I feel like I could actually go to them for help if necessary.

4. Mobile phone use, especially in public, is not often seen.

Since talking on a mobile phone is expensive, most people communicate via text message.  This means that while we see a lot of people focused on their phones, feverishly texting back and forth, there are few people who are yakking while driving, shopping, or riding the bus (although, curiously, we have both seen several people texting while cycling?!).

5.  The moon is upside down.

The “face” of the moon, typically tilted toward 10 o’clock, is now situated at 4 0′clock.  It also waxes and wanes in the opposite direction, too.

6. Kiwis are notoriously poor spellers.

From advertisements to menus and everything in between (see the photo I took of a Blenheim grocery store aisle label), it is surprising - albeit amusing - how many misspellings the Kiwis make.  As a self-proclaimed “grammar queen” and a fan, I think I could also keep Bethany over at the “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks busy for months!

7. There is a man spa called “ManScape“.

Yes, you read that right!  If you do not know the definition as most Americans know it, you can educate yourself from the highly-reputable and equally hilarious Urban Dictionary. Kiwis (clearly) do not use the term in exactly the same way, but Rus and I still continue to have a laugh at the name.  On another note, it is professional and a very hip place for a man to get a haircut or another relaxing spa service (dare I use the word “pamper”?  Nah.).

8. Grapefruits look like oranges (size and color); the oranges are the best we have ever had.

Comparing the two side-by-side, it is difficult to differentiate a New Zealand grapefruit with an orange.  Their skins are the same color, similar texture, and they smell similar too.  A grapefruit here is about the size of an American orange.  When cut open, the flesh is yellow-orange.  The taste is sweet, sour, tangy - almost as if an American orange and an American yellow grapefruit were blended together.  As a fan of Florida oranges, it is hard for me to believe that there are more brilliant oranges.  New Zealand oranges are smaller, sweeter, and picked when ripe, so they are exploding with flavour.  Rus and I lovingly refer to them as “orange candy” for their sweetness and our ability to eat too many.

9.  Amidst all of the world headlines about wars, crises, and flus, it is refreshing to see the main local headlines proclaiming the “pandemic” of people ticketed for driving on the wrong side of the road.  A few months ago, there was also an indepth article about how the recession/depression was affecting the local prostitution industry, and how brothels were having to come up with creative promotions such as “lunchtime specials” and “2-for-1″ deals.  Such a nice change of pace from the stabbings and shootings and other violent crimes in big cities in the States.

The last several months have certainly flown by, and it has been a joy getting to know this country and its people.  Hopefully, as we continue to acclimate and make friends, we continue to enjoy some novelty as well.

Cheers!

Rus and I have been car-free since the beginning of the year, commuting mainly by bicycle, and I have a confession to make:  it is easier to be car-free in Christchurch.  Nearly every road in the metro area has a dedicated bicycle lane, and at night, overhead street lights keep the paths well-lit.  Cyclists can also legally ride on the sidewalks, which is helpful on particularly busy roads when crossing multiple lanes of traffic can be difficult.  In addition, cyclists are not bound by the same traffic laws as motor vehicles; if the light is red, and the intersection is clear, the cyclist can proceed through.  It helps that the terrain in Christchurch is completely flat.

The best part about cycling in the city is that it is often faster to ride than to drive.  Most traffic congestion in Christchurch happens during a literal “rush hour” from about 4:30-5:30PM (in Auckland, apparently, their traffic situation is similar to any large American city, with congested highways and traffic jams) - and basically involves a handful of intersections that are backed up a few light cycles.  There is nothing better than smoothly riding past all of the cars waiting for the light to change to “green”.  Furthermore, it is always entertaining to see the same cars you saw in traffic pull into the same locale you arrived at just moments before.

Of course, that does not mean that it is always a breeze riding around town.  For example, drivers are unforgiving of a cushion of space when going around cyclists, and so “buzz” by at 55-70kmph (35-45mph) or more.  It took me a couple of months (once I learned how to “ride” on the left side of the road!) before getting buzzed by busses didn’t give me a near-heart attack…it has evolved into more of a cheap thrill. Also, many of the bike lanes run alongside street parking…Rus and I have had our fair share of near-misses with opening driver’s side doors.  We have noticed that eating and drinking in the car, as well as talking on the phone, are less prominent here in general; so, theoretically, drivers here are less distracted than their American counterparts.

That being said, I am a big proponent of “Safety first!”; I wear a fluorescent yellow, full-length jacket and have blinking head and tail lights when travelling at night (again, the lighted streets help a lot in this regard).  Obviously, I wear a helmet (it is illegal not to do so - and it is enforced!).  Still, my biggest safety feature is being aware of my surroundings.  Similar to defensive driving, I try to anticipate what the cars (and numerous pedestrians and other cyclists) are going to do next. It has helped, I have learned, to figure out the best routes to get from Point A to Point B - and avoid complicated intersections when possible.  We happen to live mere metres from one of the busiest intersections in Christchurch, and it’s a hassle turning onto our street during the day when traffic is heavier.  Often, I will take another road that gets me in “the back way”.  Of course, nothing teaches you faster than a near-death experience, of which I had a few month ago when I pulled out in front of a car.  I managed to get myself out of the way in time, but it gave me (and the driver of the car) a good shake-up that I do not want to repeat.

In conclusion,  I love that “Bike to Work Day” is being promoted nationwide in the United States, especially since European cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam enjoy, respectively, 36% and 60%+ ridership!  Several U.S. cities, including Portland, OR, have fantastic bike-friendly cultures and infrastructure.  I have a friend at the Greater Philadelphia Bike Coalition who is working tirelessly to create the same there.  BikeShares in Washington, D.C. have been launched, with several other major cities implementing pilot programs.  Americans everywhere are craving an end to the stop-an-go commuting horrors, a corner-turn in the obesity epidemic, relief from the “credit crunch”, and a cure for the overall blues.  Hopefully, promotions like these will be the impetus to get more people out on their bicycles - and supporting cycling infrastructure in their cities.  This way, citizens like my sister, who want to do something good for themselves and society, can ride confidently and safely.

The weather is turning colder, and this means it’s time for SOUP!  Okay, my Northern Hemisphere readers are probably sick of soup, but this Tasty Tuesday, I am making Potato and Leek Soup.

I had some leeks in the fridge that needed to be eaten very soon (or else tossed into the compost bin).  In addition, five medium-sized red potatoes that had started sprouting eyes were added to the ingrediants.  Also on hand, and also included, was a 2/3 full can of coconut cream (left over from a Thai dish late last week), an already-cooked slice of shoulder bacon, and about a cup of shredded colby (cheddar) cheese.  I also used one hot chili, a scallion, fresh ginger, and fresh garlic.

Here is how I made Potato & Leek Soup:

1.  Finely chop garlic, ginger, chili, bacon, and scallions.  Leave some of the green part of the scallion for finishing.

2. Peel and cube the potatoes; slice the leeks length-wise, wash, and finely chop.  Set aside.

3. In a frying pan with lid, saute the chopped garlic, ginger, chili, and scallion in a good amount of olive oil on medium heat.

4. Add the cubed potatoes and four cups (about 1 litre) of hot water. *Hot water will not cool the food already in the pan.

5. Add the chopped leeks and stir.

6. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

7.  Transfer the mixture from the frying pan to a mixing bowl (or blender or food processor).  Blend until smooth.

8.  Add the coconut milk (about 1/2 cup) and mix.

9.  Pour into bowls, top with shredded cheese, bacon pieces, and scallions.  Enjoy!

Serves: 8

Prep time: 30 minutes

Results:

This soup was absolutely fantastic!  From the creamy coconut flavour to the gentle kick from the chilis, this was a crowd pleaser!  All but one at 20 Derby tried it and loved it - and I had plenty for lunch the next day.  The beauty of this recipe is its versatility; I will be whipping up old vegetables and leftovers into “Potato-and-(Something) Soup” again very soon.  For those not in hot soup mood, this would be a fantastic one to try cold.

This Tasty Tuesday was a definite DELIGHT!

Did you try this receipe?  How did it turn out?  Leave your comments in the “Comments” section!

On most sunny days, Rus and I walk over through the park.  We bring stale bread and feed the ducks.  We marvel at the massive trees.  We inhale deeply the cool, fresh air.  We watch the fascinating bird life all around us.  We literally stop to  smell the roses from the rose garden.  And, this time of year, we take note of the transformation of the trees as they shed their leaves.  Please enjoy this slideshow of beautiful pictures from the glorious Hagley Park, taken from the height of Summer through Autumn!

My neighbors (landlords) keep a garden, and they had a surplus of silver beet, or Swiss Chard, a popular garden vegetable here in New Zealand.  I cannot remember eating chard before; however, I was told that it is similar to spinach.  Rus and I recently had dinner at a fabulous Italian restaurant where I ate cannelloni (pasta sheets filled with meat or cheese), and I thought:  why not try to make silver beet cannelloni?

I had some lasagna sheets (they are wide, flat sheets of pasta without ridges on the side) and pine nuts in the pantry.  I had Parmesan, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese.  I had garlic.  And, I had the silver beet.  Time to cook!

Here is what I did:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C (about 350F).

2. Thoroughly wash each leaf of silver beet.  Cut the thick stems off and finely chop.

3. Mince several cloves of garlic (you can never have too much garlic!).

4. Crush the pine nuts with a mortar and pestle, or food processor, if you have one.

5. Set a pan of water to boil (for the pasta).  Add some olive oil to keep pasta from sticking together.

6. Saute the garlic and silver beet in a generous amount of olive oil on medium-high heat, stirring continuously, until the silver beet cooks down to about a third of its original size.  Add the crushed pine nuts, and saute for a few more minutes.

7. Remove silver beet from heat; transfer to a mixing bowl.  Add a pinch of sea salt and the ricotta cheese and mix thoroughly (if you have a food processor, this would be an excellent opportunity to use it).  Add some shredded Parmesan and mozzarella to the mixture.

8. Once cooked, drain pasta sheets and run cold water over them until they are cool enough to pick up.

9. Taking care not to tear them, lay out a sheet of pasta.  Fill with the silver beet and cheese mixture and roll up.

10.  Place assembled cannelloni in baking dish, cover with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

11. Put into the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until cheese on top bubbles and lightly browns.

12.  Cover with fresh, chopped tomatoes and serve with a pinot noir, merlot, or a chardonnay.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Results:

This dish was hot, cheesy, and garlicky - yum!  Silver beet, while similar to spinach, is more bitter and slightly grainy.  A food processor, which would have pulverised the silver beet, would have been a big help with this dish in eliminating the slight graininess.  Also, the younger the silver beet is, the less bitter.  When I make it again, I will use even more garlic and a bit more salt while sauteing.

Rus loved the silver beet cannelloni, especially for lunch the next day when the flavours set in.

Overall, this Tasty Tuesday was a DELIGHT!

Did you try this recipe?  How did it turn out?  Leave a comment in the “Comments” section!

Without further ado, here is the April 2009 statistics summary for www.thestarbuckreport.com:

Reported period: Month April 2009

First visit: 01 April 2009 - 00:01

Last visit: 30 Apr 2009 - 23:46

Unique visitors: 302

Number of visits: 1114 (3.68 visits/visitor)

Pages: 5931 (5.32 pages/visit)

Unique visitors were down about 10%; however, number of visits and the number of pages each visitor visited (that’s a mouthful!) were both up.  Visitors came from 31 different countries this month (again, pretending that these visitors are not spam bots).

Overall, it was a good month in terms of numbers!

As usual, thanks to all of our faithful readers, and a big Kia Ora (welcome) to our new readers!  I encourage you to leave your comments in each article’s comment section.

A few things to look forward to in May:

- More Tasty Tuesdays!

- Planning a wedding from abroad

- Updates from 20 Derby

Stay tuned!

Reposted from Yahoo! News

The World’s Best Places to Live 2009

No. 1: Vienna, Austria

Mercer score: 108.6*
2008 rank: 2
GDP: $325 billion (2008 est.)**
Population: 1,664,146 (total city); 8,210,281 (total country)
Life expectancy: 79.5

*The rankings are based on a point scoring index established by Mercer Consultings 2009 Quality of Living Survey, with Vienna scoring 108.6 and Baghdad scoring 14.4. Cities are compared with New York as the base city, with an index score of 100. The quality-of-living survey covers 215 cities and is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments. The survey also identifies those cities with the highest personal safety ranking based on internal stability, crime, effectiveness of law enforcement, and relationships with other countries.

**The World Factbook.Gross domestic product is denominated in international dollars, which is based on Purchasing Power Parity.

No. 2: Zurich, Switzerland

Mercer score: 108
2008 rank: 1
GDP: 309.9 billion (2008 est.)
Population: 1,307,567 (total city); 7,604,467 (total country)

Life expectancy: 80.85

No. 3: Geneva, Switzerland

Mercer score: 107.9
2008 rank: 2
GDP: $309.9 billion (2008 est.)
Population: 438,177 (total city); 7,604,467 (total country)
Life expectancy: 80.85

Getty Images

No. 4 (tie): Vancouver, Canada

Mercer score: 107.4
2008 rank: 4
GDP: $1.3 trillion (2008 est.)
Population: 2,285,900 (total city); 33,487,208 (total country)
Life expectancy: 81.2

No. 4 (tie): Auckland, New Zealand

Mercer score: 107.4
2008 rank: 5
GDP: $116.6 billion (2008 est.)
Population: 1,303,068 (total city); 4,213,418 (total country)
Life expectancy: 80.3

No. 6: Dusseldorf, Germany

Mercer score: 107.2
2008 rank: 6
GDP: $2.86 trillion (2008 est.)
Population: 581,858 (total city); 82,329,758 (total country)
Life expectancy: 79.2

No. 7: Munich, Germany

Mercer score: 107
2008 rank: 7
GDP: $2.86 trillion (2008 est.)
Population: 1,300,000 (total city); 82,329,758 (total country)
Life expectancy: 79.2

Getty Images

No. 8: Frankfurt, Germany

Mercer score: 106.8
2008 rank: 7
GDP: $2.86 trillion (2008 est.)
Population: 662,000 (total city); 82,329,758 (total country)
Life expectancy: 79.2

No. 9: Bern, Switzerland

Mercer score: 106.5
2008 rank: 9
GDP: $309.9 billion (2008 est.)
Population: 962,983 (total city); 7,604,467 (total country)
Life expectancy: 80.85

No. 10: Sydney, Australia

Mercer score: 106.3
2008 rank: 10
GDP: $800.5 billion (2008 est.)
Population: 4,336,374 (total city); 21,262,641 (total country)
Life expectancy: 81.6

Click here to see the rest of the slideshow, including Wellington’s #12 ranking!

I love sushi, and there is no shortage of great sushi restaurants here in Christchurch.  It’s healthy, satisfying, and fun to eat.  To clear up a common misconception, “sushi” is a specific type of rice; it does not mean “raw fish”, although many types of sushi do contain raw yellowfin or ahi tuna, salmon, eel, etc.  I would eat sushi on a more regular basis (right now, I eat it about twice per month), but it is expensive to eat often at about $10.00 per roll.  I have never made my own before, so this Tasty Tuesday, I am going to try!

For starters, I had to buy some supplies from the local Asian Food Warehouse.  There, I purchased a bamboo sushi rolling mat and rice paddle, nori (seaweed rolling sheets), wasabi, and sushi rice.  Rice vinegar and soy sauce are also necessary; I already had these at home.  In addition, I bought a fillet of smoked salmon (I do not trust the fish at the local supermarket to be “sushi grade”, or fresh enough to eat raw) and a bottle of Chardonnay to complement it.

At this point, I had all of my ingredients, including an avocado and a cucumber from the refrigerator.  I found a video on how to make great sushi rice (such an important step!) and watched.   Then, I followed the instructions by doing the following:

1. Rinse 2 cups of sushi rice in cold water.  Strain, let dry for 30 minutes (the video advises drying for an hour, but I was impatient).

2. In a saucepan, bring the rice and 2 and 1/4 cups of water to a boil; cover and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.  Then, turn off heat and let sit for another 10 minutes.  *My rice was slightly too moist; I could have let it sit for 15 minutes.

2. While the rice is cooking, mix 1/4 cup rice vinegar with 1 and 1/2 tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. of salt until dissolved. *My rice was a bit too sweet and too vinegary for my liking.  Next time, I will use less of both of these.

3. Transfer the rice to a glass or wooden dish or bowl (it is important to refrain from using metal because the vinegar could react with it).  Fluff the rice with a fork. Drizzle the vinegar mixture over the rice, fluffing and fanning the rice (any newspaper or magazine will do) continuously until it cools.  The rice should have a sticky texture to it.  *I did not need all of the rice vinegar mixture on my rice.

4. Unfold the bamboo rolling mat and place a sheet of nori on it, shiny side up.  Cover the sheet with a generous layer of rice about 1/2 inch thick, leaving an inch at the far end of the nori uncovered.

5. On the side of nori closest to you, place your favorite sushi toppings.  For me, this was a layer of avocado, the smoked salmon, cucumber slivers, and a few chunks of cream cheese.

6. Then, it’s time to roll!  Use the rolling mat to carefully roll the sushi.  Apply water with wet fingers to the end of the nori to keep the roll closed.

7. When cutting the sushi into pieces (typically there are 6-8 pieces in a roll), wet the knife before each cut.  This keeps the knife from sticking to the rice.

8. Grab your chop sticks, apply some wasabi, dip in soy sauce, and enjoy with a glass of Chardonnay or warm or cold sake.

Results:

My first sushi-making experience was excellent!  The sushi was delicious, and we determined that it cost about $5.00 per roll using an expensive smoked salmon.  Without the salmon, the price per roll would be less than $2.00 per roll!  The total prep time was about an hour, including the rice.  Assembly took mere minutes once the rice was cooked.  The bottom line is that my homemade sushi is as good as any that I have eaten in a restaurant - and the flatmates also loved it!  I prefer raw salmon or tuna, so my next goal is to find some sushi-grade fish; I am looking forward to experimenting with different sushi combinations.  Now that I know how to make it myself, my sushi possibilities are endless!  I will definitely be enjoying this tasty and healthy meal more often, too.

This Tasty Tuesday was definitely a DELIGHT!

Did you try this recipe?  How did it turn out?  Leave a comment in the “Comments” section!

A few weeks ago, we had a potato that sprouted in the pantry, as well as two red onions, so we planted them for good measure.  I have not had any luck growing them to harvest in the (distant) past, but so far they look like strong plants.

In addition, the broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are growing well and getting big.  With this success, we have also attracted bugs that love cauliflower leaves, as they have decimated several leaves on these plants.  To remedy, I will plant marigolds nearby because the scent of these flowers masks the scent of the cauliflower (which attracts the bugs), just like tomatoes. Hopefully, this will take care of the problem.

Also on the agenda this week is a dose of organic fertiliser.  members of the Brassica family (i.e. broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower) apparently need to be fertilised often, and I have not yet done this.  Unless it comes to picking and eating what’s in it, I am abnormally lazy when it comes to gardening - all the more proof that if I can do it, anyone can!

Updates will follow after these treatments have been given!

I gave up drinking soda in the United States because it is made with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), likely the single most unhealthy ingredient in the American diet.  In New Zealand, since there is no corn (and, subsequently, no powerful corn lobby!), sodas are made with cane sugar, even Cokes and Pepsis. Of course, this does not make them as healthy as water, it simply means they are made with ingredients from nature, which HFCS cannot claim.

Anyway, we tried several brands of ginger beer, and our favorite is one called Frank.  Frank Ginger Beer has a spicy kick to it, a lovely, spiky fizziness, and is fabulously sweet and refreshing.  And it comes in a brown recycled glass bottle with a retro-looking label.  It has become one of my favorite beverages ever!  Other brands lack the amount of spice, have too much sugar, etc. However, because Frank is so awesome, Frank is notoriously hard to find, and it is expensive (between $2-3 per 16oz. bottle!).

So, Rus and I did a little research (read: looked at the ingredients on the back of a Frank bottle), and as it turns out, ginger beer is not all that complicated to make.  Basically, it is just fresh ginger, sugar, water, and yeast.  We endeavored to make our own!  Our kitchen is consistently stocked with all of these ingredients, so one night, Rus gave it a whirl.

In his first attempt, Rus used an internet recipe that called for two tablespoons of ginger (I use more than that when I cook a meal for two!), a lot of sugar, the juice of a lemon, and a bit yeast for a two-litre batch.  Fearing a sticky explosion, Rus let the pressure out of the bottle several times as it puffed up.  When it was time to taste it the following day, we discovered we had nearly two litres of sugary, lemony, lightly-fizzy drink with a barely-discernible hint of ginger.  It did not taste good at all and needed to be discarded.

Our review of the first batch resulted in some adjustments in the second, keeping the batch size the same.  We left it overnight, and eagerly tasted our adjusted recipe the next day.  This one was less sweet, nicely fizzy, more gingery; however, it had a strong yeast flavour.  It was drinkable, but not exactly pleasant.  Third time’s a charm, right?

On Batch #3, we reduced the amount of water and kept all other inputs the same.  After fermentation, the first taste revealed a spicy, fizzy, nicely sweet ginger beer!  It passed the initial taste test (i.e. Rus and me) and was put into the refridgerator to cool for final approval by our “esteemed tasting panel” (i.e. the rest of 20 Derby) - which ultimately gave Rus raving reviews for the delicious, spicy drink.  But there was room yet for improvement…

In Rus’s latest brew (Brew #4), he tweaked the ingredient quantities to exacting deliciousness.   So far, the brew tastes amazing; the best yet!  The yeast flavour is reduced, the sweetness just right, plenty of fizz, and the ginger - wow!  We are waiting for it to chill for the final tasting, including a blind taste test of local brands and Rus’s Derby Brew by a completely unbiased group of other Derby Street residents.  If successful, we might take our ginger beer on the road to Cathedral Square for real public opinion.

May the best brew win!

*Preliminary tests show that Rus’s ginger beer can tame feral cats and eliminate cancer in laboratory mice.  There are no actual studies to substantiate these claims.*

Every Tuesday on “Tasty Tuesdays”, I will showcase a triumph (or miserable failure) of a culinary undertaking.

Rus and I have always been into cooking and love all types of food from Japanese to Italian.  We love shows like “No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain” (we miss it!), “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern”, “Iron Chef” and others on the Food TV channel here.  We even took an Indian food cooking class this time last year.

Our style tends to be simple using lots of fresh ingredients - organic meats, vegetables (especially from our gardens!), olive oils, ginger, garlic, and herbs - and can be prepared in reasonable amounts of time.

Use it as a guide to plan your weekly meals, spice up (pun intended) your current menu, learn a new trick or two, or just laugh when I screw up (just wait until we get to breads!).  It’s up to you!  Please be sure to leave comments, especially of your results if you try something I post!

While there are distinct seasons here, they tend to be mild overall, as I discovered this past Summer. Growing up on the East Coast of the United States meant consistently hot and humid Summers, comfortable Springs and Autumns, and cold, windy winters with frequent snow. Christchurch’s Summer was, on most days, more like mid-Spring on the East Coast.  I am told that the average Winter temperature here hovers around between 5-9C (around 45F), which is considerably warmer than the Winters I am accustomed to (I guess numerous palm trees around the city also gave that one away).  Temperatures, however, are quite deceiving, as there are other factors that determine weather here.

Dissecting Crazy Christchurch Weather

Christchurch is located on the East Coast on a plain between the Southern Alps and a smaller mountain chain.  Weather comes from the warm Tasman Sea in the West, from the ocean in the East, and from Antarctica.  Occasionally, weather will even make its way down from the North.  Basically, Christchurch is in the middle of a battle between all of these winds, which contributes to its fickle and inconsistent weather.  Because it is next to impossible to predict even a few hours ahead, the weather reports are all over the place.  Combined with graphics a few decades behind, they are the butt of jokes everywhere.

Temperature means next to nothing based on the wind and the sun.  If the wind is coming from the South and it is brisk, this will quickly drop the “real feel temperature”. This means that you might need a jacket on a 24C (75F) day.  Additionally, the intense direct sunlight can easily add 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit to the “real feel temperature”, which, to my pleasant surprise, makes a 13F (55C) day feel more like my ideal weather of 24C (75F).  Strange!

Understanding some of the weather factors, the arrival of Autumn and (eventually) Winter does not seem so daunting as it did living on the East Coast of the United States (I have always equated it with walking down a long, dark tunnel with Spring at the distant end).  For example, last night was downright cold (and we might even have had frost); today, although the temperature started out near-freezing, the clear skies and bright sun has made it a beautifully crisp and pleasant day.  If Winter is like this, I think I am actually looking forward to it.

We left Darby Street around 11:00AM after a hearty breakfast, with our packs full of gear.  Though the tramp can be done in one long day, we decided to bring our tent and sleeping gear and turn it into two short days.  We walked down to the casino (about a kilometre away) to pick up the #28 bus to Lyttelton.  Once we got to Lyttelton, we barely caught the ferry over to Diamond Harbour.  It was a perfectly clear, warm day, and being on the cool, aqua water was great - all seven minutes of it.  We departed the dock at Diamond Harbor and began our trek up to the top of Mount Herbert.  At this point, it was a little after 1:00PM.  We walked along one of the fingers and up through the woods to a small residential area, then on to a farm road.  We did not bring a “topo map” (a.k.a. topography map) for this tramp since it was fairly straightforward, and Rus brought his GPS to help us find the route.  Since we are new to the tramping scene, we did not know to look for the trail markers - and we simply followed a farm road that seemed to lead to the top.

The afternoon sun was positively blazing, and I quickly stripped down to my racerback tank top (and applied some serious sunscreen).  There were no trees, just tufts of dry grass on this trek.  Not used to carrying around so much extra weight, my pack was already feeling heavy and uncomfortable.  We had barely started!  About 1.5 kilometres into this tramp (which would take us from sea level to 900m in 6km of walking), we stopped at the only trees in view for a quick lunch break.  I took off my awesome new hiking boots to discover some serious blisters forming on my heels and applied Band-Aids accordingly.  I could deal with a little discomfort but open blisters would have proven to be a problem on the trip back down the mountain.

The next couple of hours were hot and tough - parts of the mountain were steep, and the relentless sun, the heavy packs, and sore feet made the trip less than comfortable.  All the while, however, I took photos of the increasingly amazing views.  As our altitude increased, we could see part of the bay, than the whole bay and several harbours, the Alps in the far distance, and the ocean on two sides - breathtaking!

We continued up the farmers’ road (which was little more than two tyre tracks worn into the grass) until we finally met up with the “real” trail.  The whole time, we were in sheep- and cow-grazing territory.  Several times we had to let ourselves in paddock gates to continue on our journey.  Many of New Zealand’s trails go through private property at some point - and they owners do not mind!  Not once did we have to worry about a shotgun-wielding farmer stalking us as we were trying to enjoy the weather and the scenery (or pee in the woods) - sweet as!

So… we continued our ascent of Mount Herbert, taking short breaks to checkout the scenery and catch our breaths.  As we continued toward the summit, we passed by a few people who were going down (typically, trampers drive to the other side of the mountain, take a short climb to the summit, take pictures at the top, and descend the steep area we were attempting to ascend - hence the comments about how steadfast we were?).  It is an easy one-day hike from the summit to the bottom but could easily turn into a two- or three-day hike they way we decided to go from Lyttelton.  At this point, we were experiencing a bit of relief from the sun in the way of a cool ocean breeze.  This inevitably made the journey easier (especially since we were being stared down by the numerous cows with which we came in contact, as if we were naked or something!) and thankfully, too, because every time we thought we reached the summit, we could look even further and see the next one - and the next one.

Finally, around 4:30PM, Rus and I decided that our feet had had enough, and it was time to stop.  The problem was that we were still on the trail and had not yet reached the hut where we were supposed to spend the night.  As a matter of fact, we were only about one kilometre from the summit, but we wanted to err on the side of caution regarding our blister situation.

Ultimately, we decided to pull about ten metres off the trail and found a suitable place to tent for the night.  We took off our boots and put on our sandals, set up the tent, and got in to get out of the blazing sun.  From there, we boiled some water for a reconstituted meal (which tasted pretty good!) and rested.  A few hours later, we were able to watch the sun set and see the lights come on in Christchurch.  With the sun gone, the temperature started dropping rapidly.

Eventually, it was completely dark, and we were getting sleepy, and although it was not yet 9:00PM, it was time to go to bed.  We covered the packs with a pack cover and got in the tent, leaving one mesh side uncovered so I could look at the stars.  A couple of cows were grazing nearby, and we could hear their occasional mooing.  Other than that, it was quiet.

A few hours after we fell asleep, the wind started picking up.  It was flapping the tent cover loudly, and I thought some of our gear might blow away (the wind was that strong).  We got up and secured the tent cover and everything else, and got back in the tent.  While we were out, we looked up to see the Milky Way in the dark, clear sky.  The stars never ceases to amaze me!

Eventually, we went back to sleep, tossed and turned through the night a bit and woke up when the sun was above the horizon the next morning.  We watched the light unfold across the landscape while we packed up everything for the trek back.  We decided to skip the summit and head back to Christchurch.

Now knowing where the “real” trail was, we decided to follow it back all the way and discovered that walking down is just as difficult as walking up - it just goes faster.  Though the landscape was the same - short green grasses, tufts of dry yellow grasses, thistles, skittish sheep and cows, paddocks, and lots of poop - we traversed through a few valleys instead of on the tops of the hills.

A few hours later, we reached the head of the trail and made our way to Diamond Harbour.  We had a few minutes before the next ferry arrived, so we took off our boots and put our feet in the cold bay water - ahhh, sweet relief!  The ferry took us to Lyttleton, and the bus took us back to Christchurch.  Another short walk, and we were home.  Showers and a nap dominated the rest of the day, and sore muscles prevailed over the next few.

Overall, an excellent first tramp; I am looking forward to the next one!

Here is the March 2009 statistics summary for www.thestarbuckreport.com:

Reported period: Month March 2009
First visit: 01 March 2009 - 00:16

Last visit: 31 March 2009 - 23:59

Unique visitors: 330

Number of visits: 1016 (3.08 visits/visitor)

Pages: 5040 (4.94 pages/visit)

The unique visitors came from 28 different countries!  (I am pretending that most of these are not just spam bots).

In addition, the blog has been picked up by the feed readers at Technorati and Super Eco, which means these sites scan The Starbuck Report for newsworthy articles to link to on their sites - exciting!

March was a bit haphazard, and my goal for April is to be more consistent with posts.  Here are some upcoming blog topics:

- Banks Peninsula tramp

- Mobile phone use in New Zealand

- Christchurch City Council’s new rubbish scheme: a model for universities, corporations, cities everywhere?

Stay tuned!

Since the switch over to Daylight Savings Time in the States happened, we are now 17 hours ahead of the East Coast instead of 18 (or, if it is easier, seven hours behind, the day before).  This means we are twenty hours ahead (or four hours behind) of the West Coast.

New Zealand changes back to Standard Time on April 5; therefore, we will then be eight hours behind the East Coast.  A little confusing, and it will definitely shorten the window available for getting in touch with everyone back home.  I guess this makes The Starbuck Report even more important, right?

We experienced the pleasure and excellent value of having a backyard garden in our last house, and we wanted to continue that here in Christchurch.  Earlier in the Summer, Rus and Christian took a pile of old bricks and made a raised-bed herb and salad garden (which we have been enjoying ever since!).  There were, however, a couple of challenges to growing a decent-sized winter garden.

First, like many urban dwellings, land for planting is scarce.  Two, since we moved in the middle of Summer, it was too late in the planting season to start a traditional Spring garden.   Conversely, there was some good news!  One, Rus and I are always up for a challenge.  Two, the ground does not freeze in Christchurch; therefore, hearty vegetables like broccoli and cabbage could still be grown despite Winter’s arrival.  Three, 20 DAH-bee has a small patch of overgrown land between the garage and the neighbor’s fence, full of yard waste, just begging to be re-purposed.

Since about half of our rubbish output is organic, we and our flatmates decided to “compost”; this consisted of throwing all of our organic waste next to the garage until we could work up a compost bin (no one was willing to buy one as they run upwards of NZ$150).  Several smelly weeks and a few feral cats later, and Rus and I asked the neighbours (landlords) for any available wood scraps to make one. We hit the jackpot!  We were given some tongue-and-groove timber and an old Formica table.  Without nails and without spending any money, Rus built a large compost bin with a lid.  We shoveled weeks of old vegetable stems, coffee grounds, and eggshells into its new home (and prayed to the Worm Gods).

Then, borrowing the neighbors’ shovels and a rake, we cleared out the area where we would put the garden.   We purchased some organic garden soil with compost mixed in, garden accessories like a hose and reel and hand trowel.  Rus and Dylan picked up about 100 used bricks at the landlords’ other property (free!) for a walkway through the garden to the compost bin.  Finally, we bought seedlings from a local home improvement warehouse: red cabbage, green cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce.  We also bought a lemon tree and an orange tree with large fruits already on the vines.

On one of the (presumably) last warm days of Summer, we measured out the location of each plant and put the seedlings in the ground.  With a little luck, in 60-90 days, we will have more cabbage and cauliflower and broccoli - as well as plenty of fresh salad - then we know what to do with.  Hopefully, we can find some Bean-o around here somewhere too!

So we successfully planted an urban winter garden with limited space and fund - if we can do it, anyone can!

In addition, I will keep track of the return on investment (ROI).  In our summer garden in Pennsylvania, I estimate we returned 400-500% on our initial investment of about US$150 in fresh, organic vegetables.   We spent about the same equivalent in NZD on this one, so it will be interested to see how it turns out.

Stay tuned for updates!

I would like to offer my kudos to the President: Michelle Obama has broken ground on the much-anticipated White House Garden.

Advocates for organic farming and sustainable living have been calling for this for months, and even though I consider myself an amateur with only a few gardens under my belt, I am a huge fan of home gardens.  Name your issue:  Conventional produce not tasty?  Organics too expensive?  Concerned about salmonella and other food-bourne illnesses?  Is money tight?  Unsure about the future?  Feeling stressed out?  Start a garden!

The Obamas are setting a great example, especially since home gardens are more important than ever for the following reasons:

1. Growing food organically and close to home is healthy for you and the environment.

Obviously, replacing a lawn that needs to be watered, fertilised, and mowed into a productive food patch is better for the environment; however, many people do not fully understand the health and environmental impacts of purchasing food from a supermarket. For example, conventional produce is grown in depleted soil, requiring inputs and fertilisers to make the soil viable for planting.  Then, it is sprayed with highly toxic, cancerous pesticides (genetically-modified “RoundUp Ready” plants are actually sprayed with RoundUp!) throughout the growing process.  These chemicals eventually make their way into the water supply and contribute to harmful algal blooms (HABs), collapse of ecosystems, and ultimately ocean dead zones.  Finally, the produce is picked before ripeness to survive shipping (and is often coated in a waxy preservative!) until it arrives on your grocer’s shelf - not as tasty nor nutritious as they should be.

2. It reduces the reliance on a complex system of credit and fossil fuels to provide one of our basic human needs - food

It is estimated that it takes 10 calories of fossil fuel energy (from seed to sowing to supermarket) to produce one calorie of food for consumption! (1).  Furthermore, most farmers borrow money to plant seeds in anticipation that they will be able pay back the loans (and hopefully make a profit) when the crop is sowed.  Similarly, truckers rely on credit to fill their fuel tanks to ship food across the country, and pay off the loan (and hopefully make a profit) when they get paid for successfully delivering the shipment.  In the face of a credit crisis, Peak Oil, and climate change (droughts in food-producing areas, floods in others, etc.), this complex system is destined for disruptions that will impact Americans’ food security in the near future.

3. It relieves stress

The world news today does not exactly illicit feelings of calm and tranquility.  In fact, it can be downright scary.  Taking control of part of your food supply provides peace of mind for when disruptions occur.  Small farmers and family gardens got the United States through the last Depression.  It got the Soviets through the collapse of the U.S.S.R.  You can also avoid the risks of food-bourne illnesses associated with mass-produced food.  And what could be better than venturing out after a long day to see what vine-ripened goodies nature has provided for dinner?

4. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to do it
Remember, when you were a kid, putting a lima bean seed on a wet paper towel and watching it sprout? Plants are amazing.  A bit of water and a bit of sunlight, and plants are resilient little miracles.  Little miracles you can eat.   I do not consider myself a “green thumb” (I have killed my fair share of house plants), but gardening is easy enough for kids!

Spring is here (for my Northern Hemisphere readers), and it’s time to get planting!  No matter how big or small, I think you will be happy that you did.

1. Horrigan, Leo, Robert S. Lawrence, and Polly Walker. “How Sustainable Agriculture Can Address the Environmental and Human Health Harms of Industrial Agriculture.” Environmental Health Perspectives 110, no. 5 (May 5, 2002) (accessed March 20, 2009).

I have not posted much about our living situation, so I will do so now.  The house we live in is an old character home, built about 100 years ago.  It is on a quiet-ish street less than a block from one of the busiest intersections in Christchurch (and the technical City Center).   We chose the house for several reasons.  One, because our room, which was originally purposed as the lounge (a.k.a. living room), is huge, and it has an awesome sun room for Rus’s office.  Two, everyone who moved in after January 2009 would be there for a year.  This was important to us because we preferred to avoid a backpackers’ house where people were constantly coming and going.  Three, the kitchen was comparatively much larger than the six other places at which we looked.  Four, it has a huge, empty garage where Rus can do his projects, and we could store our bikes.  Finally, it is close to everything, it is in a nice neighborhood, and the landlords live next door (making them, theoretically, accessible).  All in all, 20 Derby simply made the most sense.

So, the flatmates…

Leanne & Arno (both 30ish): They are the new couple who recently moved in.  Arno is a German who moved to New Zealand four years ago.  He is a former triathlete and Ironman and still cycles often.  He is studying Health Sciences at Canterbury University (“Uni”) and is a personal trainer for disabled people.  Leanne is a Kiwi from the Auckland area studying full-time for a post-Graduate degree in Sociology. Since they are both so busy working and studying, we hardly see them except in passing and around dinner time.

Dylan (34) is a Kiwi from the Christchurch area.  He is studying to become a certified electrician (a “sparky”) and works an apprenticeship as such.  He has a bach at the beach he is renovating and so often spends his weekends working on it.  He is very nice and very helpful and overall a pleasant person to be around!
Christian (25) is our resident Austrian.  He has been working and travelling the globe the last three years: Canada (Toronto), USA (San Francisco), Australia, and now New Zealand for the last year.  He works at an upscale restaurant around the corner from the house and loves everything wine - from how its made to how it tastes (we often consult him before making wine purchases).  He speaks three languages (English, German, and Italian), and is quite the comedian.  If you get in an argument with him, though, be careful - because he might send his “little brother Arnie from California” to go “Terminator” on you.

Monique (31) is a Kiwi from Nelson, which is at the top of the South Island.  She is a pediatric oncology nurse and works an ever-changing schedule; night shift, early shifts, afternoon shifts; it’s hard to keep track of her!  She has travelled to the US (upstate New York), Canada (Toronta), and the UK/Ireland.  She has also worked in Australia (Brisbane) before.  She is a lovely person with a positively infecticious laugh!

Former flatmate Radu (27).  I am going to shoutout Radu since I have mentioned him on this blog before, he was fun, and Derby Street misses him.  He was born and grew up in Bucarest, Romania, went to Princeton University for his undergraduate degree, and received his Masters and Doctorate in Mathematics from UC Berkeley.  He came to New Zealand for three months and just went back to California three weeks ago.

It has been less of an adjustment than I thought it would be going back to living with people again.  There are the occasional inconveniences of, for example, not being able to do laundry when you want because someone else is using the washing machine.  Overall, however, it has been a great experience meeting new people and learning their stories.  We went out for Monique’s birthday several weeks ago, and it was cool hanging out then (especially the miracle that everyone’s schedules matched up!).  Our trip to Queenstown with Christian was amazing, and we are tentatively planning a tramp with Dylan and a possible trip to the North Island with Monique.  Surely, there will be more news from 20 DAH-bee!

Back at the campsite, Rus set up the tent while I prepped the food.  I cut up a red onion we brought and washed off the shellfish.  I got the pots ready.  Then, Rus turned on the stove, and it took minutes to get the water boiling.  We boiled the seafood for a few minutes then cleared the pot to make the sauce - a little olive oil, chopped red onion, garlic butter, and white wine - yum!  It smelled so good I could hardly wait!  We poured the sauce over the seafood and dug in.  In the meantime, I made some reconstituted vegetables (camping food).   The food was fabulous!

The sun was setting, so we wanted to start the fire and clean up before darkness fell completely.  Once we did this, we drank (all of the) wine by the fire and hung out until it was time to walk around the corner to take showers. There were many RVs and campers at the site, but we did not run into many people.  Shortly before we turned in for the night, another couple set up a tent about 50 metres from ours, but we did not hear them at all.

After we showered, we crawled into our sleeping bags in the tent to go to sleep. I set my mobile phone alarm for 6:00AM so I could watch the sunrise.  Rus seemed to sleep like a rock, but I woke up well before dawn.  When we went to bed, it was cloudy, but in the middle of the night, the sky had cleared, and I could see a million bright stars, even a couple of shooting stars darting across the sky.  It was awesome!  With the view of the night sky and the sound of the crashing ocean waves, it was pleasant and peaceful, and I fell asleep again.

My alarm went off as planned at 6:00AM, and I dressed to watch the sunrise.  It was chilly, so I had on pants and a fleece and vest.  It was still quite dark.  While I waited, I gathered rocks from the beach.  This particular beach, to me, looked like an old river bed, as all of the rocks were a similar size.  They were also egg-shaped and perfectly smooth.  The rocks were mostly gray limestone, but there were other rocks that were brown, and still others that were bright white.  I was gathering several of each color.  I also selected some cool, bleached driftwood pieces from the beach.  These would be used in a household decoration of some sort.  Walking up and down that beach, at that hour, I felt like the only person in the world.  I did not see or hear another soul.

Soon, the sky started to change many colors - purples, pinks, oranges - and soon after that, the sun peaked over the ocean horizon.  A few minutes later, it was all over and the sun had fully emerged from the water.  Satisfied, I crawled back into the tent for a long nap.

Rus woke me up a few hours later.  He had already cleaned the pots from the night before and talked to someone who said we should not have built a fire.  He was boiling water for tea.  I cut up an orange and scrounged around for other breakfast snacks.  I was feeling a little lousy from the wine and a poor night of sleep, and the hot tea tasted great.

Alas, all good things must end, so we packed up our stuff and loaded it into the car.  We found a cafe with a nice back patio and ordered nice breakfasts and coffees.  We were being stalked by the many little birds living in the surrounding trees; these little creatures were surely kept well-fed from the cafe’s patrons.  Once breakfast was over, we filled up the gas tank and started back to Christchurch.

We stopped at another campsite to check it out as another option for a future trip, crawled on some ocean rocks, and took in the salty ocean breeze.  The seas were much calmer today.  Once back in the car, we looked out across the ocean, and what did we see?   One of the fishing yachts we were on the day before - surrounded by at least 50 dolphins!  They were beautiful even all the way from the road.  We vowed to come back and try to swim with the dolphins again.

Eventually, near Cheviot, we had the option to take the “Scenic Route” home, so we took a road to a place called Gore Bay, which is a tiny, residential area with cute cottages nestled into the tree-covered hills.   We parked the car and walked down a steep make-shift staircase to the beach below. To the south, another huge cliff dropped straight down to the ocean.  The water was blue and clear and cold. There were several other people walking the beach and some even set up a picnic.  It was after noon, and it was going to be another awesome day.  I wished we could stay longer, but we had to get back.

The rest of the scenic route took us to the top of the mountains, where it was colder and wetter.  Grazing pastures (and their inhabitants) dominated this area, and we actually saw houses from time to time.  Eventually, we wound our way through to the main road and made it back to Christchurch by mid-afternoon.  We quickly unpacked the car, and Rus returned it shortly thereafter while I put things away.

I thought Queenstown was stunning, but Kaikoura is more my style.  I love the beach, and though tourism is a huge part of its economy, it does not feel nearly as “touristy” as Queenstown does.  The close-by Alps as the beach’s backdrop make the scenery in Kaikoura even more dramatic.  Like most of New Zealand, the area as a whole is relatively undeveloped.  There are no multi-million dollar beach houses covering its pristine coast, just the occasional 7m by 7m bach.  No high rises.  All local businesses - with all of the eclectism and charm that comes with them. I cannot wait to go back.

I would definitey live there.

Several weeks ago, Rus and I booked a trip with Encounter Kaikoura, which specialises in dolphin watching and dolphin swimming tours.  Our flatmate, Radu, had swam with the dolphins a few weeks earlier and said it was amazing, so we opted to try it!  I did not know the details, only that the tour takes a bunch of people out on a boat to see dolphins and drops a few of them (wearing wetsuits) into the ocean so they could swim with them.

Kaikoura is a small town of about 2,000 people and is unique because of the deep ocean trenches just off its coast.  The underwater canyon system merges warm water from the north and mixes it with the cold waters from the Antarctic.  This allows the nutrients to be dispersed into the deep and support the huge communities of large ocean mammals like dolphins and whales that live there.  With relatively easy access to these awesome animals by boat, Kaikoura is a popular eco-tourist spot.

Once we checked into Encounter Kaikoura, a tourist shop and cafe bustling with people on this beautiful day, we waited to be summoned to get our wetsuits. From the outset, we were told that the first two tours did not go out that morning due to the rough seas from the storm.  Also, no dolphins had been spotted by any of the watching companies (there are many offering whale- and dolphin-watching by boat, helicopter, and small plane).  We were also told, in the event we did not get to see any dolphins, we would get charged a small operational fee.  I guess you could say that they did a good job of managing our expectations.  We went outside in the warm sun to await our call.

Once we got our wetsuits on (looking rather ridiculous), we waddled out to the presentation room with about 50 others, to watch an informational video about the dolphins we were about the encounter (hopefully).  Here, we learned that the dusky dolphins, were not baited or fed for the tours.  We also learned that they are quite acrobatic and love to do flips and spins; hopefully, we would see some of these while we were out!

After the video, it was time to go!  We boarded a bus for a five minute trip to the dock where two 30-ft. fishing boats awaited.  We got on our boat and soon after, we were off in search of dusky dolphins.

A little bit about the weather - it was warm (about 20C/70F) and sunny with some fluffy clouds in the sky.  The water was clear, light blue and beautiful.  After nearly two weeks of colder and wet weather (this is supposed to be Summer!), it was such a welcome change.  At first, the roller coaster-like motion of the boat as it went over the waves was fun, but some people near me were already disliking the trip (getting seasick).

On our way out to sea, we talked to a cool 30-something British couple (who live and work in Portugal).  They have spent the last month travelling New Zealand and were going to take a helicopter to the top of Mount Fyffe (which, at its summit, gives panoramic views of Kaikoura) to get married at sunset the next day.  It was going to be just the two of them and the Justice of the Peace.  The guy said they had been engaged for five years, and since their friends and families were scattered all over the world, they decided to marry privately and “make big parties” in Portugal and the UK when they got back.  As beautiful as Kaikoura is, I can see why they chose it to celebrate their special day - very romantic!

After about 45 minutes, we were told that the other boat that went out with us spotted something - an orca!  Orca are occasional predators of dusky dolphins, we were told, so my expectations of seeing those dolphins were dimished further.   By the time we had arrived, a second orca was with the first, both young males.  They were so close to the boat and beautiful!   While we were there checking out the orca, a flock of Wandering Albatross flew into the area.  These birds can live 70+ years and have wingspans of over three metres!  Rus captured some excellent photos of these fascinating animals.

Eventually, we continued on our expedition to find the dusky dolphins.  I migrated to the deck on the back of the boat to enjoy the sun, wind, and sea spray - what a glorious day out on the open ocean!  After searching for another hour and going farther and farther down the coast (we passed our campsite), the tour decided to take us over to an area where New Zealand Fur Seals live.  We had seen an odd one here and there, just laying on their backs floating, with their little front flippers resting on their bellies - so cute!  There was a giant rock off the coast where many of these little animals were resting in the sun.  There were adorable little baby fur seals too!  We floated near the rock so everyone could see them and take photos, then we were told it was time to go back.  We had been gone for 2.5 hours.

On the way back, the tour said there had been some dolphins spotted!  When I looked up, we were right in front of our campsite.  These were likely the exact dolphins we had seen this morning while selecting our tent site.  The tour guides should have just asked us, right?  At any rate, these were Hector’s dolphins - small, endangered, and very rare - and Encounter Kaikoura (actually, no one) has a commercial licence to swim with them.  We had to be content (and we were!) observing them from the boat.  They swam all around us, and we had plenty of opportunity to look at them.  One thing I did not realize about dolphins is that they sound just like humans when they inhale a deep breath.  It was cool to see and hear them!

Soon, it was time to go back to port for good.  We began the trip back and were told that we would be charged half-price for a “spectators’ tour”.  I was starting to feel a bit seasick (not from that news, although I was a bit annoyed), so I rested on the seat in front of me for the remainder of the trip and was glad when we reached solid ground again.  We took the bus back, changed out of the wetsuits, and walked across the street to our car.  We had been gone for four hours, and it was early (just before 5:00PM), but time to find dinner!

Saturday night we made dinner and chilled so we could get an early jump on the trip in the morning.

By the time we woke up on Sunday around 7:30AM, the sun was shining brightly and warmly, and there was not a cloud in site.   Everything smelled so fresh!   We ate breakfast, packed up the car, and were on our way.  The trip up to Kaikoura is straight up the coast on State Highway 1 (a two-lane highway) and is so stunning!  It was hard to believe there was an optional “Scenic Route” (which I think is redundant); we decided we would take on the way home.

We first drove through Waipara wine region, where we had been wine-tasting a few weeks prior.  Then we hit patches of rural grazing areas - lots of deer and horses and sheep (of course).  We stopped in a tiny town called Cheviot for a coffee, then jumped back in the car for the rest of the journey.  We drove up into the mountains, on roads that dropped off hundreds of metres into deep valleys.  Trees and heavy vegetation covered these mountains, and the sight of it all was simply spectacular.  Once again, except for the odd power line or farm shack, this scenery was virtually untouched.  There did, however, seem to be “more traffic than usual”, i.e. we saw several cars on the trip.

Eventually we made our way to the top of hill and a glorious view of the sea awaited us.  The sun was glistening off the azure water.  The rocky coast and mountains in the background, in contrast, were dark.  It was like a living postcard!

We winded our way back down the mountains to near-sea level; the road, at this point, traced the coastline.  The waves in the ocean were large from the storm that had passed and crashed against the rocks in giant splashes.  I could not get over the color of the water - simply beautiful!  With the fresh, salty breeze and the warm sun, it was going to be a great day!

We continued winding, passing by several scenic lookouts where others stopped to take pictures.  We went through short mountain tunnels and alongside a train track which we knew continued North into another area we have yet to visit - Marlborough (one of our future trips involves taking same coastal train to Marlborough with our bikes and biking to visit several of the 30+ vineyards there).

Several kilometres down the road and we found our campsite, Peketa. We stopped into the office to book a tent site and found a spot that would be suitable.  The campsite is right off the beach in the grassy dunes (no sand).  Walk a few metres, and the rocky beach and ocean waves await.  There were no other tents around us at the time. We gathered damp driftwood and left it on an old picnic table to dry in the sun; we would use it to build a fire later.  Looking out into the ocean, not far off from the breakers was a small pod of dolphins.  I was getting excited!

At this time, it was getting close to our scheduled time to swim with the dolphins, so we made our way to Encounter Kaikoura to check in!

Otherwise, we have been busy preparing and planting our winter garden, getting to know two new flatmates (which brings the total at Derby Street to seven!), and - for me - embarking on a more aggressive hunt for employment.  We are also planning to squeeze in a few more weekend camping trips or tramps (hikes) before the weather turns colder.

Please bear with me while I work all of this out :)

Cheers,

Courtney

I’m a lunatic farmer, that’s my new catch phrase. I have a Ph.D. That stands for Post Hole Digger. Today we only need to buy toilet paper and Kleenex, everything else we make here. The only reason the framers of the Bill of Rights did not include freedom of food choice along with the right to bear arms, worship and speech was that they couldn’t conceive of the day when food would have to have a USDA sticker on it.

- Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm, from www.organicconsumers.org

Hopefully, someday soon, Rus and I will reach this level of sustainability and freedom!

At any rate, here is the February 2009 statistics summary for www.thestarbuckreport.com:

Reported period: Month Feb 2009
First visit: 01 Feb 2009 - 00:01
Last visit: 28 Feb 2009 - 23:52

Unique visitors: 260

Number of visits: 966(3.71 visits/visitor)

Pages: 4163 (4.3 pages/visit)

The unique visitors came from 27 different countries!

So, first of all, I would like to thank everyone for your readership.  My time and effort is worth little if I have no audience, right?  That being said, there are a few things you can do to help me do my job better:

1. Keep reading! If you have not done so already, I encourage you add my feed to your reader so you know exactly when I’ve posted a new article

2. Tell a friend and/or add www.thestarbuckreport.com to your Blogroll

3. Comment!  You can agree or disagree or tell me you would like more (or less) in a certain category - your feedback helps me decide the direction of the articles, especially the ones in between our travels.  You do need to register (it’s free) in order to comment, but only once

4. Check out some of the links on my Blogroll - under “Friend and Links” on the lower right hand side.  If I have not yet posted a new article, this can be a great way to catch up on current events (Reddit, Of Two Minds, LATOC) or just get some good laughs (Cake Wrecks and “Unnecessary” Quotes).  It also might help put some of the information I post into context.

Overall, I think it has been a productive February.  Let’s see if we can March even better!

Cheers,

Courtney

More when we return!

Cheers,

Courtney and Rus

We took a different route home than the one we came in on; therefore, we would not be stopping at Lake Wanaka, as we had earlier.  The drive is spectacular.  The “highway” is simply a two-lane road, and most of the traffic is tour buses from Christchurch and cyclists - many of them with pannier bags loaded with gear.  Backpackers’ shacks are scattered along the route.  There were no clouds in the sky and mountains as far as the eye could see.  It was spectacular!  As with the rest of the trip, I could not believe my eyes, and I could not stop saying “Wow!”.   Eventually, we drove by the lookout at Lake Pukaki, where we stopped for the sunrise on the way down.  Unlike our visit, when it was dead quiet, it was now teeming with tourists.  We continued on a short way to Lake Tekapo.  I posted an earlier article about how Tekapo is a town with no light pollution.  Lake Tekapo is similar to Lake Pukaki in that it is fed by glacier snow melt; therefore, it has the same unnatural blue color.  While we did not get to see the night sky featured in the article, we could see Mt. Cook in the distance and took some great photos.

Next, Christian took us to an organic salmon farm where the fish is raised in the mineral-rich waters of the lakes.  Since there is no farm run-off or coal plants, mercury is not a risk.  We bought a bunch for a lot less money than we expected and got back on the road.

Up ahead, we could see what is known as Lindis Pass.  It is a valley in between two large mountains, filled with a blanket of clouds.  Once we entered the pass, the sun was gone, and it was cloudy all way back to Christchurch.  Clouds, however, mean moisture, which turned the whole area inside the pass into lush, green, sub-tropical terrain.  This was in sharp contrast to the yellow, dry mountains we had seen for the last several hours.  Here, there were abundant farms and livestock grazing. We saw many venison farms, and in some of these paddocks were several big, eight- and ten-point bucks.  I had to imagine that this was some sort of hunter’s heaven: large, healthy bucks in a pen with nowhere to run, just begging to be picked off.  It is still strange to me to see large groups of deer like this.

The rest of the trip was uneventful.  When we got home, we unloaded the car; Christian had to get ready for work (he is a real trooper, that man).  The rest of the night was spent doing laundry and getting ready for the days ahead.  We had fully exploited our time in Queenstown, and it was time to rest.

After we found Christian and had a bit of lunch, we jumped in the car and were off.  The vineyards are located in a fertile valley (Gibbston Valley) between many mountains - about 20 minutes from Queenstown.  Central Otago, the region where Queenstown is located, is well-known for its fabulous Pinot Noirs; the grapes like the combination of the warm days and cold nights.

The first vineyard we went to was called Chard Farm.  In order to get there, we had to navigate a few kilometres down a one-lane, twisting, loose gravel road hundreds of metres above the Kawarau River (on which we riverboarded earlier in the day) - with no guard rails.  One slip or miscalculation, and we would drop straight down to meet our untimely deaths.  Combined with Christian’s aggressive driving habits, riding down this road was the most terrifying part of my day!  Not riverboarding down white-water rapids, not jumping 10m off a rock, or swinging out into a river…no, this road was by far the most extreme activity I did while in Queenstown (Rus likes me to point out that he was not at all scared.  Good on him!).

When we finally reached the winery (seemed like an eternity), we tasted some very nice wines, from sparkling all the way to a couple of lovely Pinot Noirs.  We tasted two Pinot Noirs, one meant to drink right away, and one meant to cellar for a few years.  Rus bought a bottle of each, with the condition that we put a “do not drink” label on the one meant to keep (Rus and I are new to the concept of cellaring wine; if we have it, we like to drink it!).  Anyway, I was hoping the delicious wine would help calm my nerves for the ride back up the scary road.  Since Christian was driving, he was spitting out the wines he tasted, but I was still very nervous.  As it turns out, I lived to tell.

Since the frightful experience of the “road to Chard Farm” was behind us, I could finally relax an enjoy the rest of the afternoon.  The next stop was Gibbston Vallery Winery, a commercial vineyard whose owner was one of the first to plant Pinot Noir grapes in the area.  It is also a popular tourist stop on the area’s numerous wine tours; thus, the vineyard takes full advantage and charges a fee for everything.  Instead of tasting, we each had a glass of white (a Chardonnay for Christian, a Pinot Gris for Rus, and a Sauvignon Blanc for me) on their grape vine-covered pergola patio.  Christian was determined to see their cave cellar (for which the admission was $10 per person!), so he introduced himself to the winemaker and managed to have him escort us through a back door to see it.  I saw a couple of cave cellars in Napa when I visited there, and this one was not particularly large or special; however, it was still cool to see, and even cooler that we did not have to pay the ridiculous fee to see it.  Sweet as!

Next up was the Peregrine Winery, a secluded vineyard down another loose gravel road (this one was at the bottom of the valley and very flat - no danger here).   We went in and tasted several of the nice wines at Peregrine.  One of the winemakers had been in Christian’s restaurant a few weeks prior, so Christian wanted to meet up with him.  While he was unavailable due to holiday, his partner, Jude, was happy to show us around.  We took a walk through the aesthetic barrel room and back through to the stainless steel fermenting vats.  We also peaked into the actual barrel warehouse (they had just sprayed the sulfur, which makes the wine clear, so we were unable to tour it).  Then, Jude took us to their awesome, modern, covered patio.  It is sheltered from the weather and the sun and is an area where they hold events and local concerts.  The backdrop is the untouched mountains and trees.  With the breeze blowing through and the stunning scenery, it felt like we were part of the landscape.  When we were done, we went back to the tasting room and tried a few more wines before buying a couple of bottles and continuing on our way.

Our fourth and final vineyard of the day was Arcadia, housed in a cool stone and wood chalet with an open floor plan and huge exposed beams.  We tried a couple of wines and bought a couple of bottles here too.  They charge for tasting and were quite stingy with the tastings, especially compared to the other vineyards (this irritates Christian, and I find it annoying as well).  There was a couple from Oregon tasting too; they were in New Zealand for a wedding in Auckland (way up in the North Island) but decided to check out Queenstown while they were here.  Cool!

By the time we finished up at Arcadia, the rest of the vineyards were closed for the day.  We were hungry again, so it was time to eat!  The young woman operating the tasting table at Peregrine recommended we go to a restaurant called VKnow for dinner; they have a great wine list and excellent food, she told us.  We drove back to through Queenstown into one of the residential areas down the road from the town centre.  The restaurant was plain from the outside and had just opened for dinner.  There was no one there but us, and the owner, Danny, (who pulled up right when we did), sat us and was our server.  He looked Italian and in his early 50s, with a dark tan.  Some chest hair and a gold chain could be seen where his tropical-print Bermuda shirt was unbuttoned at the top.  I might have seen him on the Jersey shore any given summer, but his Kiwi accent told me he had been here awhile.  He was pleasant and accommodating.  We ordered our meals:  Christian, seafood linguine; Rus, Mediterranean pizza; and me, venison with mushroom risotto.  All of the food was superb!

While we were finishing up, a few age 50-ish Americans came into the restaurant.  They said they were part of a group of six, and they thought the walk up the hill from their hotel to the restaurant was too long - could (Danny) please go and pick the rest of them up?  Danny actually drove to go get the rest of their group (Kiwis are so damn nice!), but they were apparently able to walk up the hill after all since they showed up just after he left to go get them.  Then, when ordering water, they had the audacity to ask the man if it was safe to drink!  The water here is actually some of the best drinking water in the world; they do not “treat” it with chlorine or fluoride, and there are no traces of pharmaceuticals.  Danny reassured them that he has the water tested monthly, and it is 99.9% pure.  Not sure if this was true or not, but I was disappointed that these people were behaving so poorly; hopefully, most Kiwis do not encounter Americans (or others) like these often.

We paid our bill, thanked Danny, and went back to hotel.   Then, we showered and watched “The Departed” on TV.  After everything we did, we were all exhausted and slept hard.  In the morning, we would be leaving to go back to Christchurch.

Mad.  Dog.  River.  Boarding.

Ever since I saw the PBS “Smart Travels” episode on New Zealand’s South Island, featuring an expose on this awesome activity, I have wanted to go.  As a matter of fact, it was at the top of my list of things to do in New Zealand.  For those of you who understand “riverboarding“; essentially, it is is boogie-boarding down white-water river rapids.

We scheduled to go early in the morning, so we were up at 6:30AM to get ourselves ready and out the door.  We stopped at a cafe to have a hearty breakfast of Eggs Benedict and coffees before showing up for our “appointment” at 7:45AM.  To be honest, we were most concerned about freezing our you-know-whats off.  The early morning temperature was only 9C (or 48F).  I was already cold, and “cold and wet” did not seem appealing at all.  Thankfully, my excitement got the better of me.

The guys at Mad Dog were super-cool and seemed enthusiastic despite the early hour.  There were a two other women from the UK (who work in Dubai) going with us, as well as “Team Denmark” - five young men from Denmark, who barely spoke English and reeked of alcohol.  As I found out later, they had only two hours of sleep.  After signing waivers which said we knew what we were getting ourselves into, we got on a shuttle for the 45-minute drive to where the gear was located.  Members of Team Denmark slept while one of our guides, Jonno, described the safety precautions and various sites we were driving by.  We arrived at an old gold mine, and I suddenly felt like I had been sent back in time about 200 years.  It looked like the Wild West (not the bad Will Smith movie), with old machines rusting on the dry, desert-like ground, small wooden buildings that looked like no one had been in them in ages, and strange desert plants.  To add to the surrealistic scene, a large hawk sat overlooking a chicken coop, whipping the chickens into a clucking frenzy.  Other than the chickens and our group, it was silent.

We were taken to an area where our gear was distributed: full wetsuit and booties, life jacket, helmet, flippers, and boogie board.  It was so cold stripping down to my bathing suit, and the wetsuit was damp!  Brrr!  Not to mention the fact that wetsuits are not easy to put on in the first place…  Thankfully, there were no clouds in the sky, and the sun was getting high enough to peak over the mountains.  Despite the water being only 16C (61F), the unobstructed sun meant I was not going to freeze after all.

We paused for a group photo, got back in the shuttle, and headed to our point of entry in a calm eddy in the river.  We put our flippers on and grabbed our boogie boards, then, we jumped in!  First, the river is fed by the same melting glaciers that make Lake Pukaki so amazingly blue.  Although the water was clean, clear, and crisp, I could see little tiny mineral particles like sparkling specs of glitter that give the water its beautiful color.  With the wetsuit on, the water felt refreshing and nice!  Second, the river has carved a canyon out of the mountains, so we were going to be travelling between six- and ten-story rock walls the whole time. Just a few metres from the shore, the river was already too deep to touch the bottom.

After a few lessons on how to maneuver in the swift-moving river, as well as a few exercises to see if we were all able to complete them (especially for barely-conscious Team Denmark), our guides led us out.  Already, the water was moving us quickly down the river, and we were immediately going into the rapids.  It was hard to stay together, and I soon found myself ahead of everyone, which made me a little nervous.  Jonno later told me it wasn’t a problem since he could just yell to tell me where to position myself in the river instead of using the hand signals he taught us earlier.  I did manage to “pull over” and slow myself down so I stayed with the group.

The river was rough, and it was difficult to stay on the boogie board (especially with the life jacket and all).  Actually, if I had my way, I would have just held on to it with both hands and floated down; it seemed to be easier and more enjoyable.  Anyway, we continued through the rapids, bumping into each other or even scooting right up on top of each other.  Sticking with Rus was nearly impossible through the rapids because the water threw everyone every which way.  It was so fun!  The sun was now over the mountains and beating down on us, and it felt great to be in the water. Our guides were telling us to swim from one side of the river to the other in order to get in the best positions to ride each set of rapids.  With all of the gear and the water moving so fast, it was physically challenging; much more than I expected!  I couldn’t imagine doing it as hungover (or still drunk) as Team Denmark.  At least they had a good rinse and weren’t going to stink up the shuttle on the way back!

After hitting the rest of the rapids (it took about 20 minutes from start to finishing the rapids), the river widened a little and smoothed out (though the current was still strong and swift).  We reverted to relaxation mode for another 20 minutes or so; floating down the river nicely and finally able to catch our breaths!  Think “Lazy River” multiplied by 100.  At that point, with the hot sun and the cool water, I could have stayed in the river all day.  It was glorious!

One of the guides, Brad, got on the jetski that was downstream and rode up the river to give us all rides on the raft attached to the back.  It was essentially a foam float with hose fashioned as handles.  Pulling yourself up onto that thing from the river required a reasonable level of upper-body strength, that’s for sure!  I knew I was going to be sore the next day.

We were towed to the shore line, where we had originally put on our wetsuits, and I thought the fun was over when we were told to take off our flippers and set our boogie boards aside.  Once the group was reunited and had completed these instructions, we climbed up some steep and dangerous steps to the edge of a rock where we were all offered the chance to do “rock jumps”.   Several of us opted to do the 10m (30ft!) jump off of a rock ledge into the river.  I did it, and it was horrible!  I did not like it a bit!  I took a deep breath, and it felt like it took forever to get to the water, so much so, that I wanted to take another breath but was afraid I’d be underwater by the time I took it.  Plus, once I entered the river (unevenly, which made me smack my rear-end and back of my legs pretty hard), without my flippers, I had trouble propelling myself to the side.  I have small feet for my size, so combined with limited arm movement because of the life vest, it was a lot of effort for me just to keep my position.  I was able to finally get myself over to the shore to get my adrenaline and heart rate back under control.  Needless to say, I do not think I will be doing a jump like that again, and I have a lot more respect for the power of rivers!

There was still more!  I went down the big metal slide, like one that used to be used to put silt with no gold back in the river (remember, we were at an old gold mining site).  A hose was set up to lubricate the slide, and participants go down on their boogie boards any way the choose (sitting up facing front or back, laying on your stomach or back, etc.) and end up skipping across the river - fun!  Once stopped, the jetski comes by and gives a tow back to a ladder to climb to reunite with the rest of the group.  Climbing up the ladder from the river repeatedly with a sopping wetsuit and life jacket was its own workout.  Rus said he was going to skip the slide since he got a nose-full of water when he did the rock jump; he changed his mind and went while I was getting towed back.

Last on the list was a rope swing that swings over the river; I did that twice - it was super fun!  At one point, I lost a booty, so a guide had to jetski down a hundred yards or so to pick it up for me; no problem.  The skin on my lower leg above my ankle was exposed to the water and red and cold - thank goodness we were in wetsuits!

Finally, after everyone in our group was finished with all of the activities (and thoroughly worn out), we climbed up the most treacherous pathway ever. I kept thinking, “this is a liability insurance nightmare”!  Shallow, steep, uneven steps with a steel cable as a handrail, ducking under said handrail, water dripping mud on some of the steps…yikes!

Once safely at the top, we got out of our wetsuits (which should be listed as another “activity” for the day) and rinsed off at one of the hot shower heads there.  We dried off and got dressed - and felt about 11kg (25lb) lighter!  It was just after noon, and Rus and I both felt like we had already put in a full day; it made me glad we went in the morning.  Jonno, who was staying and waiting for the next group, guides three trips per day, four days per week.  I do not know how he does it; we were exhausted after just one trip!  We said thanks and were off to the shuttle to go back to Queenstown.

On the way back, we were asking Brad, one of the other guides, all sorts of questions.  Brad, in his late-30s (?) spends the Southern Hemisphere summer in Queenstown guiding riverboarding tours and summers in the Northern Hemisphere in the UK and various other parts of the world guiding kayaking and rafting trips on some of the world’s toughest rivers.  He said some of his favorites were in Turkey and Nepal.  The season is essentially November through March, since it’s too cold outside of those months, even with wetsuits.  I was still reliving how much fun it was, and he told me I should come work for them for a summer (*gears turning in head*).

We dropped off the girls from the UK at Kawarau Bridge bungy jumping (home to the first commercial bungy jump) before continuing on our way.  We looked through the photos that Dave, the photographer, took, and we decided to buy some.  When we got back to base, he ended up giving us all of the photos (probably because it was just easier than sorting through them) on a CD.  We thanked the guys again and promised we would be back!

We stopped by the hotel to change out of our bathing suits and drop off the wet towels.  At this point, we were starving, so we bought fish-n-chips from a chips shack on the street that seemed popular.  We were going to phone Christian to see where he was, but we actually ran right into him on the street - perfect!  He said he had been paragliding all morning.  He has his certification, so he took the gondola up to the top of the mountain where his friend had secured a parachute for him to use.  Then, he spent 90 minutes in the air, up and over Lake Wakatipu, then finally landing.  Cool!  The day could not have been better; the sun was shining, the temperature was about 21C (70F), and the wind was low.

After we ate (it was not that great), Christian said that if we wanted to go wine-tasting, we had better get going.  No need to twist our arms - we went straight to the car and off we went.

The hedgehog was the cutest damn little creature I have seen in recent memory.  I couldn’t get over it!  And it could have cared less that there were three people (Rus, me, and Dylan) all staring at him - and me squealing and bouncing around excitedly in the background.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep him (booooo), so after we took a few pictures, I grabbed Rus’s leather work gloves so he could escort the little rascal away from the garbage.  When Rus picked him up, Sonic curled into a ball with his little hands and feet all scrunched up next to his face - awwww - the cuteness scale was off the charts!  I took the opportunity to pet him, and he was definitely spiky!

I took a few more pictures and let Rus take him to chomp away on the neighbor’s garden…but I hope he comes back to visit again :)

Our decision to move to New Zealand in the first place had a lot to do with its current sustainability.  It has a small population - about 4 million people in an area the size of two Pennsylvanias.  There is plenty of fresh water, plenty of food (which is a major export), and around 70% of the country’s electricity is generated by water and geothermal activity.  It has other natural resources (coal, for example) and imports little oil.  Combined with beautiful scenery, no over-development, lack of a huge military (and consequently huge military budget), low corruption, low crime, low population growth, and friendly, (for the most part) environmentally-aware, English-speaking people, we thought it was a good place to start.  Throughout the one year we had to move, we made several goals we hoped would help us further transition into a fossil-fuel independent existence:

1.  Sell everything instead of hiring shipping our things overseas.

Not only were our household items barely worth the cost of the shipping container (sentimental value aside), but logistics were going to be tricky (especially with no car!), and we were concerned we might not have a place to put everything in our new place.  The cons far outweighed the pros for going through with shipping; therefore, we sold all of our furniture, decorations, and toys using Craigslist - whittling down our worldly possessions to six large pieces of luggage (and a large box to be sent or brought over when convenient).  This leads me into our second goal…

2.  Buy everything used, if at all.

If we chose to purchase anything in the the first place, we would purchase these items used.  This would keep things inexpensive while reducing waste and consumerism, and helping people out by taking things they no longer use.  Although Craigslist is rarely used here, there is a popular classified newspaper and a local web-based auction site called TradeMe.  There is also a site called Freecycle which would be scoured for various items (for free!).  Exceptions include personal items like bed linens, towels, underwear, etc.

3.  Live car-free.

Since we spent a lot of time running errands on foot or bike, we already practiced getting used to living without a car in Pennsylvania.  In New Zealand, we chose to move to Christchurch, the second largest city (with only 330,000 people!), which has a fantastic Metro bus system.  Combined with buses, walking, bikes, and the occasional car rental, we would be covered transport-wise.

4.  Live in a furnished house with other people.

We went back and forth on this a bit because neither of us had lived with flatmates in while (me, almost two years, and Rus, nearly eight!).   However, renting a furnished room in a furnished house alleviated the stress of having to buy furniture and kitchen items, especially since we are not sure if Christchurch is our final destination.  The added benefit is a comparatively low cost of living (more money to travel and save!) and kick-starting our social community in Christchurch.  On the flip side, we would have less privacy, have to learn to share again, and deal with a landlord and/or unruly or inconsiderate flatmates.  Again, though, the positives outweighed the drawbacks.

5. Buy locally. Find the farmers’ markets.

This includes supporting local businesses in addition to buying locally-produced products.  Continuing to buy locally grown from farmers’ markets was important to us from a health and sustainability standpoint.

6.  Start a compost and garden.

This would pose a challenge, especially on the gardening side, because we were moving in January - at the height of New Zealand’s growing season. The compost would reduce our rubbish output and give us a usable product with which to fertilise the garden.

7. Reuse anything possible.

Instead of placing everything immediately in the recycling or rubbish bin, we would examine the possibility of reusing it.  For example, we drink wine frequently - can we use the glass bottles for something?  How can we get creative with what we already have so that we do not have to buy something new?  Can someone else use this?  These were new questions to be entertained every time we were ready to dispose of something.

8. Continue to learn new skills, do research, and gather ideas for a future off-grid dwelling.

There are already billions of people around the world who already manage to do this (live without supplied power, water, etc.), with mixed results, i.e. not having access to clean drinking water.  The key for us is to find the balance between maintaining a certain quality of life without being at the mercy of a government or utility company.  We can do it by learning new skills and leaning on our local community for support.

These are the new goals we had hoped to achieve once we moved to New Zealand.   Of course, they are in addition to ones that are already part of our lifestyle, like recycling, buying biodegradable products, using reusable shopping bags, turning off the lights, etc.

In Bleeding Green Part Three, I will show how we are currently meeting these goals now that we have settled into our new home in Christchurch.  Stay tuned!

Once we did venture outside, a downright chilly morning awaited us (New Zealand weather is fickel and temperatures vary, which means Rus and I have gotten good at wearing layers; Queenstown is no different).  The sky was cloud-covered, but it looked like they would burn off as the sun got higher.  We went to a cafe called Halo for coffees (Rus gets cappuccino; I get Mochaccino) and eggs and bacon (did I mention that bacon in New Zealand is amazing!?).   After breakfast, we took the gondola up to the top of one of the mountains in Queenstown.  In addition, we purchased five rides on the Skyline Luge at the top.  The ride up the gondola was awesome, and we took lots of pictures, needlessly, as it turned out, because the view from the top was even more spectacular.  We did get to see some of the mountain terrain, the super-tall trees, and where a few insane people bungy jump.

Once at the top, a truly magnificent scene was before us.  The dark blue lake, the bright blue sky, the tall mountains everywhere, all of it breathtaking.  Queenstown is a tourist mecca, and they’ve done it right at the top of the gondola: a cafe, lots of areas for picture-taking, history, a Maori show (which we did not attend), lots of walking trails and picnic tables, etc.

After snapping what had to be nearly 100 photos, taking some video, etc., we decided to take our first ride on the luge.  There are two ways to get to the start of the luge.  One, you can walk.  It is not far, but it is steep, and it sort of winds up the mountain.  Two, you can take a short chairlift, which we did to get up the first time.  Once at the start, there are two tracks: “scenic” and “advanced”; the “scenic” one is required for your first ride to warm up (truthfully, I do not know why they call it “scenic” at all because you don’t spend much time looking at anything but where you are going!).  The luge was really fun!  We rode it a few times and decided to take a break to get a snack from the cafe and walk around.  There were little mountain trails where people had ventured off the paved paths, and we explored a few of these, literally at the mountain’s edge.  I couldn’t help but notice that beautiful little trails like these at an American commercial tourist spot like the gondola would never fly; they would be roped off with “Warning” signs.

While on these walks, Rus had the awesome idea to attach his camera to his helmet so the folks at home could experience the luge ride with us; it must have been all that bright sunshine and fresh air!  We laughed as he figured out how to get his digital camera securely in place and ready to record.  People were watching us do this and thought it was funny.  Once he got it going, it was time to test it out on the track!  Judge for yourself: take a ride with us on the Queenstown Skyline Luge!

Once we used up our five rides, it was time to go back down to the bottom of the hill.  Rus and I took the gondola back down; however, paragliding and hang gliding were also options - we have to leave something for nex time, right?  At this point, it was 3:30, and we had somehow spent more than four hours up there!  Christian was not due back for another couple of hours, so we decided to take a 2-hour cruise of the T.S.S. Earnslaw and bought tickets for the 4:00PM departure.The Earnslaw is a cool old boat, fairly well-preserved.  We opted to sit on the bow in the warm sunshine.  Once we departed the dock, we were both glad we had our respective wind-proof vests and shells; it was cold and windy during parts of the ride.  The scenery is gorgeous through there, and, with the exception of Queenstown itself, there is very little other development on the mountains surrounding the lake.  It kind of felt like we had stepped back in time, and I have to imagine that this is what many lakes in the United States used to look like before restaurants, docks, and summer homes covered their coasts. On the boat, we met two Canadian men, about our age (late 20s), who quit their jobs in Canada and have been cycling the South Island for the last three months.  They looked like it, with their hair bleached blond and skin tanned by the sun.  They were taking the boat across Lake Wakatipu to the Walter’s Peak (where we briefly docked to drop them off and pick up other passengers going back to Queenstown) to continue their journey.  Their bikes were loaded with their only gear - backpacks, pannier bags, etc.  They said they stopped when they got tired and knocked on farmers’ doors to barter chores for food when they found themselves in between places to buy something to eat.  He said the two of them could live on NZ$100 per week.  We often meet people, young and old, with stories like these.  Cars, houses, careers, fancy clothes - all overrated.  All you need is a partner, a good bike, and the right attitude!

We toasted a glass of wine on the way back and relaxed on the ride back to Queenstown.  Once back, we called Christian, who said he was on his way and close by.  Rus and I were ready for dinner, and we met Christian at a cafe for a lovely dinner of gourmet sandwiches - yum!

After dinner, we went to a store that has wine-tasting.  Their setup is quite different; you get a debit card and put it into a machine, then select one of hundreds of wines around the store, push a button on the selected bottle, the wine comes out, and the debit is charged.  Since we had our sommelier with us, we had him point us in the right direction - as usual, he was spot on.  The three of us tasted eight or nine different wines, then decided to call it a night.  Rus and I had to be at Mad Dog Riverboarding at 7:45AM.

We woke up at 2:00AM Sunday to depart for Queenstown, about seven hours away.  Christian just finished working a dinner shift at Saggio Di Vino, and I had gone to bed barely three hours earlier after chatting too late with the flatmates.  It was not easy to get going…

We had already packed, so we loaded up the car and were on the road 45 minutes later.  We drove and drove, took a wrong turn, drove some more - down dark roads (some foggy and curvy) and saw very few cars the whole way.  There is only one main road to Queenstown from Christchurch, and it’s simply a two-lane highway.  The service stations are few and very far between, as are towns and houses; therefore, Christian filled up the car and a small gas can in case we needed it.  We brought snacks and water.  I couldn’t sleep (shocker), so I manned the iPod.

Near daybreak, we arrived at our first stop - Lake Pukaki, a good-sized lake smack in the middle of the country and just over half-way to our final destination.  To describe the scene:  first, it was so quiet and peaceful.  No cars, no planes, no people.  The gentle lapping of the mini waves on the rocky shore and the first birds singing were the only sounds we heard (besides ourselves, of course).  The water was a combination of things that are counter-intuitive to me: it was crystal clear, yet milky, azure blue (like Blue Frost sports drink).  The color (which we would see again) is due to the minerals in the snow-melt from the nearby glaciers). Ethereal, and so pretty!

As the sun was rising to the right of us (East), it was turning the sky different shades of purple and pink.  Looking North, toward the far end of the lake, we could see Mount Cook, one of the tallest mountains in New Zealand and completely snow-covered.  The dim light from the sunrise, not yet risen over the mountains, illuminated the snow, and made it look like Mount Cook was glowing - stunning!  Combined with the blue color of the lake and the bleached white stones, I think an artist would have trouble imagining such a beautiful scene.

As stunning as Lake Pukaki was, little did I know that more breathless scenery awaited. We hung around until the sun started to peek over the mountains before continuing on our journey.  This leg of the trip (from Pukaki to Wanaka) was remarkable for the number of animals who lost their lives as we passed through - three (two rabbits and one bird).  First off, New Zealand has a rabbit problem; they are everywhere and comprise of the majority of roadkill in the parts where we were.  Why am I mentioning this?  Perhaps I am trying to make myself feel better, even though I wasn’t driving and the damn things would literally run across the road as the car approached (like the old Atari game “Frogger”).  I have only hit one animal while driving, so to hit three in one trip seemed like some kind of record.

Anyway, I was able to sneak in a little nap in between killing the rabbits (and later a big bird).  When I woke up, we had arrived at Lake Wanaka, a small, stunning alpine lake town about an hour north of Queenstown.  This place was lush with green grass and trees and bright sunshine, a sharp contrast to the dimly-lit, nearly barren Lake Pukaki.  The town was buzzing with busy cafes, and people walking their dogs and simply enjoying the lovely morning.  As for us, it was time to eat!  We got coffees and breakfast and sat in the sunshine, taking in the surroundings.

After breakfast, we walked around for about an hour.  As at Lake Pukaki, the water at this lake was crystal clear, although it was more of the classic dark blue color.  We walked to the end of a dock and could see straight down to the bottom.  In addition, we could see several large trout and even a freshwater eel.  It reminded me of Lake Skaneateles in Upstate New York on steroids, with dramatic mountains and trees on Wanaka replacing the rolling hills and numerous summer homes and boats on Skaneateles.

Soon, it was time to get back in the car and finally go to Queenstown.  It was only 9:00AM, but it felt like we already had a full day of activities completed (for Christian, who still had not yet been to bed, I am sure it felt like several days of activities).  We took a shortcut, a little known road that runs the 100km or so from Wanaka straight to South to Queenstown.  This road started low in elevation and, and after many twists and turns and ups and downs, we ended up on top of a mountain with an unbelievable view of the wine-growing valley in Central Otago (the region where Queenstown is located and well-known for its superb Pinot Noirs).  We stopped at a lookout point where there were many other sightseers.  The visibility was completely unobstructed, and we could see for many miles in the distance, including to the lake on which Queenstown sits.  We took a few photos, got back in the car and began our decent down the mountain, a rather treacherous two-lane road with hairpin turns zigzagging the whole way down.

Finally, driving alongside one of the shorter arms of Lake Wakatipu, we arrived in Queenstown.  We saw where our hotel was located (right in the center of town on the lake!), got our room keys (actual keys and not plastic cards), and found a parking spot up arguably the steepest paved hill I’ve ever experienced.  We walked down the hill, picked a restaurant, and ordered a nice bottle of Pinot Gris to celebrate our arrival!

After the wine, Christian made his way up to the car to get some sleep, and Rus and I walked around the whole town (easy to do because it is not very big).  He was on a mission to buy some more tramping (hiking) clothes, so we price-shopped and tried on lots of items before he made a couple of decisions.  While we were shopping, we were taking in the unbelievable scenery. Lake Wakatipu is a huge (56km long) dark blue lake with crystal clear waters surrounded by Adirondack-sized mountains.  The sun was warm, but the wind coming off the cold lake required us to keep our jackets on.  The temperature with the wind chill was about 15C, or around 60F.  We saw a gondola that went up to the top of one of the mountains and vowed we would do that for sure.  Queenstown is home to one of the last coal-fired passenger ships in the Southern Hemisphere, the T.S.S. Earnslaw, which makes daily tours of the lake.  We saw it come and go several times and considered it on the short-list of activities during our visit.

At check-in time (4:00PM), we met Christian at the car on top of the crazy hill, and he drove it to a more managable parking spot.  We grabbed our stuff and went to the hotel, which is actually a backpackers’ hotel.  This means cheap prices and modest accommodations.  It also means that it has a kitchenette and phone and internet facilities, basically everything one would need for long-term travelling (since there are so many travellers, we see these types of accommodation a lot here in New Zealand).  We got a room with a double and a twin bed so we could all save some money.  Our room had a bathroom ensuite (although this was not the case for all of the rooms) and a view of the lake - not bad for NZ$100 per night!

We grabbed much-needed naps, got showered and dressed for dinner, and made our way to a restaurant a stone’s throw from the hotel called Captain’s.  Our roommate, Radu, recommended it as one of the best places to eat in Queenstown.  Rus ordered grouper, I ordered salmon, and Christian ordered venison.  Our meals were spectacular, the wine excellent, and the service and company, well, fabulous. We ordered creme brulees to top of the meal then went for a walk around town to top off the evening.

We were still tired from the trip and little sleep the night before, so we turned in early to get a jump on the next day, which will be detailed in “Day Two”, coming up next!

Anyway, it should be a good time, so stay tuned!

By RAY LILLEY, Associated Press Writer Ray Lilley, Associated Press Writer – Sun Feb 8, 11:03 am ET

AP – A stone chapel is shown on the edge of Lake Tekapo under the sparkling sky in New Zealand’s South Island …

TEKAPO, New Zealand – This little town is in the dark and proud of it.

Where other places greet the night by lighting up their streets and tourist attractions, this one goes the other way — low-energy sodium lamps are shielded from above, and household lights must face down, not up.

The purpose: to bring out the stars.

The town of 830 people on New Zealand’s South Island is on a mission to protect the sight of the night sky, even as it disappears behind light and haze in many parts of the world.

The ultimate prize would be UNESCO’s approval for the first “starlight reserve,” and already the “astro tourists” are coming.

A group of 25 are huddled at midnight on a bare New Zealand hilltop, their faces numbed by an icy wind as they gaze up at the Milky Way.

“It’s awesome, I mean it’s like beyond words,” says Simon Venvoort, 46, a management consultant from Amsterdam. “You see so much you aren’t aware of.”

“You know that two generations now are growing up not being aware that all this is out there because … half of the world is light-polluted.”

It’s estimated that about one fifth of the world’s population and more than two-thirds in the U.S. cannot see the Milky Way from their homes.

The “starlight reserve” idea germinated in UNESCO in 2005. Tekapo, in the McKenzie Basin of South Island, was already on its own track, seeking what locals were calling their “park in the sky.” So Tekapo was suggested as a pilot site because of its haze-free sky and lighting controls already in place.

A UNESCO working party agreed last month to study what Graeme Murray, chairman of the Mackenzie Tourism and Development Board, calls “a heritage park in the sky.”

“We helped make UNESCO world heritage look upward as well as around them in protecting the world’s heritage,” he says.

The U.N. body has extended world heritage status to 878 historic, cultural, ecological and natural sites around the planet, but none includes the sky.

The idea faces significant challenges — UNESCO’s conventions do not mention the space above and around heritage sites, and there’s still the question of how to define a piece of open sky for conservation purposes.

The darkening of Tekapo began in 1965 to serve the Mount John Observatory that opened on nearby Mount John. Town officials later turned necessity into a virtue by expanding controls on public and private lighting in a 19-mile ring around the town and observatory to keep the sky dark.

Three new housing developments have spent extra money for “sky-friendly” lighting. A skating rink even installed special lighting to prevent ultraviolet light reflecting off its ice surface into the night sky.

“We’ve got a dark sky and we’ve got to hang on to it,” said Murray, who also runs a sky-watching ecotourism company.

Not that people here are bumping into each other or driving blind during the night hours. And anyway, there’s plenty of starlight, as residents note.

“We’re certainly not living in the dark,” said Lorna Inch, a real estate agent. “We’ve got a beautiful sky that we all enjoy many nights of the year. There’s a lot of natural light from the stars,” plus those dimmed residential lights.

Some 150 years ago, unlit nights were the friend of a sheep rustling legend named James McKenzie and his faithful dog, Friday, as they stole through the landscape, driving flocks of stolen livestock deep into the basin that is now named after him.

Today a bronze statue of McKenzie’s sheepdog stands — not floodlit — on Tekapo’s lake front.

Resident Fraser Gunn, a night sky photographer, said people initially worried that with the light restrictions they wouldn’t be able to develop the town. “But that isn’t the case at all.”

Regional economic development manager Phil Brownie said the lighting control ordinances “are not severe at all … they do allow the community to develop and build … and haven’t imposed any difficulties.”

Anna Sidorenko-Dulom, UNESCO coordinator of Astronomy and World Heritage, calls the sky park “an interesting proposal which needs to be evaluated,” but adds that existing guidelines don’t allow for protecting the sky.

“We cannot promote sky protection or sky recognition through the Convention on World Heritage. These are two completely different things,” she said by telephone from Paris.

The chairwoman of New Zealand’s National Commission of UNESCO, Margaret Austin, is more positive. She expects the park idea to be considered by UNESCO’s general conference in October.

The former science minister says other countries interested in the idea are La Palma in the Canary Islands, Hawaii, Easter Island, the Galapagos Islands, Portugal, Canada, Romania and northern Chile.

Death Valley, Calif., is one of several U.S. national parks working to keep its lights low, the better to see the night sky. In Thailand, people living alongside the Mae Klong River say the fireflies are dwindling in number, chased away, they believe, by the ever-spreading glow of electric light.

“There’s enough movement now among the principal players for it to gather momentum,” said Austin. “The main sticking point is to get the criteria in the convention changed so it can include the sky above the land.”

Atop Mount John, an astronomy guide’s green laser stabs the night, picking out another stellar feature for the astro tourists.

For the guide, Chris Monson from Phoenix, Tekapo offers a chance to see something long lost to city-dwellers — “such pristine, dark skies.”

Back in cities like Phoenix, grandparents may have seen starlit skies, but “now it’s just something we hear about,” he said. “We don’t get to experience the stars and those constellations.”

As we were laying there on our blanket, looking up into the underside of a huge tree, we notice two fairly large birds nesting in the branches high above. They weren’t moving around much, just perched on a branch, with their heads turned around resting on their backs (similar to a resting duck). At first I thought it was a hawk because of its size. After about 45 minutes one of the birds took flight and landed on a smaller tree. I rushed up to get a closer look. The bird didn’t fly away; it just turned around to look at me. I must have been only two metres away. Up close, I noticed it had a gray iridescent head, tip of the tail, back and wings. It had a longish orange beak that curved downward at the tip (similar to a hawk but not as dramatic). Its head looked like a normal pigeon, with small beady eyes and the distinctive overall shape. I thought to myself: is this some kind of cool mutant New Zealand pigeon (it was 2-3 times the size of a normal pigeon)?

The next day, my colleague and friend, Ryan, helped me identify the bird from my verbal description. It turns out the birds I saw were male and female Kererus (the New Zealand pigeon). Here are some of the more interesting facts about this bird (some of which I experienced first hand):

• Kereru seem totally unafraid of man
• They are entirely vegetarian
• They are faithful to their mates
• Unlike most birds, they can drink without raising their heads to swallow
• They primarily eat fruit and play a big part in spreading seeds across forest land
• They shower in light rain by hanging upside-down on a branch and let the rain fall on their bellies
• They lay a single egg, which is long, narrow and white
• The male and female take turns sitting on the egg; alternating 12-hour shifts
• They produce a cottage cheese-like milk called “crop-milk” for their young (penguins and flamingos are the only other birds that do this)
• They are known for their spectacular aerial displays during mating

It was truly awesome to witness an unseen (for me) and uncommon bird in the wild in a new country. Discovering its uniqueness only made it that much better. You can find more information about the Kereru at the New Zealand Birds website and Wikipedia. The very beginning of this video clip shows Kereru flying and perching.   Enjoy!

Waitangi Day in Christchurch was celebrated in Hagley Park with a free concert by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra complete with fireworks.  The concert started around 8:00PM, so Monique and I decided to check it out (Rus had to work at 4:00AM the next day, so he decided to sit this one out).  It was cold and windy; we were bundled up in jeans and sweatshirts.  The park is a five-minute walk away, and we could already hear the concert from the moment we walked outside. When we got there, there were about 15,000 people of all ages; they brought chairs and blankets and plenty of their own beverages.  The drinking age is 18 here, and I am still not used to seeing drunk teenagers walking around with open beer containers (even adults doing this in America would be violating the law).  We stayed for a few songs, but we got cold and decided to go to one of our favourite watering holes around the corner, a place called Dux de Lux, which brews its own beer and has an awesome old brick patio (and lots of outdoor radiant heaters!).  We sat outside under a heater, had a glass of wine, then headed back to the concert - just in time for the finale!

Here is the video of the Waitangi Day fireworks finale, set to the William Tell Overature performed by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.  Enjoy!

A not-so-brief history…

In early 2007, I stumbled upon several websites like Life After the Oil Crash, The Energy Bulletin, and The Oil Drum, that showed me that the age of cheap, abundant fossil fuels was coming to an end.  Combined with imminent (at the time, now reality) financial collapse and climate change, it was going to be an interesting ride!  After freaking out a bit, Rus and I came to a couple of conclusions.  One, the rest of our lives are going to be very different than what we have previously known.   Basically, a car-dependent society, big box stores, large-scale globalization, disposables, cheap electricity, and mass food production (enabled by fertilisers, pesticides, farm equipment, and shipping and distribution - all using incredible amounts of fossil fuels) are unsustainable and cannot conceivably continue.  Two, it would be a lot less stressful (and even enjoyable!) to start adapting immediately, gradually, and voluntarily as opposed to experiencing potentially violent disruptions in “business as usual”.  This meant (among other things) rethinking how we transported ourselves, where we got our food (most food is trucked an average of 1500 miles from farm to refridgerator), researching the companies we patronised and products we purchased, getting to know our neighbors, and conserving water and electricity.

We started small: using reusable bags, bundling errands into one car trip every week or every other week, halting most unnecessary purchases and buying locally, and walking and biking as much as possible.  Fortunately, the town of Macungie is fairly walkable, so we were able to get most of what we needed within a short walking distance.  In addition, we shifted our toiletries to ones made with environmentally-sustainable materials and cut back on disposables.  We were already conscious about trash and recycling and had a low trash to recycling ratio as it was, but we made an effort to reduce this even further.  Leftover water was poured on the house plants (thanks for the tip, Mom!).  Some of these were harder than others; there are not many local shops left since Walmart and the other big box stores rolled into the area.  The selection is often limited at the ones that still exist, and “buying American” is nearly impossible.  Also, Macungie, PA is not exactly bike-friendly.  There are no bike lanes and often very little shoulder on which to ride.  These were challenges to overcome.

The following Spring, we graduated into planting and harvesting our own garden.  We grew spring greens, peas, carrots, green beans, plum tomatoes, and zucchini. The first three were lessons learned (mostly, better garden planning), which we figured was much easier when you are not actually betting your livelihood on the success of your garden. The last three turned out to be our star crops; I learned to blanch and freeze several quarts of tomatoes, as well as get creative with cooking zucchini!  We traded green beans and tomatoes for peppers and cucumbers with the neighbors.  I loved going out every day or every other day to see “what was for dinner” in the garden.  To supplement, we bought the rest of our produce, meat, eggs, honey, and cheese from the fabulous local farmers’ markets in Emmaus and Macungie.  We saved our used egg cartons and gave them to the “egg man”.  Seeing familiar faces and getting to know the people who grew our food was awesome.  Rus and I love great food, and we love to cook, so cooking and eating fresh, local food was as good for our peace of mind (in knowing where it came from, that it was not genetically modified, that it was organically produced) as it was for our bellies!  Rus started to work from home, and we reduced the “fleet” to two cars, since we hardly drove any of them any way.  We shifted to biodegradable laundry and cleaning products.

We also made adjustments in our electricity use.  As most of the electricity in the United States is generated by coal, oil, and natural gas, and as these continue to diminish, electricity is going to become increasingly expensive.  This doesn’t include the cost to the environment; everyone (except the Coal Industry, apparently) knows there is no such thing as “clean coal”.  The aging grid desperately needs to be overhauled to generate power with alternative energy sources like wind and solar - a monumental task which will cost big bucks and take many years (decades?) to complete - and won’t have nearly the same output as fossil fuels. Presently, the best thing would be a mass conservation effort (perhaps the U.S. can take a page from New Zealand’s book and run some Public Service Announcements?), since it will be absolutely necessary to bridge the gap between demand and reduced output from alternative sources.  But I digress…

Anyway, our house was completely electric - cooking, heating, cooling, etc. - so we made adjustments to our electricity use.  We kept the thermostat low in the winter, and high in the summer (only turned the air conditioning on twice in August!), turned down the hot water heater temperature to 106F, ran the dishwasher full and the washing machine with cold water. Our efforts paid off; we had fantastically low utility bills to show for them!  We thought most of these adaptations were simple to make and good common sense; however, our neighbor across the street, who left all of her lights on all day, every day, showed us there was room for improvement at the macro level.

We put off adding solar panels, a laundry line, and LED lights to the house because we were moving.  I think LED lights are the way to go (CFLs save some energy, but they are extremely hazardous to dispose because they contain toxic mercury).  They currently cost a lot more, but they use a fraction of the energy of a CFL, are non-toxic, and last for up to sixty years.  We plan on using these exclusively in a future dwelling.

On the whole, I think our transition to a fossil-fuel-free existence has been successful thus far, although we have a long way to go.  It has caused us to be a lot more conscious about what we eat, what and how we purchase, and our individual impact on the environment and community.  We, of course, hope to continue this journey in New Zealand, the specifics of which I will discuss in a future post.

Stay tuned for Part Two!

Along these same lines,  there are public service announcements (PSAs) nearly every television commercial break.  This is in sharp contrast to the advertisements pushing pharmaceuticals, banks, cars, sales, food, etc. on American television.  I am not sure if New Zealand simply does not have enough advertising companies or if they just prefer education over rampant consumerism.  *Just to be clear, I am not saying the United States does not have PSAs, and that New Zealand refrains from anything but PSAs during commercial breaks, since neither are true.  My observation is that there are many more PSAs (often back-to-back) and much less emphasis on consumer products in New Zealand.

A couple of the PSAs I have noticed (I’ve tried to add the actual video where available) :

1. “It’s not the drinking, it’s how we’re drinking” There are two PSAs I have seen revolving around this issue.  Kiwis love to party, and both of these ads show people drinking from the afternoon long into the night, doing things that harm themselves and others (fights, etc.), and feeling bad about it later on.
   
2. There is one promoting sunglasses use by kids, why it is important, and where you can take your kids to get them a pair.
3. Similar to #2, there are a few PSAa advocating the importance of making sure kids wear sunscreen.  It depicts a little girl getting badly burned by the sun while outside playing, and then fast-forwards to her life in her 50s when she has skin cancer.  There is another called “slip, slop, slap” in reference to applying sunscreen for both kids and adults.
4. There is one advocating breastfeeding is the best way to feed an infant.
5. I have seen two about the dangers of speeding:
   
   
6. There are several about water conservation; using a bucket to wash your car; only pouring biodegradable liquids down the drain; conserving water now for generations later.
7. There is one about putting smoke alarms in your house: “Not having working smoke alarms in your house is just plain stupid”.
8. There are two campaigning for people to learn how to swim (drowning is one of the largest causes of preventable death).
9. There is one that promotes milk or water instead of sugary beverages for kids:
   

These are the ones I have noticed, and I haven’t watched much TV.  I am guessing there are many more I have missed.  The bottom line is, production value aside, the message is good.  If people are going to watch TV, they might as well learn a thing or two, right?

Christian called ahead to the Pegasus Bay vineyard in Waipara, about 50km (30 miles) north of Christchurch, to schedule a tasting.  The drive out to Waipara was emblematic of the scenic beauty we see in New Zealand.  Within a blink of an eye of leaving the city limits, we were treated with a vast rural flat landscapes stretching on to dramatic hills covered in tall, dry grasses…and sheep.  We saw more sheep, alpaca, deer, and cows than we could dream of counting - all happily chomping away in the chilly summer air (Rus thought aloud that he’d like to mountain bike down one of those awesome hills; I just wondered what it would look like from up there.  Okay, mountain biking down one sounds fun too!).

Pegasus Bay is unassuming; the sign marking its place could easily be confused with one advertising a small farmer’s roadside vegetable stand.  A short drive down the unpaved road, and we were greeted with a lovely old home surrounded by lush gardens and well-appointed hardscape.  Christian told us that Pegasus Bay winery, one of Waipara’s largest commercial ones, started with the owner simply wanting to put his three lazy children to work; one was responsible for reds, one for whites, and one for the on-site restaurant.  The building itself has lots of character: hardwood floors, stained glass windows, and decorative trim that is hard to find nowadays.  Once inside, we were greeted warmly by our hostess, a German expatriot, who vacationed in New Zealand frequently before deciding to move here permanently 19 years ago.

We tasted eight different wines, starting with the wine that boosted New Zealand wines onto the world stage - Sauvignon Blanc.  After that came a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend, Dry Reisling, Sweet Reisling, and Chardonnay.  Then came the reds - Pinot Noir, Merlot/Cabernet blend, and one that was apparently so good, I can’t remember! (wink)

All of that wine-tasting worked up an appetite, and we opted for a fabulous lunch of caprese salad, ciabatta and olive oil, and a glorious seafood chowder in the winery’s restaurant.  The food was excellent, and this was the first time since we arrived in New Zealand that I ate buffalo mozzarella (as you may already know, I consider fresh mozzarella a food group!).  Once finished, we were allowed a very brief tour of the fermentation warehouse, and then it was off to Winery #2 (evidently, Christian had us on a tight schedule).

Another drive literally over the river and through the woods (and in and out of arguably the smallest town I’ve ever seen), a near-missed left hand turn and screeching brakes, and we arrived at Pyramid Valley Vineyards.  Hidden off a lonely (self-named) road less traveled, this obscure vineyard - barely distinguishable by the half-barrel sign that read “Pyramid Valley Vineyards, Open By Appointment Only” - looked more like a antique shop than a winery worthy of Christian’s discriminating acclaim.  Alas, appearances can be deceiving, as we were greeted by the vintner himself, Mr. Mike Weersing.

Mike looks to be in his early-40s, with bright blue eyes and an already-white head of closely cropped hair.  Dressed in cargo shorts and a plaid button-down covered with a heavy wool sweater (yay Summer!),  he immediately suggested we jump in the truck and go see the vines.  You can see a video of Mike describing his land here. Pyramid Valley is interesting; Mike grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on site, and leases vines of different varieties in Marlborough, New Zealand’s largest wine-making region (have no fear, dear readers, Rus and I will definitely be visiting this part of the country soon!).  He drove us to the top of one of those magnificent hills I had wondered just moments ago what it would be like to look out from.  It was cold, barely breaking 60F, and my 2″ sandals were no match for the foot-tall grasses.  Mike was telling us about how he chose the spot to start his vineyard, the composition of the soil, about the weather, the birds, etc. - all very interesting!  The brisk wind, however, kept his lesson from atop the hill short; we got back in the truck and drove back down the hill to the small tasting room.

We tasted several lovely wines (mostly whites), but for me the most memorable part of the afternoon was listening to Mike.  I have gone wine-tasting before and learned a lot about how it tastes, what food it should be paired with, etc.  On the other hand, it is a truly rare opportunity indeed to experience any product with its producer, while surveying the beautiful land on which its grown, and listening to him describe how and why it was made the way it was made.  Pyramid Valley Vineyards clearly has a lot of passion and a lot of love there - for wine, for nature, for New Zealand.  I found the day exhilirating and soul-quenching in a way that is hard to put into words.

After this special adventure, it is surely going to make all other wine-tasting pale in comparison.

*A special thanks to Christian Esser for allowing us to share this wonderful experience with him (and for driving)!

There are, however, some differences!  A few of these disparities surface through various shopping excursions.  First, there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to the way things are priced here as compared to the States.  Some things are cheaper (like wine), and some are more expensive (like shoes).  Second, shops are open from about 10:00AM and close by 6:00PM, with few exceptions; some grocery stores and malls (which, by the way, are mini compared to American ones) are open until 8:00PM on certain days.  Third, if something isn’t in stock, you can order it, with the promise it will be at the store “in a couple of weeks”.  Two weeks?  Four weeks?  Who knows…  Definitely an adjustment to the just-in-time, on-demand retail experiences in America!

Actually paying for things has some weirds twists too.  For example, there are coins instead of paper bills for $1.00 and $2.00 denominations (kind of cool).  Also, since the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) does not have a denomination less than $0.10, prices are rounded to the nearest $0.10 when you pay with cash (electronic payments like debit or credit card charge the exact amount).  I equate it to New Zealand’s version of “give a penny, take a penny” - sometimes you get more money back and sometimes you get less.  Recently, I bought something where the total was $11.63; on the receipt, one of the line items was “rounding”, which subtracted $0.03 from my total; I received $4.40 in change.  Interesting!

It’s also worth noting:

1. The rap music is hilariously bad.

2. There are only about 30 cable channels (several American, British, and Chinese stations) as opposed to hundreds.

3. Few houses have sink disposals (they cost upwards of NZ$1000!) - ours does not.

4. The majority of houses have a laundry line, an electric tea kettle, and no screens on windows and doors (there are few bugs here, so they are not necessary - awesome).  The ovens have a smaller compartment called a “griller”, what we Americans would call a “broiler”.

5. It’s hard to find fresh mozzerella cheese.

6. Toilets have two flush options: #1 and #2 (hehe).

Things I Love (I will expand on a few of these in a future post): Frank Ginger Beer, Juice 2 TV (plays videos from the 80s and 90s - F-A-B), astoundingly friendly people, the Metro bus system, and bountiful natural and local fresh food!

Things I Miss: Simply Orange and Simpy Grapefruit juice, reliable cable internet, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Craigslist, TJMaxx/Marshalls, Trader Joe’s, and (it goes without saying) friends and family!

Regardless of the little differences, I will be just fine as long as I continue to have access to my American creature comforts like Crocs, peanut butter, chocolate milk, and Law & Order reruns.

Visit Super Eco now!

This was my first time driving in a car in New Zealand.  The only other time I have driven on the left-hand side of the road was in St. Croix and they use left-hand drive cars on the left-hand side of the road (weird).

So… I didn’t crash or get pulled over, but here a few things that were really weird:

1. I instinctively kept trying to get in the car on the wrong side.
2. I cleaned the windshield every time I needed to put on my turn signal (they call them “indicators” here).
3. Having the rear-view mirror on the left side was really freaking me out.
4. I had no sense of depth on the left side of the car; I felt like I was going to scrape all the parked cars along the road.
5. Every time I adjusted the seat I ended up doing a e-brake power slide. Just kidding.
6. Hanging your right arm out the window while driving feels unnatural and strange.

Long story short, the desk was too big for the car and the nice guy who I bought it from delivered the desk for free.  Kiwis are so nice!

We continued to walk around town and eventually decided that there wasn’t anything else to do.  We didn’t feel like waiting around until the restaurant opened, so we walked back to the bus stop and came home.  Our plan is to take the bus out to Lyttelton again just for dinner during the week sometime; maybe to celebrate a work milestone (there are some coming up soon).

I took some great photos and posted them into a Lyttelton Set on our Flickr page. Please have a look and check out our other photos while you’re there!

Reprinted from AP

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A passenger jet powered in part by vegetable oil successfully completed a two-hour flight Tuesday to test a biofuel that could lower airplane emissions and cut costs, Air New Zealand said.

One engine of a Boeing 747-400 airplane was powered by a 50-50 blend of oil from jatropha plants and standard A1 jet fuel.

This year has seen an unprecedented push for alternative fuels by airlines, which were slammed by skyrocketing oil prices earlier in 2008 and are now bracing for a falloff in air travel in the face of a global economic slowdown.

While Air New Zealand couldn’t say whether the blend would be cheaper than standard jet fuel since jatropha is not yet produced on a commercial scale, the company expects the blend to be “cost competitive,” according to company spokeswoman Tracy Mills.

Biofuels were once regarded as impractical for aviation because most freeze at the low temperatures encountered at cruising altitudes. But tests show jatropha, whose seeds yield an oil already used to produce fuels like biodiesel, has an even lower freezing point than jet fuel.

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe called the flight “a milestone for the airline and commercial aviation.”

“Today we stand at the earliest stages of sustainable fuel development and an important moment in aviation history,” he said shortly after the flight. The company’s goal is to become the world’s most environmentally sustainable airline.

The flight was the first to use jatropha as part of a biofuel mix.

In February, Boeing and Virgin Atlantic carried out a similar test flight that included a biofuel mixture of palm and coconut oil — but was dismissed as a publicity stunt by environmentalists who said the fuel could not be produced in the quantities needed for commercial aviation use.

Biofuels emit as much carbon as kerosene-based jet fuel, but jatropha — a Mexican plant that grows in warm climates — absorbs about half the carbon that jatropha-based fuels release. Air New Zealand’s proposed blend, for example, would mean a one-quarter reduction in the carbon footprint of standard jet fuel.

Many biofuels — like ethanol, which is produced from corn — have been blamed for raising the price of food by diverting it from kitchen tables to engines. While the link between biofuels and grain prices is debatable, Mills said that jatropha plants would not compete with food or other commercial crops since it can grow on land that would make poor farmland and needs little water.

“Ethanol is a first generation biofuel; jatropha a second generation biofuel that doesn’t compete for land with food production,” Mills said.

The test flight out of Auckland International Airport included a full-power takeoff and cruising to 35,000 feet (10,600 meters), where the crew manually set all four engine controls to check for identical performance readings among the biofuel-powered engine and those using jet fuel. Pilots also switched off the fuel pump for the biofuel engine at 25,000 feet (7,600 meters) “to test the lubricity of the fuel,” ensuring its friction in the pipe did not slow its flow to the engine.

Capt. David Morgan, the airline’s chief pilot who was on board the airplane, said results from the flight tests will provide the company and its partners with invaluable data to help jatropha become a certified aviation fuel.

The checks were “designed to test the biofuel to the fullest extent,” Morgan said.

While the airline heralded the flight as successful, Air New Zealand Group Manager Ed Sims cautioned that it will be at least 2013 before the company can ensure easy access to the large quantities of jatropha it would need to use the biofuel on all of its flights.

“Clearly we are a long, long way from being able to source commercially quantifiable amounts of the fuel and then be able to move that amount of fuel around the world to be able to power the world’s airlines is still some years off,” Sims told New Zealand’s National Radio.

The company bought the seeds from plantations in East Africa and India that total 309,000 acres (125,000 hectares).

The company hopes that by 2013, 10 percent of its flights will be powered, at least in part, by biofuels, Mills said. Most of those using the blend would be short haul domestic services.

Simon Boxer, of environmental group Greenpeace New Zealand, said it was inevitable that airlines would show greater interest in sustainable biofuels as travelers become more aware of the harm that air travel causes the environment.

But he said it wasn’t clear whether jatropha was really sustainable. He questioned what the environmental impact would be if jatropha grew popular and more land and resources were needed to produce it on a commercial scale.

The flight was a joint venture by Air New Zealand, airplane maker Boeing, engine maker Rolls Royce and biofuel specialist, UOP Llc, a unit of Honeywell International.

The flight, initially scheduled for earlier this month, was postponed after an Air New Zealand A320 Airbus crashed off Perpignan on the south coast of France on Nov. 27, killing all seven on board.

And I thought:  Has Obama-Mania reached New Zealand?

I am under the impression (and maybe I am seeing this through American-born-and-bred-”We’re-Number-One!” beer goggles) that the world watches what the United States does quite closely.  For as the U.S. goes, often, so does the rest of the world.   That being said, the New Zealand press no different; it is tuned in to most U.S. current events - from the latest bailout packages to Senator scandals to celebrity gossip.

As far as Obama-Mania, my roommates said the whole U.S. election was covered heavily, competing with their own!   In general, I would say people here are favorable toward Obama.  One roommate, Monique, has talked with friends, who think he is cool and hip - some even consider him sexy!   She said one of her colleagues - who admitted she was “obsessed with Obama” - was glued to the television her whole shift watching the Inauguration festivities.  On the other hand, they wonder if he is the real deal; actually following through on the beautifully crafted and presented promises that come out of his mouth.

At this point, my conclusion is that Kiwis are as optimistic about Obama’s potential for “hope” and “change” as the Obama-maniacs back home.   Maybe it is the long-awaited exhale, after eight years of holding one’s breath, that someone who seems to know what he’s doing is leading America.  Maybe, like the folks in the States, they just want the old America back. The one that doesn’t torture.  The one that doesn’t start illegal wars.  The one where freedom and liberty and justice for ALL are realities.  And the one where “hope”…isn’t just a campaign slogan.

As a side note: While I checked a few updates online to make sure that Armageddon didn’t happen during the Inauguration (news flash: it didn’t), I wasn’t interested in the pomp and circumstance.  No, I didn’t vote for McCain (I voted for Dr. Ron Paul, who also cured my political apathy).  No, I am not racist.  It is easy to be impressed by Obama’s oratory skills and charisma, especially compared to the bumbling disgrace of a man he replaced.  He’s likable on the surface; however, I cannot count myself as an “Obama-maniac”.

I subscribe to the “actions speak louder than words” crowd and have looked extensively into his cabinet choices and voting record.  And, if you don’t know who Zbigniew Brzezinski is, you should, regardless of your opinion of Obama.  These alone tell me the “change” part has nothing to do with amending politics as usual (which, of course, begs the question: just what kind of “change” did we get outselves into?  *shudder*).  After a little due diligence, no matter how polished Obama is, the “hope” and “change” (in the context of America as we currently know it), ends at his accomplishment of becoming the first black American President.

The answer is…yes, with a disclaimer: I want to make sure that I am sharing relevant and interesting information, anecdotes, etc. - quality, not quantity, oui?  If I can’t post something you, my dear readers, would enjoy, I think I’d rather just wait until the next day.  Cool?

Since it will be a challenge to meet the daily post requirement AND keep things appealing,  any feedback would be helpful!  You can email me, or better yet, leave a comment in the comment section.  Cheers!

Your Spell-Check will likely go nuts; my apologies in advance!

That being said, there certainly isn’t a shortage of places to eat - no matter what your palate.

A few things I’ve noticed about restaurants here in Christchurch:

1. Many restaurants are “fully licenced”, meaning they have a licence to serve both liquor and beer/wine and “B.Y.O.” - which permits you Bring Your Own.

Typically, B.Y.O. is limited to wine only, and there is often a small fee ($3-$5) per bottle or per person if you participate.  Having lived in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one of the few United States that had a B.Y.O. option for dining, I am delighted that this is allowed here in Christchurch.  Although I favor wine with my meals, I think it’s a bonus to be able to have a pre-meal cocktail and then drink your own wine - without sabotaging your entire dinner (or lunch for all you hardcores out there) budget.

2. GST (sales tax) and tip are included in the price you see on the menu, so tipping is not required!

This was definitely an adjustment, coming from the United States.  Service workers - waiters/waitresses, bartenders, etc. - get paid a fair, hourly wage, so they do not have to rely solely on tips for their livelihood.  This can be a double-edged sword since the waitstaff has little incentive to provide excellent or timely service.  So far, we haven’t experienced poor service; the waitstaff seems to leave you alone until you need something, rather than making themselves available at all times like American restaurants.  We’ve been denied seating close to closing time, whereas in the States, we’d be seated.  A few restaurants we’ve visited did not have a dedicated waitstaff; we order from the counter, like at a Panera Bread/Atlantic Bread Company restaurant, and our food was brought out when ready.

So, can you tip?  It’s not customary (and can even be viewed as insulting), but if you’d like to leave a small tip - $.50 or $1.00 for exceptional service, it’s acceptable.

3. The cost of eating out is less expensive that in the United States.

Entrees (appetizers) are NZ$5-10 each.  This would be something like bruschetta, salad, etc.  A full menu item typically costs between NZ$15-35.  This would be for a nice cut of meat or fish, a starch, and a vegetable.  Dessert is in the NZ$8 range. Depending on which restaurant we go to, dinner is around NZ$30-70 for two people.  Considering that we could bring our own wine, tax and tip is included, and we often had leftovers for lunch, my conclusion is that eating dinner out in Christchurch is an excellent value!

Stay tuned as Rus and I eat our way through Christchurch :)

Some observations:

1. New Zealanders drive on the left side of the road

It hasn’t been too much of a challenge re-training our brains to look right and then left before crossing the street; however, we have to be conscious and cautious at all times, lest we get up-close-and-personal with one of the many buses zipping around here.  So walking around isn’t too hard - check back with me when I start driving!

2. Lots of backpackers

I’ve definitely seen a lot more backpackers here than ever in the U.S. - people of all ages!  There are lots of hostels and cheap rooms for rent available.  I think, along with the ability to trust strangers and the general friendliness of New Zealanders, this is a popular stop of people from all nationalities.  Which brings me to my third observation…

3. Many different nationalities reside and travel here

Christchurch is a small city by U.S. standards (about 330K people), but there is so much diversity here!  I’ve seen many nationalities - from Australian to Greek to Swedish.  I’ve even run into a group of students from Virginia Tech. (I asked how many of them were there, and one girl told me: “There is a shit-tonne of us here - like 40″; Stay classy, U.S.A!  BTW, I don’t think a “shit-tonne” is an actual form of measurement, even here).   At any rate, the variety of food available because of all of the different people is astounding for such a small area (as a comparison, you’d see the same number of different restaurants somewhere like New York or Los Angeles).  Since we’ve been here, we’ve patronized Greek, Turkish, New Zealand, Chinese, Indian, and Japanese restaurants.  Look for more information about restaurants in a later post!

4. The weather is “temperamental”

The weather here has totally thrown me for a loop.   One day it’s 85 degrees (29C) and sunny, the next it is 52 (11C) with raisin-sized hail literally covering the ground and torrential downpours that flood the streets.  Since we’re only six miles (9km) from the coast, it tends to be quite breezy with often strong gusts.  How fast the wind is blowing typically determines if you need a jacket.  It can be an ideallic 75 degrees (24C), sunny - and you might need a jacket - or you just might not (seriously, just bring a jacket already!).  At the same time, New Zealand is close to the equator, so the sun is very intense (sunburn alert!).  In our first week, we’ve ventured out in clothes ranging from fleeces/jeans/sneakers to tank tops/shorts/sandals.  The bottom line is that the daily high temperature is deceiving, and I can’t base what to wear day-to-day based solely on temperature.

I’ve also noticed there are people (I’ve seen at least 15 so far) who don’t wear shoes.  I find this bizarre since the city isn’t like, perfectly clean or anything, and there’s quite a bit of broken glass in places.  On the streets, in the stores, in the restaurants - no shoes.  So, this morning, I asked the barrista who made my mocha, a native New Zealander, if these people were part of a particular group whose identity includes going barefoot, (foot-nudists, perhaps?).  He said, “No, I just don’t think they like to wear shoes”.  Fair enough.

We made it to New Zealand! I am sitting outside on the hotel balcony writing this and enjoying the sounds of the city and the glorious weather (75 degrees (23C), sunny, dry, breezy). Rus and I got up around 8.00AM and walked to the supermarket and bought some groceries and a “plunger” - a French press coffee maker - and made breakfast in the large community kitchenette in the hotel. Life in New Zealand is so far, so good!

But it didn’t start out this well…

We arrived at Philadelphia International Airport three hours before our 3.55PM flight to check in our six huge pieces of luggage. It took 45 minutes to get us checked in, and we discovered that we didn’t have assigned seats on our boarding passes. When we got to the (very) crowded gate, we found out that our flight to Los Angeles was delayed two hours, which put us in danger of missing our long-haul flight (13 hours) to Auckland. Although this was nerve-racking, our biggest concern was getting on the flight to Los Angeles in the first place; US Air had overbooked by six seats and everyone showed up. Rus eventually got a boarding pass and was told I would get on the flight, but it wasn’t until he was already on the plane that I actually got a seat. Luckily for me, it was on an exit row - and there was an open seat next to mine! I asked the flight attendant if Rus could move back with me, and she made it happen. So not only did we get on the plane, but we got to sit next to each other in an exit row (given the situation, and our long legs, this was kind of a big deal). What a difference in comfort it made on that first flight!

We couldn’t get too comfortable, though, because we were going to cut it very close with making our next flight when we got to Los Angeles. If we missed it, we would have to spend the night in L.A. and take another flight sometime the next day. Little did we know just how close we would cut it until we did.  We got off the first plane and sprinted out of the domestic terminal to the international one next door, which required us to go outside, pulling our carry-ons behind us. Since the signs were not clear, we didn’t exactly know where we were going.   We saw flight of stairs, ran up them, and hoped for the best.  Glancing around at the top of the stairs, we saw the Air New Zealand check-in counter (I think I heard angels singing)…and all the lights were turned off.  Miraculously, we saw two employees behind the counter, walking out the door for the night. We shouted, “Wait! We’re here!”  Not only did they check us in right away, they also notified the plane (which had already boarded) that we were checking in.  Furthermore, they had a person escort us through security. If we were another thirty seconds late, I doubt we would have made it. Phew! Rus got stuck at security, so I ran to the gate (amidst strange stares from passers-by) to tell them that we were there. Rus caught up with me, we got on the plane (to applause?) and before we even sat down, the flight staff offered us champagne. I think we both said “hell yes!”, but my memory escapes me…

Heart rates and breathing returned to normal, along came a lovely dinner that Rus and I agreed was “restaurant quality”. Afterwards, it was “lights out” for most, but I couldn’t sleep. I had taken two NyQuil to battle the cold I had (and hopefully to knock me out), but I think all it did was make me sick - so a few hours later, I almost bowled over the poor lady sitting next to me on my way to the toilet so I could vomit. Ugh. The good news is that after all of that, I was absolutely exhausted and able to get in a solid three hour nap. I do not typically sleep at all on these long flights, so this was a definite “plus”.  Rus, on the other hand, slept about 7-8 hours. During the flight, I was able to look out the window and see the night sky over the Pacific Ocean - with no city lights with which to compete, the stars were amazingly bright and plentiiful. Before we knew it, it was time for breakfast, a stunning sunrise, and our decent into Auckland. As we landed, we saw islands and green-covered mountains and fjords right up to the clear, blue water. We could have been looking at Ireland or Hawaii…it was breathtaking.

When we touched down in Auckland (7.00AM local time), we were required to go through immigration, collect our baggage, go through customs, exit the international terminal, and enter the domestic one to catch our third and final flight to Christchurch, which departed at 9.15AM. We figured two hours was more than enough time. We figured wrong! Immigration was no problem, and when our bags did not appear on the carousel, honestly, we were not surprised. We had to fill out some paperwork at Baggage Services; they confirmed our bags were still in L.A. and would be delivered to our hotel the next day. I was actually happy because we wouldn’t have to deal with getting all of them to the hotel in our condition (exhausted, dirty, sick (me), etc.). At this point, though, our next flight was 45 minutes from departing - and we still had to go through customs and get to the domestic terminal just over a half-mile away! Customs was a breeze, and then once again, we were sprinting with our carry-ons flying behind us, down the sidewalks to the domestic terminal. We entered, passed through security, and arrived at the gate just boarding started. Waves of relief swept over us once again.

The last flight was just over an hour long.   We didn’t fly very high (about 3000m); therefore, we got to see a lot of the landscape from the air. One of the first things we noticed is the lack of development. The land is pristine and absolutely beautiful. Lots of forests and farmland, rolling hills flanked by ocean and dramatic mountains. The coastline is unspoiled. Miles and miles of beautiful coastline - and not a condo or hotel or high-rise in sight. Even though summer just started (here the seasons are flip-flopped from the Northern Hemisphere), there are snow-covered mountains. Parts of the scenery reminded us of flying over the western part of the Colorado Rockies - desolate and void of vegetation but beautifully carved from the melting snow. The water everywhere - rivers, ocean, bays - is azure, like the Caribbean, and so clear you can see down to the floor.

Once we landed, it was smooth sailing since we didn’t have to go to baggage claim. We summoned a taxi, rolled down the windows (mostly because of the awesome weather and partly to “air out”) and went straight to the Hotel SO, a trendy boutique hotel in the city center. We like it because it is inexpensive and has a large lounge with eating area and the aforementioned balcony and large kitchenette. The rooms are not huge by any stretch of the imagination, but the beds are super comfy, and the space is functional and well-designed. We showered and took a short nap and went to grab lunch at an outdoor cafe. After that, we stopped in at some shops to buy some essentials - more shampoo, adapters for our laptops, etc. Then, we went back to the hotel to chill and eventually moseyed out to grab dinner and mini bottles of champagne. Though we were very sleepy, we were determined to make it to midnight to ring in the New Year. The streets were alive with people of all ages decked out to celebrate. We were in the only clothes we had - jeans, t-shirts, sneakers - but being in the atmosphere was still fun. It was still warm and stayed light outside until after 10.00PM. There was a large outdoor concert and we tried to go see, but since I had the champagne in my handbag, they wouldn’t let us in. So we spent the last few minutes of 2008 (happily) in our hotel room, split one of the mini bottles, and went to sleep shortly after the clock struck 12.00AM.

So we’re here now in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand - safely, soundly, a little dramatic - and our big adventure begins!