Fiji Time: No Hurry No Worry

With Aubri living with us and being able to watch our girls we thought it was the perfect time to sneak away for a couple's vacation to Fiji.

The Wellington Harbour from the air. 

 Fiji is just over a 3 hour flight from NZ. 

Bula is Fijian for hello. We arrived after sunset and met a driver at the airport to take us to our resort, First Landing Resort. The resort was on the beach in a more rural area about 30 minutes outside the main city of Nadi. 

The sky was cloudy and overcast our whole trip. We saw very little blue sky. But thankfully it was always warm. 

We quickly learned that Fijians are very friendly but in no rush to get things done. It was good for us to just relax too and enjoy the national moto: No Hurry. No Worry.  

If you use your imagination you can see the profile of the "Sleeping Giant" laying on top the mountain. It was here that we went into the Canyon of the Sleeping Giant to go zip lining, hiking to a waterfall, swimming and then mud baths.  

Geared up and ready to zip down.

There were 9 different lines to go down. Some much steeper and longer than others. We were with a bunch of other tourist from American, Australia, and New Zealand. We had a great time zip lining.

After zip lining and lunch we then went on a 20 minute guided hike through the jungle to a waterfall and nature pool. 

The water was cold and brown, but that didn't stop us from taking a swim.

This huge boulder is known as Cannibal Rock. It is a historic site and known as a place where people were thrown to their deaths and then butchered and eaten by the village. 

Next our driving took us down a very bumpy road to the Tifajek Mud Pools. It was slimy, dirty and fun to slather silky mud all over our bodies. We let it dry then washed it off in natural hot spring pools. 

One of the many traditional Fijian Huts. 

After staying 3 nights at First Landing Resort we then checked out and traveled to another area of the island to Yatule Resort at Natadola Beach. We hired a driver to take us to the other hotel. It was a little over an hour away through very rural and remote villages. Some of the ride was on very bumpy steep dirt roads. 

The super luxury 5 star resort next to ours had a Fijian fire dance performance. 

We just spend 1 night at the Yatule Resort. But we made the most of our time. We did snorkelling surfing, and boogie boarding. We didn't see too many fish while snorkelling. But it was still fun to swim around seeing the coral. On our final day we had the whole day to relax at the resort before our late flight home. Stephen hired a surf board and I hired a boogie board. The waves were strong and perfect for riding. There was a long sandbank so we could walk pretty far out into the ocean and easily catch the waves. I was loving it. Stephen made friends with about five local 12-year-old boys who were happy to give him surfin tips. It was enjoyable to see Stephen surrounded by a bunch of boys all trying to help him surf. During our surfing session we meet a family from Utah. They live in Fiji now, but moved to Fiji from Utah at the beginning of the year. It was enjoyable to sit and chat with them and share our similar experiences living abroad.

Around 5pm we caught a ride back to the airport and flew home on a 9pm flight. We arrived home in Wellington a little after 1am and went to bed. It was a wonderful vacation but we were tired from all the fun. 

Smelly Seals and a Whale of a Tail

In New Zealand you are surrounded by nature. You are constantly being reminded of that with every chirp of the birds, the ocean views in every direction, the blowing breeze and the smell of seals! Recently we went on a beach tramp to Red Rocks where we were so close to the seals we could actually smell them. That was a new experience for me. Aside from their smell, it was amazing to be so close to the seals. And there were hundred of them! At first glance I didn't even noticed them because their dark fur blended so well with the dark rocks. But, once I started noticing the "moving" rocks and hearing them fight it was hard not to notice them everywhere along the beach. Being there with so many seals and so few humans made it feel like we had just discovered the seals' secret hideaway.

Aubri at the Red Rocks outcropping. 

Fur seals!

Lazy and stinky fur seals. 

It's hard to see on this rocky beach, but many fur seals are napping on those rocks. 

While living in Wellington there have been a few whale sightings. Southern Right Whales have even been in the harbour on two different occasions. But, unfortunately I have never seen any. It is a dream of mine to see a whale. Seriously, ever since I did a report on Grey Whales in the 5th grade I have been a little obsessed with wanting to see a whale. After a year of living here and spending countless hours starring at our view of the harbour I have finally seen Orcas, on two different occasions. 

The first one, was during school holiday. I had heard rumours that there were some orcas near the beach. So Eva and I went on a tramp to see them. We totally lucked out. From the tops of the hills we could look down and see about five orcas swimming along the coastline. 

On another evening Lucy and I had an up close sighting of orcas. We had heard people had seen them all day in various parts of the harbour. So, we drove around the beaches hoping to spot some. We saw quite a few. There was even a baby. 

The orca dorsal fin and a confetti of sea gulls flying around. 

One of my favourite parts of nature here is the sound of the water pulling back from the rocks on the beaches. It makes a loud tinkling sound. There is even a Maori word to describe it, kirikiri tatangi. If you say kirikiri fast enough it even mimics the sound the water on the rocks makes. Here is a video I took trying to capture this sound: 

Going Full-Kiwi

Our Kiwi eating her kiwis

After a year of living in New Zealand I have finally tried some very Kiwi things, Weet-Bix and Rugby. I now know that both are wonderful.

The breakfast bricks of champions 

It took me a year to be willing to try Weet-Bix because it looks so weird. It is a brick, the size and shape of a granola bar. They are sold in a short stocky box that is literally stacked with bricks of Weet-Bix. To eat for brekkie (breakfast) you place 2 bricks in a bowl and pour milk over them.  I imagined it would taste like cardboard. But, I was wrong. It's good. It tastes kind of like Wheaties, but less sweet. Now I know why they don't sell Wheaties here. How could they? Weet-Bix are so common place and popular that Wheaties just couldn't compete. I think they are pretty fantastic.

I won't be surprised to find out that all the All Blacks Rugby players were raised on Weet-Bix. A bowl full of Weet-Bix definitely makes you feel like you can tackle anything or anyone that comes your way. Here is a video for fun.

Stephen and I went to our first rugby match. It was the All Blacks verses the South Africa Springboks. Before the match the field looked like a gym with all the players doing all sorts of exercises and stretches. Then the players left the field to dress in their game uniforms and the pageantry on the field began. There were people dressed in traditional Maori costumes performing. The army brought out huge flags of each of the teams. Performers sang both national anthems. Then the teams took the field. First the Springboks then the All Blacks. Then the All Blacks preformed their famous Haka and the match was set to begin.

Maori traditions before the match

The All Blacks Flag

Rugby kind of has the feel of American football with tackling. But with elements of kicking like soccer and volleying the ball like volleyball and stunts like cheering leading. Rugby is very creative in that sense. Even when the player with the ball is tackled to the ground the play just keeps on going. The players did all sorts of creative means to keep the ball in play. It was enjoyable to watch them play. And you really have to watch closely because the games moves quickly and there is no announcer telling you what is going on.

The All Blacks were ahead with more tries (points) and ready to win the match until literally the last minute. Then South Africa earned a try and tied the match. And it ended just like that as a tie. No overtime to determine a victor. Just an unsatisfactory tie. Both left winners and losers.

Date night with the All Blacks 

As a side note, a lady in our ward who also lives in our neighbourhood is the Ambassador of South Africa in New Zealand. One night for dinner she hosted the whole South African Springbok Rugby team at her home. She said they loved the food she served because they are on a very strict diet, but at her house they were allowed to eat as much of anything they wanted. She also said even the smallest member of the team was huge.

Day of the Rings

We spent a day touring the Lord of the Rings filming sights in Upper Hutt. Sadly the weather never cleared up. But, even through the rain we had a very pleasant time. 

Near the sight of Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith. 

This is the sight of the River Anduin. 

Here at a neighbourhood park they filmed the scenes for Isengard. This is where Gandalf and Saruman meet after the ring was rediscovered. 

 Our favourite sight was Rivendell. There are some signs commemorating the film. 

At Rivendell. 

Stephen giving homage to Sir Peter Jackson. 

The girls picked their favourite character. 

Lucy with her Hobbit. They are about the same height, but Lucy is a little taller. 

This arch is the only movie set structure still standing. 

A cool swing bridge near the Rivendell sight. Sadly the swing bridge didn't make it into the movie. But it looked too fun to not cross it. 

We ended the wet but fun day at home warm and watching Fellowship of the Ring. It was fun seeing in the movie the places we had been to that day.

Clean Green Kiwis

Kiwis pride themselves with trying their best to keep their environment healthy and clean. I think living so close to the ocean and forests will do that to you. Since living here I have been surprised at how much less waste (rubbish) we produce.  For rubbish pick-up each week we only have about one bag to put out and then a can for recycling (a wheelie bin). Back in the states it seemed like we would put out a full can of recycling and rubbish each week. I don't feel like we have made huge behavioural changes to create less rubbish. I guess it's because we don't have Costcos here. I do love Costco, but I think their product packaging creates a lot of excessive waste.

Back in the states I'd stopped using plastic grocery bags years ago and I love it. For a long time I have also wanted reusable bags for my produce. I've finally gotten around to buying some. I think they are great, but I find that my carrots don't keep as long in my fridge not being in a plastic bag. I will have to figure out a solution to that.

Also, I have become a little obsessed with vegan leather made from mushrooms. My daughters and I are going to figure out how we can grow our own vegan leather so we can sew bags out of it. These bags could replace plastic bags.

I am a big believer in picking up rubbish out on the streets and in nature. Often I am the crazy lady that picks up rubbish as she goes for a jog. I just can't stand rubbish junking up our neighbourhoods and nature. I feel like it is a simple service I can give to my community. We have taken many opportunities to join in on rubbish pick-up service projects. In a few weeks I will be taking the young women from my church on hike, and sure enough I will make them pick-up any rubbish they see.

The girls removing rubbish and non-native plants from stream.

One environmentally friendly behaviour I have added to my life is hanging our laundry out to dry. I've been pleasantly surprised at how satisfying it is to hang our clothes and see how quickly the sun and wind will dry them and all for free! Sure, it takes my time and energy. But, even my kids enjoy it.

"The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind."

Another environmentally friendly thing Kiwis do is when they are hosting a party they ask their guest to bring their own "take away containers." I've seen this at a few school events and community parties where food is available for purchase. Everyone coming is asked to bring their own containers to hold their food. I think this is so smart. It eliminates so much waste from disposable paper plates and plastic cutlery. And it makes the the party clean a breeze.

For years we have had "Meatless Monday Meals." I did it mostly for health. But, recently I have have been reading more on the benefits to the environment eating less meat can do. So, I have been doing a few meals a week as meatless. I have really tried to incorporate more veggie based recipes. I'm always looking for easy and satisfying veggie recipes.

Here's a good veggie recipe my mom shared with me.  We nicknamed it Veggie Confetti Casserole. 

I sure love this beautiful world we have to live on. I best do my part to keep it clean.

The chooks. Our environmentally friendly pest exterminators and garden fertilisers. 

A Sad Time for NZ

I was shocked when I read the headline about the mosque shootings in Christchurch. I was reading an American news Website and my first thought was they must have gotten the city and country wrong. That sort of violence doesn't happen here. But sadly, hate and evil can be anywhere. Corrupting anyone's logic and morals. 

This tragedy has really shook me up. I've honestly cried about it. I feel so bad for the victims and their families. I don't want others within the Muslim, immigrant, or any community to feel targeted and unsafe. Many of these people left their homelands believing they would be safe in New Zealand. Honestly, we too left America partially believing we would be avoiding these tragedies.  

It's hard to know what can be done. Our family decided to visit a refugee family who I used to teach English to. They are also Muslim and came from Somalia to escape violence there. She is a single mother of nine. I figured food from our pantry would be welcome and useful in hers. 

Then we stopped by our local mosque to give a card and show our respect and support for the Muslim community. It was a very humbling sight. The air was full of the scent of the flowers that covered the steps. A Muslim woman came and gave me, Mallory and Lucy hugs. She expressed how very thankful she was that we had come. It was touching to realize that as I thought we were at her mosque showing our love she was also showing us her love. It was a very peaceful moment. 

New Zealanders have really been shook up about this, understandably. I believe it's the first time they have ever had such a hateful act occur. To me it feels a bit like after the World Trade Towers attack in USA. Everyone really wants to come together and combat the evil with love. As we drove home from the mosque I noticed two walls nicely graffitied with phrases like "NZ Stands United," and "We Say No to Terror." Last night there was also a vigil in Wellington. I believe over 12,000 attended. They had to move to a lager location because so many wanted to come and support each other. 

The thousands who came to the vigil in Wellington. 

Our bishop began our sacrament meeting with a moment of silence in honour of the victims. Thinking of them in that peace and silence made me cry. Thankfully the sister missionaries in the pew behind could give me a tissue. One of the sacrament talks was so perfect for the occasion. She said she wrote most of it before the shootings, but her words were quite fitting. She talked of service and being there for others. She talked about our baptismal covenants of promising to mourn with those that mourn. She ended with a beautiful passage from Winnie the Pooh. It was about a time when Pooh and Piglet went to visit Eeyore. They visited him because they hadn't seen him lately. When they got to Eeyore's house he told them he hadn't been out because he was sad and thought no one would want to be with him. So Pooh and Piglet sat down with Eeyore to be with him. After a while Eeyore let them know that he was still sad, but it helped to have friends with him. It was such a simple act, but it helped their friend. So, in sad times like these, we can't change the past or make others feel happy, be we can be with them through their sadness. 

Mom Came to Visit

We had our first visitor from the lands of the north. My Mom came to visit! Her flight leaving the US was long, but a breeze. Sadly, she had a bad encounter with a security dog in Auckland. So, by the time she landed in Wellington she was overjoyed to be done with flying. We were overjoyed to see her! Luckily, for us a friend from church happened to be at the airport too so he took a picture of us with my mom.

Happy to hug Grandma

Oh, no! The eagle at the airpot is going to take us away!

We escaped the eagle only to find a dragon at the airport!

Grandma brought American money from Grandpa. We accept money in all its forms. 

The day after my mom's arrival we took an Interislander Ferry to the South Island for a weekend getaway. This was our first time going to the South Island. We see the ferries all day long sail past our house this time we were the ones sailing past our house.

The zoom in view of our house from the ferry. 

Sailing past the southern tip of the North Island. 

We happened to find friends from church on the same ferry. 

We traveled in the South Island to see Nelson and the Able Tasman National Forest and its renowned white sandy beaches. The girls described the sand as being more like gritty cornmeal than soft sand. We stayed at an Airbnb farmhouse outside of Nelson. It was a charming cottage on a fruit orchard. We were told we could pick any fruit. Unfortunately, not much was in season. 

Beautiful Lucy at a beautiful beach.

We discovered a warm river that flowed into the ocean. It was awesome to swim there. 

Cherries at the orchard. 

Me walking the farm fields. 

The Nelson Cathedral.

After church on Sunday we went to the Cathedral in Nelson. Our friends recommend that we see a Christmas display about Mario (from Nintendo's Mario Bros.) searching for the star. They likened it to how we should search for the "Star" (Jesus Christ).  Also within the cathedral was a Christmas tree display from various organisations around Nelson. On the interfaith tree was a quote from our prophet, Russel M. Nelson. "Christmastime is cherished family time. Family time is sacred time." It was fun to see our prophet's wisdom in another faith's house of worship. 

Down the steps from the Nelson Cathedral. 

A quote from our Prophet Russel M. Nelson. 

The Mario Star display. 

On Monday we sailed back to Wellington. Unfortunately, the waters were a bit rougher. I am notorious for getting seasick. I have thrown-up in many oceans of the world: the Caribbean, the North Sea, the Pacific, and now the South Pacific. Lucy also got seasick.

The Beehive. The NZ government office building. 

Once back in Wellington we spent the rest of our time with my mom discovering sights around Wellington. We booked a tour of the Beehive and Parliament Building. We learned more about the NZ government. It's interesting to learn the similarities and differences from the US government.

We also saw the inside of Old St. Paul's Cathedral. I've wanted to go inside before it closes for earthquake retrofitting. I believe it's the oldest still standing church in NZ. It's all made of wood. The all wood interior is beautiful. 

Outside Old St. Paul's Cathedral. 

Wood interior with wood beams painted with scriptures. 

An American flag giving honour to the USA military servicemen who came to defend NZ during WWII. 

Beautiful stained glass windows. 

One night we treated my mom to a Maori hangi dinner. It's a delicious meal and we enjoyed eating it picnic style in our yard. We also took my mom to see Mary Poppins Returns at the Roxy Theatre. The Roxy is a beautifully renovated 1930's theatre. I always feel like seeing movies there is a real treat because the building is so stylish. Another afternoon we took her to see the gift show at the Weta  Cave. There are a few Lord of the Rings statues. As a family we went to the Te Papa Museum and saw the traveling exhibit of the Chinese Terra Cotta Warriors. We have been wanting to see the display, but decided to wait until Grandma was here to enjoy it with her.  Another afternoon we met Stephen for lunch and picnicked and then hiked to the back of the Wellington sign. There are always amazing views to be seen here.

The girls preparing the hangi dinner. 

Gandalf and the Wellington wind outside of the Roxy Theatre.  

Grandma with an Orc at the Weta Workshop Gift Shop. 

The Terra Cotta Warriors at the Te Papa Museum. 

The famous "windy" Wellington sign. 

View from behind the Wellington sign. 

My mom's last day was Mallory's first day of school. She started school at an all girls college. They call high school college here. We think it's funny to think our 13 year-old is in college. It's a uniform school. So she looks very smart. School began with a Maori powhiri ceremony. It was long, but a really nice ceremony. I really enjoy the importance they place on culture and people.  It makes school and the people who go there feel really important.

First day of college. 

Her college friends. She has really nice friends. 

Home from her first day. 

Another important American other than my mom also came to visit. I read in the newspaper that some military commander came to town. 

It was so sad saying good-bye to my mom. I really enjoyed having her with us. I'm so glad we were able to make nice memories with her.

The sad good-bye!!!