We are OK in NZ, after the Christchurch quake.

This event certainly changes the tone with which I write this post. As you can imagine, at least for me at “home” in Waitarere Beach, much of my day has been filled with first communicating with you all at home via email and Facebook, laundry after 4 days of traveling, and keeping glued to the TV. We were in Christchurch and it’s central square with Randi Berg and her family in December during our second weekend in this amazing country. The face of that beautiful square is now irreparably changed by the collapse part of the Christchurch Cathedral, but more important at this moment, many people whom we have befriended and met have been affected through friends and family that live in Christchurch. NZ is the size of Colorado, but longer and skinnier than California, with 4 million people, so it’s very small and interconnected. People fly or take the ferry back and forth between islands easily and frequently; well, some people do, others, as in the US, rarely travel out of their surroundings. As you travel this amazing country, you are reminded all around that it’s stunning scenery is due to it’s wild geothermal activity, earthquakes and volcanoes. And we have yet to travel through most of the south island, which even the north islanders say “wait until you see the south island”, when we comment on the beauty of the north island that we’ve seen so far.

We saw so much more of the north island’s unique beauty this last few days. On Monday (Feb. 21) Steve and Edie Jacobsen and Kevin and I tramped the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.  At the website, tongarirocrossing.org.nz/ , you’ll get a glimpse of amazing features that we came across during a 19 km (11.4 miles? really?!?) tramp up to and over a “saddle” between two mountain peaks in Tongariro National Park. We did see some people who likely were older than us but not many, ha! We took us a little longer than most, about 9.5 hours, but we made it! We are moving slowly the first days afterwards, but are sooo glad we went, it was well worth it and we highly recommend it to anyone who has a chance. It is a well-travelled tramp, meaning not only is it easily accessible but it is also well worth the effort. We saw several groups and never felt isolated (at our level of fitness, that is reassuring!) but also never felt overrun….it was more like a party, I think :) celebrating earth’s beauty! In my mind, this is so far our peak NZ experience. Go here to see my pics https://picasaweb.google.com/TongariroAlpineCrossing  And we have yet to see the south island! Now, Kevin might protest, he might say that flounder we caught surpasses all understanding….???

And, speaking of Kevin and fishing, I have to tell you about my great fun the last few weeks! After taking friends Laurel and Charles to their train a few weeks ago, I stopped at a rural quilt shop enroute home; I had spied it earlier but never stopped. Well! Susan-Claire Mayfield of Gourmet Quilter gourmet-quilter.com has beautiful NZ batiks and I picked up a few pieces, and a pattern…..that’s all. Then later emailed her and a couple other NZ fiber artists whom I’ve met, and she replied by asking if I wanted to come and sew on her machine while she quilted on another! Whoo hoo! What fun I’m having, she said I can come every Friday until we leave! So the last two Fridays I’ve taken lunch down for us both and am not only quilting and learning, but watching her design quilts too. She has a beautiful 1902 home in which her studio/shop is on the ground floor and she and her husband Royden live upstairs. I’ll go back this week, and in March she’s having a sale….hmmm! How much can I bring home?!? This is taking me back, as I worked in a fabric shop when in high school, and now have been starting to quilt over the last year at home.  Photos of Susan and some of her work, as well as my other fave fiber artists of various sorts, are seen herepicasaweb.google.com/NZFiberArtists#  I can't remember if I told you about meeting Helen Palenski, she KNITS the mini monkey, topsy-turvy dolls and Mr and Mrs Mouse that I'm bringing home for my dollhouse! Amazing!

I’m including links to my pictures, please let me know how it works for you to access them.

So it’s probably a good thing that there are only 3 more Fridays until we will be on the road, which eventually will get us home. Kevin’s last day is Thursday, March 17. The next day we’ll take off to travel most of the country that we haven’t seen yet, until flying out to Jen & Carlos’ in Sacramento, CA for several days. We plan tentatively to be back in Decorah around April 11. After this NZ tragedy, I’m somewhat eager to get home to our family and friends. Stay safe, all of you!