Part 1…Plas Mawr…A step into yesteryear…A historical home in New Plymouth…A day to remember…

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When we spotted this original gate to the property, we knew we were in the right place, Plas Mawr, a historic custom home built in 1913 by renowned New Zealand architect, James Chapman-Taylor.

When we met June Moseley at the market and she invited us to visit her historic home, listed on the historical registry, Heritage New Zealand, Pouhere Taonga (The Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014 replaced the Historic Places Act 1993 on 20 May 2014), we were amazed that meeting a stranger in a supermarket could result in a meaningful experience. 

The stone garden house.

As a teacher with a passion for history and architecture June is a wealth of information about local New Plymouth and New Zealand history over hers and husband Simon’s many years in the area. 

Last Christmas, June received the rain barrel to the left of the garden house as a gift.

We were in awe of the comprehensive details June shared in her Arts and Crafts style historical home, Plas Mawr, built in 1913 by renowned New Zealand architect, James Walter Chapman-Taylor as quoted below from the historical registry:

“Chapman-Taylor, James Walter

Chapman-Taylor (1878-1958) was born in London and his family came to New Zealand in 1880. He was apprenticed to a builder in Stratford, and there he studied architecture by correspondence.

The walkway toward the house.

In 1909 Chapman-Taylor went on a voyage to England, where he acquainted himself with the English vernacular and the Arts and Crafts movement. This trip had a profound effect on Chapman-Taylor’s future work as he followed the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement, a movement with origins in the English Gothic Revival. Chapman-Taylor adhered to the Arts and Crafts principles of permanence, honesty, simplicity and beauty as espoused by architects C.F.A. Voysey (1857-1941), Baillie Scott, Parker and Unwin whom he met on this trip to England.

The continuation of the vegetation covered walkway reminded us of botanical gardens we’ve visited in our world travels.

He adapted the English movement to local conditions. His is an honest architecture which remained popular despite changing fashions. Chapman-Taylor adhered to Arts and Crafts principles over the 50 years of his career and showed a keen awareness of local forms and materials. He designed the furniture and fittings for many of his houses, including details such as wrought iron door and window fittings.

Our first view of the historic house.

As an architect and a craftsman, Chapman-Taylor designed and then built his houses himself – approximately 80 of them dated between 1904 and 1953. While most of these houses are situated in Wellington and Heretaunga, there are others throughout the North Island and one in the South Island.”

Hibiscus are hearty flowers seen worldwide.

Today, we’re focusing on the exterior of the house with its exquisite grounds, gardens and amenities.  Tomorrow, in Part 2, we’ll highlight the interior of this fine home, including photos of many of the well suited personal items and antiques June and Simon accumulated over the years so well befitting the unique era and design of this historic home which they purchased 11 years ago. 

The entrance to the sunroom.

We easily found the house in the quiet New Plymouth neighborhood, although the address wasn’t clearly marked. The massive sturdy hedges provided a secluded barrier from the street adding to the unique charm of the property. 

Beautiful vines, trellises and plants highlight the property’s grounds.

As soon as we spotted the clearly marked gate we knew we were in the right place.  Immediately upon entering the grounds the grace and beauty placed us in another era we could only imagine a time when such design was seen only in special properties.

June apologized for the dandelions and sparse lawn with the recent lack of rains. We could easily imagine a lush green lawn in more a more rainy climate.

The archways, trellises, gardens and endless array of flowering plants, shrubs and trees reminded us of a variety of botanical gardens we’ve toured throughout the world. 

We’d love to be able to identify all of these flowers, but with our metered wifi we can’t spend time searching online.

With my particular affinity for flowers, many of which were late into the blooming season in New Zealand, I paid particular interest in those remaining. Had we arrived a few months earlier flowers would have been at their peak. 

Seeing these cute flowers was a first for us.

As we’ve learned in our travels, we aren’t always at the right place at the right time of year. It’s the “nature” of our travels with “Mother Nature” at the helm of what we’ll have the opportunity to see. 

These flowers seem to grow prolifically in New Zealand.

Nor, do we have any control over the necessity of taking photos on cloudy days. Recently, we decided that cloudy days will not deter us from taking photos, as was the case when we entered June and Simon’s property yesterday morning. 

Another pretty bloom.

As we approached the house, June warmly greeted us as we took more photos, escorting us indoors for the remainder of the breathtaking tour. Aware that she had house guests arriving for the Waitanga Day (see description below) three day holiday weekend we didn’t want to take too much of her time. 

This stalk reminded us of a similar flowers we’d found in Madeira Portugal.

(Waitangi Day is a public holiday held on 6 February every year to commemorate the signing of New Zealand’s founding document – the Treaty of Waitangi – in 1840).

Zooming in to the above stalk we could see the flower’s unique detail.

As respectful as we intended to be for her time, June made us feel at ease, easily indicating we were welcome to stay as long as we’d like. After over two hours both in touring the home and engaged in enjoyable conversation, we took our leave. She escorted us to the front gate and again we hugged goodbye, hoping to see her again and meet Simon who was called away for work.

Notice the carved sign above the entrance, identifying the architect and the date the house was designed and built.

Neither of us could wipe the smiles off our faces over the enriching experience with a step into another era that resurfaced many memories of our own home in Minnesota built during this same period and that of many historic homes built during this era in Minneapolis (Tom’s childhood home).

We’ll be back tomorrow with Part 2. Please check back!

Photo from one year ago today, February 6, 2015:

It was our membership to the Makai Golf Club that was responsible for us meeting friend Richard who introduced us to many of his friends and neighbors.  The previous night we’d attended our first “Full Moon Party” making many new friends with common interests. For more details, please click here.

Tom’s tooth abscess is resolved at last!…

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Tom, standing outside Taylor Dental Practice in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Finally, Tom’s tooth abscess is resolved. After three months since the onset of the problem, two rounds of antibiotics, both of which gave him temporary relief, two trips to a dentist, one in Fiji in November, the other yesterday, it’s all over now.

“Dr. Dennis, the Dentist” at the Taylor Dental Practice in New Plymouth pulled his tooth after examining his x-rays and giving him three options for the tooth that had already had a crown:

The waiting room was comfortable and organized.

1. Root canal with a new crown at an expense of NZ $1500, US $1011
2. An implant that would take eight to nine months (out of the question, time-wise) 
3. Pull the tooth

It didn’t take long for us to decide. As the last tooth next to a wisdom tooth, losing the tooth wouldn’t result in a noticeable difference when he smiled or laughed. Who among us in the senior years hasn’t had at least one tooth pulled in their lifetime? This was a first for Tom.

There was plenty of reading material, but we didn’t wait long.

Tom has always had “laughing gas” (nitrous oxide) for all dental work, a practice that started when he was a young adult. This is seldom used in many countries and wasn’t available at Dr. Dennis’s location.

The tooth would be pulled with only a lengthy injection of Novocaine (Procaine) and out the tooth would come!  He hesitated when hearing there would be no nitrous oxide used. With reassurances from Dennis, the hygienist, and me, he decided to go ahead.

As shown in Tom’s x-ray, the gray area under the far-right crown is where the infection has been festering off and on.

I asked Dr. Dennis an important question before he began the procedure, “How long would it take to pull out the tooth?” He explained it would be over in less than one minute. Knowing this gave Tom a bit of comfort.  

We had visions of a dentist tugging and pulling, broken bits remaining behind, with the dentist using leverage to yank out a pesky tooth. Not the case. It was over in 10 seconds, not one minute. We were both surprised by how quickly the tooth, mushy in the gums, easily came out.

He still smiles, considering what was ahead.  The goggles are worn to protect the eyes in the event of any “flying” tooth matter during the extraction.

The look of relief on Tom’s face was evident when the dentist showed him the extracted tooth. It was over.  What a relief for him and for me who’d suffered along with him over two worrisome rounds of antibiotics and trips to the dentist. After a few instructions for care, we were out the door of the treatment room and off to pay the bill.

Considering the exam, the x-rays, the Novocaine injection, and the extraction, we expected a bill in the several hundred dollar range. Were we ever shocked when we were handed the bill for NZ $170, US $115? We couldn’t pay it quickly enough.

Dr. Dennis, the Dentist did a fine job, quick and painless.

No doubt this would have been much more costly in the US although not quite as good a deal as it may have been in Fiji at NZ $4.09, US $2.76 per dental appointment.  

In examining the sterilization at the two locations, we felt more at ease in New Zealand and we’re glad we waited, even though it cost Tom an extra round of antibiotics. That’s not to say the dental care in Fiji is inadequate but at their low prices, it may not have been possible to provide the degree of caution exercised in New Zealand where we felt totally at ease.

Based on this single experience, we’d highly recommend Taylor Dental Practice and Dr. Dennis, the dentist with whom we chatted for a bit about his homeland of Malaysia which we’ll be visiting this upcoming April on our next cruise. Overall, it was a relatively painless and pleasant (as such an appointment can be) experience in a professional, competent, and caring clinic.

Allison, the dental assistant was equally friendly and supportive.

After the extraction, we continued on with our grocery shop. I told Tom we could easily wait to shop until today when we’re soon heading back to town to visit with June and Simon at their historic home. He insisted he was fine and we could continue with our multiple-stop shopping. 

Heading to Pak’nSave, on a different day of the week than last time, again we ran into June who was also shopping. We all giggled over the coincidence assuring her we’d be at her home as planned at 11:00 am today, Friday. Small world. 

Then we were off to the Kiwi Meat market with a final stop at New World Market for the balance of the items we couldn’t find at PAK n SAVE. By the time we returned “home” the cleaners, Ra, and Isabel hadn’t finished cleaning after arriving late.

The old metal crown Tom had made many years ago, moments after it was pulled.

Hurriedly, we put our perishables away leaving the remainder on the dining room table to deal with later, and headed back out the door to “kill” another hour. Tom had suggested a new road to explore he’d spotted on the map. He explained he was feeling fine and has continued without pain or discomfort since the extraction. 

As always in New Zealand, every road offers myriad treasures and we continued exploring for a few more hours taking photos on another overcast day. We’ll share those photos in the days to come.

We’ll be back tomorrow with photos from today’s visit to the historic home. Please stop back to see!
 

Photo from one year ago today, February 5, 2015:

It was one year ago today that we attended our first Full Moon Party, organized by friend Richard, as we continued with a busy social life in Kauai. Thanks, Richard, we’ll always love you for befriending us! For more details, please click here.

Off to the dentist for Tom…Beautiful scenes on a walk…Broadband now working in the house…

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We stopped to visit a few horses in the neighborhood who immediately approached us.

Who would think that the technician from Vodafone would be such a delight? We had a great time with Peter who not only provided the best possible solution for owners Trish and Neil but also for the remainder of our stay.

Horses wear blankets to regulate their body temperature and protect them from the elements.

With 80 gigs available in the monthly plan which is not our expense, it’s a huge relief to have the expensive data plan with Spark behind us. With a few gigs left on our hot spot device, we can take it with us when we go on road trips in order to use the GPS feature on our phones. 

Pink flowers along the road on our walk.

Monitoring our usage to ensure we don’t exceed the 80 gigs included in the 30 day period is vital to our peace of mind that we don’t exceed the limit, incurring additional expenses we’d have to cover.

Throughout the hills, as seen from our veranda, there are groupings of trees in the form of a mini forest, adding to the beauty of the countryside.

With Peter’s excellent help we figured a “workaround” allowing me to check on the IP address for the accumulating data usage. Not only was Peter efficient and conscientious, but he was also friendly, making the installation process pleasant and seamless. Vodafone couldn’t have a better, more qualified, and professional rep.

Agapanthus flowers New Zealand, have been classified as a weed and are considered invasive, although it’s beautiful as it lines roads and highways. For more information, please click here.

We find this friendliness and care for customers prevalent wherever we may go in New Zealand. Today, we can only hope the dental practice we decided on, based on great online reviews, proves to be equally helpful and professional. We’ll report back tomorrow with photos. 

We’re always in awe of the view of Mount Taranaki.

Certainly, this dental appointment will be considerably different than Tom’s almost “free” dental appointment in Fiji a few months ago. At present, he’s not experiencing any pain or sign of infection, an ideal time to get this situation resolved one way or another. 

Peter, our Vodafone rep did a fabulous job to ensure we had a strong connection.

We certainly don’t want him to have to go through the third round of antibiotics while on the two-week cruise beginning on April 16th or during our upcoming two months in Bali, immediately thereafter.

Similar flowers are seen in many areas that grow prolifically in New Zealand’s mild climate.

Having moved our appointment with June to see her historic home on Friday and grocery shopping today after his dental appointment, we’re back on track.

Morning view of the mountains from our veranda.

We’re off for Tom’s appointment and will be back tomorrow with more new photos and the continuation of living a joyful life in the countryside in exquisite New Zealand.  We had no idea how much we’d love this fabulous location.

Back to you soon!

Photo from one year ago today, February 4, 2015:

Tropical climates such as Fiji and Hawaii have ideal conditions for flowers to bloom year-round. For more photos, from our time in Kauai, please click here.

Change in plans…Appointments?…What’s the deal?…New Plymouth city photos…

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Colorful apartment building.

When we arrived in New Plymouth 15 days ago, we’d expected wifi to be available when we arrived. This wasn’t the case and we had no choice but to head to a local phone store, purchase a device and load lots of expensive data.

To date, we’ve spent NZ $593, US $388 in fees in order to have access to the Internet, an expense we hadn’t anticipated. Don’t get me wrong…the owners are very kind, caring people and we’ve greatly appreciated their efforts and attention to detail.

They had no idea it would take so long to get service, assuming only a day or two. They’d tried arranging it over the holidays but couldn’t get a date pinned down. We have no doubt they tried. But, like many areas of the world, not everything happens according to a schedule one would prefer.

Ornate house on a corner.

Actually, we feel bad as to how much pressure we’ve placed on them as the WiFi bill continues to rack up expense day after day. Yesterday, I paid the bill when Spark had set up an account for us to be paid on a monthly basis, not requiring a 12-month contract.

Yesterday, Trish stopped by with an extra fan (without our asking) since we’ve been hauling the one fan we had up and down the stairs every day. Although the air is relatively cool here during these summer months, the roof is metal making the interior of the house very hot on sunny days.

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in downtown New Plymouth, another historic building.

We’ve decided to keep the doors open welcoming the cool breezes most days and deal with the flies. They aren’t biting flies and seem fairly easy to swat with the flyswatter we purchased. They are considerably less prevalent on cooler windy days. By dinner time, we close the doors, kill the flies and have dinner, preferring no flies are buzzing our food. This plan seems to be working. 

After handing me the fan, Trish explained she’d heard from Vodafone who are to arrive today. We had an appointment with June for today and had planned to grocery shop after we were done.  We immediately contacted June apologizing and kindly asking we change the date. She was happy to make a change.

Contemporary houses overlooking the ocean.

In the process, we decided to postpone the grocery shopping until Thursday, after Tom’s 10:15 dentist appointment. We have enough food on hand for Wednesday’s meals. Goodness, we haven’t had “appointments” to speak of other than our medical exams while in Australia.

We’ve loved having a simple life with the avoidance of planning instead, waiting until we “feel like” doing something. Now, we have three dinner reservations looming for Valentine’s Day, my birthday, and our anniversary, Tom’s dental appointments, and the meeting with June. 

Has our free-spirited lifestyle taken a break while we’re here in convenient New Zealand with everything we could possibly need or want at our fingertips? There’s even a movie theatre here playing current US movies at NZ $10, US $6.55 for seniors. Perhaps, we’ll give it a try on a rainy day.

Modern-style houses and apartments.

The last time Tom and I attended a movie together was in the theatres on cruise ships or watching on the huge screen out by the pool. But attending an actual movie theatre?

The last time I attended a movie, Interstellar, was with my son Greg in December 2014 in Hawaii when the family visited us on the Big Island. Both of my sons and I always enjoyed attending movies together, especially back in my popcorn eating days, long since passed.

Seldom, do we have access to an English-speaking movie theatre. Seldom, do we make appointments, locking ourselves into dates and times for specific events, other than on travel days. 

The main thoroughfare, Eliot St., in downtown New Plymouth heads out to the ocean.

As much as parts of our lives may require an abundance of planning and preparation for the next leg of the journey, the next year and oftentimes, two years out, our daily lives are simple and uncomplicated. Somehow, it all works. 

When all is said and done, we’re blissfully happy. Having accomplished that single feat in life is more than either of us ever expected during these “golden years” of our lives. 

On Valentine’s night, we have a dinner reservation at Table Restaurant as shown on the right of this photo.

Isn’t that our ultimate desire…happiness, seemingly elusive and yet once a decision is made to become happy…we often find the opportunities to do so right at our fingertips? We’re truly blessed and grateful for finding it and will continue to hang on tight for as long as we can.

May your day bring you happiness.

Photo from one year ago today, February 3, 2015:

We attended the Super Bowl party at the Makai Golf Club in Kauai last year having a great time meeting more friendly people and enjoying a Mexican buffet. For more photos and details, please click here.

A historic church comes to an end…

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Memorial to Taranaki Troopers who fell in the South African War located at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Fortunately, we heard about the closing of the Taranaki Cathedral Church of St. Mary from our new friend June whom we met at Pak n Save last Wednesday. If we hadn’t heard about it, we would have missed an opportunity to see inside the church when Sunday was its last day open to the public. It was safari luck! Tomorrow, we’ll be visiting June’s registered historical home in New Plymouth with many photos to share soon.

The edge of the cemetery at the church.

Sunday was the last day the historic church’s doors would be open for public viewing. See detail below on the reasons for closing the beloved church:

The church’s paths and walkways are beautiful.

“Taranaki Daily News

NZ’s oldest stone church shutting its doors to the public                           

New Plymouth’s St Mary’s Cathedral is an earthquake-prone building and will be closing its doors to the public from Monday From left, St Mary’s Dean Jamie Allen and Bishop of Taranaki Archbishop Philip Richardson. New Zealand’s oldest standing stone church will be closed for earthquake strengthening from early next year.  

Sculptures on the grounds.

Following a decision from the Taranaki Anglican Trust Board this week, the Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary will be gradually closed by January 2016.  The church would be closed to the public and parishioners for several years. However, Trustees could not yet determine quite how many years it would be shut. St Mary’s Cathedral was first opened in September 1846 and is now the oldest standing stone church in New Zealand. The church meets only 15 percent of the current New Building Standard (NBS). A building is considered earthquake-prone if it does not meet 34 percent of the NBS.  Archbishop Philip Richardson, Bishop of Taranaki, said the news was expected, but it still brought a sense of sadness. 

Many residents and tourists visited the church on its last day.

Richardson presided of the Anglican Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki and said while the repair process would be lengthy and expensive, it was a better outcome than some parishes which have had to be closed completely. There are 15 buildings within the Diocese that have to be looked for seismic strengthening, he said.  Engineering reports were still being completed and until that information was available the Trustees could not work out the total cost or time it would take until the church doors could be opened again, Richardson said. 

The church had ample room for many parishioners.

The Trustees have agreed to a gradual closure, with the cathedral being closed to the general public from next Monday, and specified services being phased out by the end of January 2016.  Church dean Jamie Allen said it was hoped a final farewell service would be organized to allow the church community to give the space a proper send-off. 

The church was appointed with many artifacts.

Only the cathedral would be closed, so the church’s foyer and upstairs area would still be in use, he said. The church’s work in the community would continue but they would have to be more creative about how and where it would get done, he said.   There are 39 Anglican communities in Taranaki and other denominations in the region had also been forthcoming with offers for St Mary’s parishioners to use their space for larger events, like weddings and funerals, Allen said.”

It appears that each country we visit has a particular style of churches.

After our visit to the Farmers Market Taranaki, we headed to the church, hoping we’d be able to enter and take photos on its final day. As it turned out, the first of two final services were ending with another service commencing shortly afterward. 

A side alter.

Luckily, we were able to enter the church between the two services to see the interior and take a few photos.  As the oldest stone church in all of New Zealand, we were thrilled it worked out the way it did enable us to see the beautiful interior.

The priests/pastors were preparing for the second service.

The church was packed with sad parishioners many of whose families had worshipped in this historic building for generations. Mainly, senior citizens, we could easily detect the sorrow in their faces for the end of an era. 

Unique organ pipes.

Another building across the street will provide services for the displaced parishioners while multiple churches have offered to provide their facilities for funerals and weddings.

We always pay special attention to stained glass windows.

As we wandered the grounds, it was easy to sense the presence of its rich history, especially as we wandered about the cemetery. Although the church wasn’t of our faith, we didn’t stay for the next service but had ample time between services to see everything we wanted to see.

Massive oak tree on the church’s grounds.

A variety of interesting and unusual trees caught our attention inspiring us to share photos. Curious as to the variety of trees, with our pricey wifi at the moment, we can’t spend time searching for their names.

Support posts used to hold up the branches of the protected tree.

After we left the church, we drove to a new area of the countryside for a while, knowing we had to return home with the fresh fish in our insulated bag. New Zealand never disappoints. By following any road, we discover breathtaking scenery and treasures abundant in this land of plenty.

A giant knothole in the trunk of the protected tree.

Interesting tidbit for those in the northern hemisphere: Yesterday, kids went back to school after their summer break.

Street view of Taranaki Cathedral Church of St. Mary’s.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, February 2, 2015:

Even in beautiful known-for-sunny-days Hawaii, we experienced plenty of cloudy days, especially living on the Garden Island of Kauai, known for its almost daily rain. This didn’t keep us from continuing to explore the beaches.  For more details, please click here.

Fresh fish from the fish guy…Cooking in a new land…Sharp knives and gadgets…

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Early morning cloudy view of a mountain with sun peeking through the clouds.

Yesterday morning I was up at 5:000 am busy preparing the day’s post. Our hope was to head out the door in time to make it to the Farmers Market Taranaki before all the fresh-caught fish was sold. 

The prior week, the fish guy explained we’d need to arrive by 9:00 am to ensure we’d be able to purchase fish when it often sold out in the first half-hour. Tom doesn’t care for fish unless it’s fried and thus, the purchase was exclusively for my dinner last night.

Preferring not to freeze any fish, we only purchased 500 grams, 1.1 pounds, of Red Cod, a fleshy fish cut into several boneless fillets, priced at NZ $15, US $9.72. With taco salad for Tom’s dinner for three nights, this portion would last three nights for me, which I’d use in my equivalent of a taco salad.

My salad was made with a few tablespoons of beef mince mixed with chunks of the sautéed fish added to lettuce, red peppers, avocado, celery, feta cheese, onion, tomato, lettuce, and tossed with my homemade sour cream dressing. It was delicious and I’m looking forward to tonight’s “rerun”.

As the clouds quickly moved, seconds later the view changed.

Tom’s taco salad includes the beef mince with taco seasoning (I can’t use the seasoning mix due to gluten and sugar), sliced olives, diced tomatoes, diced onions, lettuce, and grated “Tasty” cheese (NZ’s and AU’s version of cheddar). He also enjoyed his salad immensely.

Usually, when I make a meal requiring a lot of prep, chopping, and dicing, I make enough to last three nights.  In the case of the above meal, I’ll cut fresh tomatoes and lettuce each day with all other ingredients prepped on the first day. This way, I get a two-day break in spending lots of time in the kitchen. 

When we go out and about during these periods, the dinner is ready to go with only a few minutes of prep time.  My days of spending hours in the kitchen are long since passed. As for the above, when I have a good knife (which I borrowed from Trish a few days ago) I can do most of the prep in an hour with another half-hour required for cooking and seasoning all the protein.

Recently, we noticed a food processor tucked away in an upper cabinet.  I hadn’t used such a contemporary kitchen appliance in over three years. Tom pulled it out and we proceeded to hand wash every part in hot soapy water. 

Unfamiliar with all these varieties of fish, the fish guy suggested the Red Cod, which we purchased. He wrapped the fish with a small packet of ice and then in a newspaper. We placed it into our insulated bag to which we added a blue (injury type) ice pack. When we returned hours later, the fish was still ice cold.

In our old lives, I’d often use a Cuisinart food processor when I was cooking big meals when we frequently entertained. Since the onset of our travels, I’ve struggled with cooking never having access to any chopping gadgets of any type, let alone a sharp knife.

Early on in our travels, we carried a few sharp knives in our checked baggage which were later confiscated.  At that point, we decided to ask the property owners for a sharp knife or purchase one to leave behind. 

It’s the same with a cookie sheet and two 13×9 baking pans which we purchase when available leaving them behind, most often able to buy all three for under NZ $23, US $15 with the lower prices in most countries.  Purchasing these few items enables us to make meals with greater ease. 

If the pans aren’t available, we’ll purchase tin foil pans which are easily found in most countries although finding a cookie sheet is another matter (which we use to make sugar, grain, and starch-free coconut macaroons, a frequent evening snack for Tom). When unavailable, I’ll butter the bottom of a baking-sized tinfoil pan to use for baking the cookies.

This is apparently a more contemporary version of this item many of us used decades ago.

In this wonderful house in New Zealand, we’ve been thrilled to have the availability of many modern conveniences and gadgets although we’ve still purchased the three pans, none of which were available. Most tourists staying in vacation homes don’t bake, dining out for most meals. As a result property owners see little reason to include baking pans in their litany of household goods.

As a side dish to the salad, I made our usual mushroom casserole after I’d already washed and dried the food processor. Preferring not to have to wash it all again, I dug into the gadgets drawers to find this old-fashioned hand mixer. I hadn’t used one of these in years. It worked well for beating the eggs and thickened cream for this recipe.

We were thrilled to get this food processor cleaned and working.

After our delicious meal, we watched the second to last episode of Downton Abbey on my laptop. Tonight, we’ll watch the series finale. For some reason, our HDMI cord won’t work on this flat-screen TV.  All the ancillary TV equipment is synced to the satellite and we can’t find a TV remote to set up the use of the cord. Any suggestions out there to avoid un-syncing the TV setup?

After our trip to the farmers market, we explored a historic site in New Plymouth on its final day of public viewing due to the necessity of earthquake-proofing which we’ll share with photos tomorrow. Please check back! Carpe diem!

Photo from one year ago, February 1, 2016:

One year ago, I wrote: “Do I recognize this scowl, similar to Tom’s when driving in traffic?  Just kidding, honey!” For more details, please click here.

Booking new flights…We couldn’t get any closer…

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In the early evening a group of the babies get together to play, running through the paddock, making us laugh over their playful antics.

There are always flights looming in the future.  As much as we’d hoped to sail our way around the world using cruise ships as a means of transportation, it just doesn’t work out that way.

As we’ve become more and more knowledgeable (Tom particularly) about the routes of cruise ships, we’ve come to accept how impossible that is to accomplish.  Were cost no object, it may be a different scenario opening up many more possibilities.

If money were entirely no object, one could easily charter ships to almost any part of the world.  Long ago, we accepted that we have limitations on what we can and can’t do based on cost and practicality, neither of which is a disappointment, just a reality.

Not only do we dislike flying for the vast inconveniences, commotion and baggage fees, we don’t get excited booking a flight as we do when booking a new location, a vacation home or a cruise. 

These two babies sat in this spot staring at us for hours, occasionally napping.

Its not the flying part we mind.  Its everything leading up to it including the laborious process of searching online to find the right flight, at the right time of day, on the right date, on the right airline, at the right place and with the right seats.

Then, there’s the challenge of deciding…do we book early (up to 330 days ahead of schedule as allowed by most airlines) or do we wait and hope for better flight options and prices further down the road?

I wish I could say we have a definitive plan for booking flights.  We don’t.  We’ll mention that we need to book a flight, discussing a possible time frame during which it needs to be done.  Then, on an unexpected day, one of us searches, discusses it and we find a suitable option, getting it booked and out of the way.

This isn’t a quick process completed in five minutes.  We’re often checking and rechecking to verify there are no errors.  We use Expedia on our website, accumulating points we’ve yet to use. 

The alpacas, young and mature all get along well and enjoy staying close to one another. With 30 in this paddock and 60 more in other paddocks, its a pleasure to see how they interact with one another.

We’ve found the jumping around to dozens of websites offering supposed better deals, only to discover that overall prices are not a whole lot different from one “supplier” to another. 

Often, blocks of flights and seats are offered by ancillary websites.  We’ve chosen not to spend hours trying to maneuver through all of these myriad options when in the end, we may pay the same price or at times, a better price.

Plus, we’ve found good customer service with Expedia when on a rare occasion we’ve encounter a booking question.  Their reps are easy to reach with quick and painless resolutions as their imminent objective.  This works for us.

Its hard to believe how these young alpacas have quickly adjusted to our presence.

The flight we needed to book (now completed) is upcoming on April 15th from Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia for our fourth visit to the beautiful harbor city. 

Again, we’ll stay overnight one night to ensure there is no risk of missing the cruise.  Staying overnight the night prior to a cruise is a maneuver we long ago decided would best avoid stress. 

If we arranged a flight on the same day as a cruise and its delayed for any reason, we’d be in big trouble.  We’ve heard stories of this occurring and don’t want any part of it. 

As always our motto comes into play as shown in the heading of our homepage. For one reason or another, we simply think of our travels in regard to our motto, “Wafting Through Our Worldwide Travels with Ease, Joy and Simplicity.”  Its from this premise that we continue on, at times spending a little more to ensure the least amount of stress and frustration.

Napping together.

Finally, we booked the flight with our favorite (to date) airline, Emirates, who’s coach seats are comparable to first class on other airlines.  It cost a little more than a few other options but its safety history, roomier seats and customer service are definitely a consideration. We could have saved a total of NZ $62, US $40 booking on another airline at a less desirable time. 

Instead, we chose our preferred choice of Emirates with which we may ultimately save the difference in baggage fees.  They don’t charge for the first bag per person (see below) and there’s no charge for carry on bags.

Here’s the flight we selected which includes a two hour time difference:

Emirates logo
5:55p – 7:25p
Emirates
3h 30m
AKL – SYD
Nonstop
$188.70 as of 59 minutes ago

5:55p to 7:25p 3h 30m  

Auckland (AKL) to Sydney (SYD)
Auckland Intl. (AKL) to Kingsford Smith Intl. (SYD)
Emirates 413
Economy / Coach (Q)
Airbus Industrie A380-800 Passenger
Seats
Preview availability
Bag fees
Baggage fees when purchased at the airport (Prices may be cheaper if purchased online with Emirates)
Carry on: No fee
1st checked bag: No fee up to 30 kg
2nd checked bag: No info
How to pay: Emirates
 
This airline doesn’t charge fees for this weight of 30 kg, 66 pound which serves us well.  We’ll only have to pay for our third smaller bag online. We’re content we’ve made the right decision in booking this flight.
The babies all hang out together running through the paddock and playing.  All of these cria were born since this past December, growing quickly.

Now, back to matters at hand.  Yesterday, Trish and Neil moved the alpacas moms and babies to the paddock in front of our deck providing us with easier viewing.  We spent most of the day watching them enjoying every moment.  No longer afraid of us, they readily approach making our experience all the more heartwarming.

 
Soon, we’re heading to the Farmers Market Taranaki for more eggs, fish and produce, hopefully arriving early enough to ensure these items are still available.
 
Have a joyful, stress free day!
________________________________________
 

Photo from one year ago today, January 31, 2015:

This was our first photo of “Birdie” whom we came to know and love.  In no time at all, he responded to his name coming when called many times each day, often bringing along his mate, another Red Cardinal with different markings and coloration.  His presence in our lives over the four months in Kauai added to our glorious experience.  For more details, please click here.

Zika Virus…A bearing on our future travels? Photos from a trip to the beach…

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Many signs and names of towns are based on the indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand, the Māori whose’s language has had official language status, with the right to use it in legal settings such as in court, since the Maori Language Act 1987. There are around 70,000 native speakers of Maori out of a population of over 500,000 Māori people, with 161,000 of the country’s 4 million residents claiming conversational ability in Māori.”

The Zika virus is rapidly spreading throughout the world with the majority of cases in South America, particularly in Brazil with over one million cases and growing out of control. 

Here’s more information on the Zika virus from the US’s Center for Disease Control (CDC).

It’s easy to expect beaches throughout the world to be sandy, and pristine with blue waters.  Many beaches such as in New Zealand and Australia aren’t blue due to the interaction of light and particles present in the water. When there are mineral sediments lights from the blue spectrum are absorbed by the particles, thus the water appears to be brown.  Also, not all beaches have the soft, fine sand, we found in Belize and Hawaii.

No doubt this virus will spread to other countries in South America and throughout the world unless drastic measures are taken to control it. What those measures may be at this point are unknown and under research in many laboratories worldwide. 

Low tide is more evident on many beaches, but not all.

Will a vaccine, cure or remedy be available by 2017 when we head to South America? At this point, we have no idea, but continue to watch the news for updates. Will we change our plans to spend as much as two years in South America from 2017 to 2019?

As we’ve traveled continents, island nations, and many countries we’ve heard of a variety of viruses that may infect locals and travelers alike. We don’t take any of these illnesses lightly. That’s what precipitated our having as many as 18 vaccinations before we left the US which we’ll update as needed over time.

With many surfers attracted to this area, a lifeguard is on duty, well equipped for rescue.

However, new viruses continue to develop throughout the world and our exposure is no doubt enhanced as we traveled to potentially infected countries. We’ve already visited several of the countries on the currently “infected” list. 

Surfers awaiting an opportunity.

Now, as we’ve begun to book travel to South America, there’s no doubt we’ve given the Vika virus consideration as to the impact it may have on us visiting such countries as Brazil. 

How else might we travel the Amazon River in Brazil and eventually, the top priority on our list…the Pantanal, the most wildlife diverse wetlands areas in the world (talk about mosquitoes!). 

Pretty cloud formation on a very cloudy day.  Note distant airplane and boat in left of photo.

At this point, after considerable discussion and information gathering, we’ve decided to continue with our plans.  It’s not as if we can say, “Oh, let’s wait and go in 10 years?” In twelve years I’ll be 80 years old and Tom will be 75.  Will we have the health and stamina we now have to continue? There’s no way of knowing.

Campgrounds are located at the end of the road at Oakura Beach with an onsite office for booking space.

If we were young, putting off South America would be practical. We’re not. The clock is ticking, whether we like it or not, as it is for everyone. It just so happens we’re closer to the final hour along with all the others our age throughout the world, many of us who have “things to do” and “places to see” before it’s too late.

There are permanent and temporary sites for caravans (motorhomes) and travel trailer type homes.

Continuing with our desire of visiting each continent before it is too late, doesn’t dissipate with news of a virus that based on information to date, is not life threatening for adults who aren’t pregnant. 

If this virus was comparable to the deadly Ebola virus, we’d definitely change our plans. If at any point the virus is considered life threatening to older adults, we’ll certainly reassess our views, changing plans if necessary.

Small sleeping tent sites are available for a fee which includes multiple facilities.

For now, we trek on, with hope in our hearts for a resolution for those living in infected countries and for our ongoing safety as we continue our journey.

Have a lovely weekend.

Photos from one year ago today, January 30, 2015:

The colors in the tunnels at Tunnels Beach were varied when we visited the Napali Coast in Kauai. For more details, please click here.

Road trip…Endless array of interesting sites to see in NZ…

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The grapes are robust and beautiful at the Okurukuru Taranaki Winery.

Waiting for a sunny day to get on the road was pointless. With rainy weather on the horizon, we decided to head out anyway, as soon as Isabel and Ra arrived to clean the house for the first time. They’d be fine on their own and it’s always best when we’re out of the way of the cleaners.

We were in awe of the beauty of the vines.

“In a few short decades, New Zealand has gone from a practically non-existent wine status to wowing the world in international competitions on a regular basis.” For more about the growth of the New Zealand wine business, please click here.

The entrance to Okurukuru Taranaki Winery.

Without a plan in mind, we decided to drive along the ocean in a southwest direction and see what we could find. Unplanned outings have always been our favorite way to explore by driving until we feel like stopping.

We’d have preferred a sunny day for better photos.  Maybe it will be clear when we return.

Tom is the perfect driver in these scenarios anticipating when to stop for photos and offering to turn around if we quickly pass an interesting photo op. It’s almost as if I don’t even have to ask when he has a sharper eye than I as he spots interesting scenes I may have easily missed.

The Sugarloaf Islands and Paritutu Rock, located in New Plymouth can be seen at a distance from the winery.

As we made our way along the highway, our first stop proved to be much more interesting than we’d ever expected we’d encounter on an unplanned road trip. Before we headed out the door, Isabel and Ra suggested we stop and see the popular winery, Okurukuru.

We spotted several groups of tourists.

One may think visiting a winery when neither of us is wine drinkers could be pointless. Yesterday, we discovered that’s not the case at all. With a beautiful restaurant and grounds, there was plenty to see and we enjoyed every moment.

The vast ocean, the vineyards, the flowers, and the green hills create a fabulous view.

Introducing ourselves to the manager while handing him our business card, we asked permission to wander about exploring the grounds and taking photos. He welcomed our visit offering us free rein to explore at will.

Workers were preparing for an event on Saturday.

With neither of us hungry, staying for lunch wasn’t on our radar. Although, before leaving after touring the facilities and perusing their various menus, we made a dinner reservation for our upcoming wedding anniversary in March. 

We walked down several wide stairways for more views.

At this point, we’ve booked three fine dining dinner reservations; one for Valentine’s Day on February 14th (not celebrated in all countries), another for my birthday on February 20th, and now for our anniversary which is on March 7th. With the winery closed on Mondays and a wedding scheduled for the 8th, we selected March 9th for our anniversary dinner celebration.

The grounds are meticulously maintained.

Tom often jokes about all of these celebratory occasions occurring within a three-week period. A dinner out is all either of us care to do for such events when we have no inclination toward buying each other gifts with the need for wrapping paper, tape, and bows and, with no room in our luggage. 

Situated on the ocean, the winery’s scenery is all the more exquisite.

Long ago, we decided on this plan with both of us at ease with a warm hug and kiss on the special day that totally fulfills our need for acknowledgment. Our family members call, email, or send a message on Facebook when it’s our birthdays or holidays, and there again, that’s appreciated and meaningful.

Future plantings at the vineyard.

Although an enthusiastic wine drinker at a period in my life, I gave it up when I changed my way of eating almost five years ago knowing, in the long run, it wasn’t best for my health. I do miss red wine. Tom drinks wine only when it’s placed in front of him when included in a meal, never ordering a glass when dining out or at a bar.

The winery’s main building.

Neither of us had visited a winery for these reasons. Now that we have, as of yesterday’s tour, we’re convinced visiting wineries may be worthwhile for the exquisite scenery, ambiance, and meals. We’re excited to be returning in March. When we do, we’ll share photos of our multiple course meals and if Mother Nature cooperates, a sunset over the vineyards and the sea. 

Tom, at the bar and restaurant in the Okurukuru Taranaki Winery.

After we left the winery, we continued on the highway for more surprises along the road which we look forward to sharing over these next several days. Please stay tuned…


Photo from one year ago today, January 29, 2015:

Wisdom, the oldest known tagged albatross, had a chick last year at 63 years old.  This photo (not ours) was taken last year as she tended to her chick. For more photos, please click here.

Its a lot of bull…

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“Ah, I’m so happy they stopped by to see us!”

There’s talk on the local news of a possible upcoming tropical cyclone. High above the town and relatively far from the ocean with the property situated in the hills, we have no concerns over flooding in this area. 

Winds, on the other hand, are another matter as well as the possibility of losing power. We’re not worrying about any of it at this point. We’ll keep our readers updated.  If at any point, we lose power and/or wifi signal, we’ll be back, with updates as soon as possible. 

Soon, two cleaners are coming to work together for an hour and a half. With as tidy as we are, the equivalent of three total hours of cleaning is all we ever need. 

“Hurry, take the darned photo already!  We can’t stand like this forever!” says the four bulls.

Sure, the cost of the two cleaners, Ra and Isabel, is somewhat of a luxury at NZ $60, US $39.14 compared to what we’ve paid in other countries. But it’s something we’d prefer to arrange when house cleaners aren’t included in the rent. Long ago in the US,  we paid almost twice this amount for one cleaner for three hours. We aren’t complaining.

Yesterday, we stopped at multiple markets, including the Kiwi Butcher, Pak & Save, New World, and Countdown (another regular grocery store) where we found everything on our list.

Pak n Save is similar to Costco or Sam’s Club in the US without a required membership. When I looked at our full “trundler” (aka grocery cart in the US or trolley in many other countries) as we approached the register, I’d expected our total bill to be NZ $196, US $300.

We always attempt to refer to items using the popularly used words.  In NZ a grocery cart is referred to as a “trundler.”

When the total was slightly under NZ $153, US $100, I was shocked, causing me to look in the cart wondering if something hadn’t been charged. In reviewing the receipt, I confirmed the total.  

With four packs of toilet paper and paper towels and, two boxes of tissue at NZ $2, US $1.30 each, locally grown organic produce priced at half as much as in the regular market, it’s no wonder our bill was reasonable. 

Once at home I was busy putting everything away for over an hour with all the veggies to wash before putting them in the fridge. As expected I found numerous insects, making me feel at ease that no pesticides had been used on the “locally grown produce.” 

He poses coyly for the camera.

In all, we spent NZ $342, US $223, but that included a trip to the local health food store spending NZ $75, US $49 for a variety of specialty items that are always more costly. Later, we realized we could have purchased many of the same or similar items at the Pak & Save at considerably lower prices. 

Next time we shop, we’ll begin the shopping at the Pak n Save, leaving any items we can’t find for the “regular” market. We expect to easily be able to continue to keep the total under NZ $306, US $200 buying all grass-fed meat, free-range chickens and organic produce. 

The above totals include two cooked free-range organic chickens, and a cooked free-range pork loin roast we’ll continue to purchase each week to cover a few dinners with the addition of a variety of homemade side dishes.  The amazing eggs from the weekly farmer’s market will be an added cost at NZ $24, US $16 which we’ll happily add to the total.

Neil explained that sheep seem less interested in humans than alpacas. Although, these two couldn’t get to the fence fast enough to see us.

In Fiji, we may have spent approximately 25% less on groceries but weren’t able to find many items readily available in NZ. It proved to us how easily we’re able to adapt without many items when other options aren’t available. When items are available we opt on the side of enhancing our dining experience by willingly paying the added costs. 

While in the Pak n Save, a lovely retiree we met, June, had asked Tom to reach a six-pack of bottled beer from a high shelf. A lengthy conversation ensued resulting in her inviting us to visit for tea and to tour her historic home located in the downtown area. 

We exchanged business cards planning to visit her and her husband Simon once the bad weather passes. In our old lives, I can’t recall ever making new friends while shopping at the market. 

“Don’t go,” he says as we begin to walk away.

The warmth and friendliness of the New Zealand people further confirm our perception that most people throughout the world are kind and welcoming to foreigners who visit their homeland.

Today’s photos of bulls are our new local animal friends who welcome us by approaching the fence each time we walk down the road which has been almost every day. That is, if one can make friends with cows and bulls based on their response to us, we have no doubt it’s entirely possible.

No doubt, we’re enjoying our bull friends and other local friends we meet along the way, human and otherwise.

Photo from one year ago today, January 28, 2015:
  It is hard to believe it was one year ago that we took this video of the albatross we followed while spending four months in Kauai. Click here for photos.