HOME, SWEET, HOME!

AHHHH! Thanks to the best neighbor in the world, Libby, my townhome was warm and welcoming l when I arrived on Dec. 21. It isn't 'dressed' for Christmas (and won't be), but my fake ever- red geraniums are still 'blooming' out front! Ha ha! My own bed feels like a dream and as I'm still getting over jet lag, I have woken in the middle of the night wondering which hostel, which home, in which city I was. Yesterday, I walked around Fernandina Beach taking in the dressed for the holidays historic buildings and going in the shops. I ran into friends at the post office, in the grocery store and on the street downtown. There truly is "no place like home", but I do want to thank my home hosts in NZ, Val and Alex and Wanda and Roy, and my hostess in OZ, Therese, for making me feel at home in their homes when I visited them. What wonderful people!
And, WHEREVER I was in OZ or NZ - on the Magic bus, in the hostels, in the stores shopping for food or gifts, the people in these two countries were so very helpful and made me feel so welcome. What a blessing they all are to visitors!
Also, a BIG THANKS to the Northern Illinois Friendship Force chapter for sharing their trip with me, especially Pat and Dave Meyer and Sally and Tom Coyle for their help and support throughout the trip. I absolutely could not have taken or afforded this fabulous travel adventure without you!
I wish for two things this Christmas: that when Aussies and Kiwis visit the USA,  they are made to feel as welcome as I was in their countries; and that you have enjoyed my travel blog and have beautiful travel experiences, too, to enjoy and share with me!

More photos

Me, after sandboarding down this big dune. Took us a long time to climb it and then the ride was slow coming down, which BTW was fine, by me! Sand causes friction, so it slows the board down.

The Cape Reinga Lighthouse at the northern most point in NZ where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. The turquoise water on the left is coming from the Tasman Sea and the dark blue water on the right is the Pacific.

Looking out the front window of the bus that drove us along 90 Mile Beach, which is an official highway in NZ!  We traveled for 1/2 hour on the beach road, which is the newest highway in the world every day because the tide comes in and resurfaces it every day!

The view from the lookout I hiked up to in Pahlia overlooking the town and the Bay of Islands.

These trees have red flowers in December in NZ and they call them 'Christmas trees'!

This Anglican church site is where the Rev. Henry Williams was asked by the 13 Maori chiefs of the North Island to negotiate a treaty for them with the British. That treaty preceeded the Treaty of Waitangi which was the official turning point in their relationship. The memorial in front was commissioned by the Maori to honor him. Well done, good and faithful servant!

Just photos!

 *I think you can double-click on any photo to see it better - i.e. the yellow eyes on the penguin!                   

My "tatoos" from the gagillion sandflies at Sandfly Point at the end of the Milford Walk. Both arms looked like this and this photo was taken a week after I finished the track!

Baldwin St. in Dunedin, the steepest street in the world says Guinness World Records book. I didn't attempt it because it was raining and I had missed a curb and taken a nosedive on the way to the bus that morning with my full backpack on and skinned/bruised a few parts of my body already! Photo 2 is of the railroad station in Dunedin (Dun- NEE-din) - typical of the ornate architecture in that hilly, Scottish settled university town.

In Tekapo (TEE-ka-po), the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, the most photographed church in NZ! Pic 1 is looking through the window over the altar inside the church and 2 shows the beautiful glacial water lake that it sits by. The purple, pink and white flowers are 'Connie' lupins named after the farmer's wife who sowed them all along the highways from Dunedin to Tekapo. They smell wonderful!

At the albatross center (the only one in the world)  and breeding place on the Otago Peninsula, just outside Dunedin. I took the ELM Wildlife Tour - what a fabulous night of viewing! Pic 2 of flying albatross - they glide, not fly. The parents care for their one youngster for 11 months here taking turns bringing 'seafood' back to it. Wingspan can be 9 ft.
Photo 3 - the tour group heading down,down, down to the first beach (which we repeated on the second beach- and - of course included the up,up,up!). Pic 4 - a yellow-eyed penguin with arms outstreched to cool itself off. Pic 5 - blue penguin parent outside its nest. Look closely and you'll see the fluffy baby inside. Pic 6 -the closed circuit TV of the same nest ELM set up to get a good view of the three week old babies. They were trying to walk and kept falling over! Pic 7 - yellow-eyed penguin heading out to sea

Pic 8 - Sea lions on the second beach. The view would go all the way south to Antarctica if you could see that far. From the first beach, the view would go all the way east to Chile. We also saw NZ fur seals, but they camouflaged too well on the rocks for me to get a good pic.I f the closed circuit TV weren't National Geographic- like enough, the company also had blinds set up for better close viewing - AND - one of the sea lions had just given birth and two seagulls were fighting over the rich red placenta! Yikes!

Next photos: The hike with some of the German 'kids' up to Mt. John, an observatory near Lake Tekapo. We had eautiful glacial water views all day long! Last photo: One of the many goofy Kiwi vans you see on the road! They love to RV here!

Rock, paper, scissors and angels' wings

I just returned from "The finest walk in the world" on the Milford Track. It's been called "the finest" for decades and recent travel writers (including me!) don't disagree. The bus pulled into Te Anau today where we had picked up Kate, one of our guides, five days ago. Five days! It seemed like two weeks ago! We looked at the bus next to us full of hikers ready to leave to start their tramp on the Milford. We didn't talk, but what could have I have said? It was the hardest, most challenging, longest, most challenging, mind over matter - did I say challenging?- hike I've ever done.
Day one was the paper hike. The kind of hike, when finished, you say, THAT was a long 11 mile walk in the woods, with many photo stops, side trips and just a 'take your time' fun day. It was called the 'easy day' by the guides.
Day two was labelled the 'hard day'. It was the rock hike - eight hours of mind numbing - mind over rocks - concentration. Rocks, big rocks and bigger rocks to climb up for three hours and climb down for five more. Nine long miles of scrambling over, around and through rocks! Was there scenery? Yes. Did I see it for more than 10 minutes of the entire time. NO! I was looking down at rocks so I didn't fall and break my head, foot, arm, leg or whatever.  After the 'up' rocks, I ate the lunch I had made and carried to the top and I started down the rocks, er, mountain. Suddenly, I got hotter and hotter, nausea set in and I was having trouble seeing where to step. Luckily, Yuca, (You-kah), our Japanese angel guide was at a rock avalance site to show us how to navigate it. She left and walked with me until Bec, another angel guide, took over and walked with me the five slow hours down to our rest stop for the night. I honestly felt the brush of their angels' wings and the angel wing prayers of those of you whom I know pray regularly for me! THANK YOU! I could not have gutted this out without you!! 
Day three was scissors day, i.e. the long day. We had 13.5 miles to get to the finish and the boat ride back. Believe it or not, I said to myself, " I've done four 1/2 marathons (13.1 miles) and I can do this, too. It's just another 1/2!"  I know. It sounded crazy when I said it to myself, too. I took off and did my Galloway run-walk-run for the day! I walked on the rocky parts -about 30% - and ran with my FULL backpack the flat parts of the course, er, track! I came in fourth out of forty-nine in our group for the day! WOO-HOO! I felt strong and good! Well, I felt that way until I realized that the seventy-two year old man in our group came in second! But, we all celebrated our success that night, got our certificates and took a cruise on Milford Sound (fjord) this morning. Some of the group came up to me telling me that they saw me running (!) that day and how strong I was. But I just asked them, "What do they call the person who ranks last in his or her class in medical school?" Don't know? Well, we call him or her "Doctor". Finishing is what's important, not the ranking. And - again, THANK YOU -all of you angels - for your thoughts and prayers to help me through my 'doctorate' in tramping the Milford Track. sending love and hugs

 Photos 1 - 8, day 1, trail start, trail toilet, making lunch before breakfast, one of many suspension bridges, bog trail, one of the couples cooling (freezing) our feet in pond along the way, 'bus' stop (place to stop and stay in event of the usual rock avalance nearby), laundry facilities - we washed our one set of clothes out each day, put them through the mangler (wringer, like Mom had for many years!) and hung them in the drying room. Photos 9 and 10, day 2, MacKinnon (who found the pass through the mountains) Memorial at the top of the mountain and me before... Photos 11 to 15, day 3, one of the fabulous views along the track, lunch at a waterfall and, for me, foot freezing time again, end of the track victory photos, me with all the angel guides, Yuca, Bec, Megan and Kate after getting my certificate. Photo 16, day 4, a postcard day on the morning cruise on Milford Sound (fjord). 
We had great weather all four days - only light rain on day 2- which is phenomenal in a rainforest like this which receives 21 - 27 feet of rain a year. What a blessing!!!!
ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS: Paper, day 1, definitely beat rocky day 2 for the paper photographs that I got on the way; Rock, day 2, smashed scissors on day 3 with 'rock solid' determination; Scissors, on day 3, cut through the paper on day 1, 'slicing' and 'dicing' the track by running hard.
I'll never think of the rock, paper, scissors game the same way again!