On Wednesday morning, April 8, I walked the 7 minutes to the car rental place, picked up my car, and headed back to the parliament buildings. I tried once again to see if I could cross paths with the prime minister, but was told they wouldn't be holding a press conference that day, so walked around a bit, grabbed lunch, then headed to Palmerston North, my next destination.
I arrived in PN a little early, so walked around town a for a little while then ate at the Pita Pit - a place I wish they had in the U.S. I then drove on to Taupo and Tracie's place. Someone who works where I used to work connected me with Taupo and Tracie saying they had a room I could stay in if in the area. I'll be staying with them while in PN.
On the 9th it was raining so I used the time for some much needed planning and to get some laundry done. That night I drove over to have dinner with someone I knew in high school back in Maryland. She and her husband and two kids now live in PN. I knew of her in high school but didn't know her well. Her brother was in my class. Her parents, Dick and Brenda Duerkson, were also there visiting. I'd met her dad a few times before and enjoyed talking to him about photography and got some suggestions from him.
After dinner I caught up with Julene. It was great to talk to her about life since high school and living in NZ. It hit me a few times how weird it was that I was hanging out at her house. I never would have guessed so long ago that the next time I'd see her would be at her dining room table in the middle of New Zealand! Really enjoyed the evening and meeting her husband and her two kids.
On Friday the 10th I headed to a gorge near by to hike. There had been a land slide onto the road just beyond the parking lot for the hike, so they were having people park along the closed off road about a kilometer (just over half a mile) away from where the hike started. Nice hike.
I came back, cleaned up, and then we walked to Tracie's parent's house for dinner. Nice to meet her parents and have a home-cooked meal. The meal really hit the spot! It was a nice evening as we walked back to the house, so I decided to walk around the neighborhood some more. I really enjoyed the 45-minute walk that evening.
I arrived in PN a little early, so walked around town a for a little while then ate at the Pita Pit - a place I wish they had in the U.S. I then drove on to Taupo and Tracie's place. Someone who works where I used to work connected me with Taupo and Tracie saying they had a room I could stay in if in the area. I'll be staying with them while in PN.
On the 9th it was raining so I used the time for some much needed planning and to get some laundry done. That night I drove over to have dinner with someone I knew in high school back in Maryland. She and her husband and two kids now live in PN. I knew of her in high school but didn't know her well. Her brother was in my class. Her parents, Dick and Brenda Duerkson, were also there visiting. I'd met her dad a few times before and enjoyed talking to him about photography and got some suggestions from him.
After dinner I caught up with Julene. It was great to talk to her about life since high school and living in NZ. It hit me a few times how weird it was that I was hanging out at her house. I never would have guessed so long ago that the next time I'd see her would be at her dining room table in the middle of New Zealand! Really enjoyed the evening and meeting her husband and her two kids.
On Friday the 10th I headed to a gorge near by to hike. There had been a land slide onto the road just beyond the parking lot for the hike, so they were having people park along the closed off road about a kilometer (just over half a mile) away from where the hike started. Nice hike.
I came back, cleaned up, and then we walked to Tracie's parent's house for dinner. Nice to meet her parents and have a home-cooked meal. The meal really hit the spot! It was a nice evening as we walked back to the house, so I decided to walk around the neighborhood some more. I really enjoyed the 45-minute walk that evening.
A bird I've heard a few times while in NZ. Maybe my favorite. They have a wide range of sounds, though, this clip only demonstrates a few of them. Sorry, I can't flip it....