Mount Taranaki Roadtrip

Last weekend my parents decided to take us up the coast of the North Island to see what we could see.  In the year we have lived here, I haven’t been more than about an hour outside of Wellington.  There’s a lot to do in a 1 hour radius so we have not been slacking.  We just had not yet struck out for the wild lands.  After a bit of debate we decided to try for Wanganui and, ultimately, Mount Taranaki.

Distances are deceptive in New Zealand.  A short 100 km drive may take you a couple of hours or more.  This is mostly because the two-lane highway system is often very twisty-turny.  But unlike the States, traffic doesn’t seem to be a factor.  I rarely had to pass anyone and when I did need to there was always a passing lane just a few klicks up the road.  From my experience so far, you won’t be needing your cruise control in New Zealand.  The speed limits range from about 30 kph to 100 kph.  For an English measurement thinker that means you hit about 62 mph tops.  Folks do not often speed in NZ—they do use camera speed traps, plus the roads just don’t support going much faster.  Of course, there are still the odd nutballs on the road.  But in general, like all things in New Zealand, there are just fewer people to deal with.

The drive was beautiful on every leg of the journey.  Most of the highway was close enough to the Tasman Sea to see the water.  If we couldn’t see the water then we were weaving between dramatic hill sides.  It was 183 km to Wanganui and that took a bit over 3 hours to do.

Wanganui was a pretty cute town.  The downtown area was lovely and full of vibrant classic architecture.  But it was pretty obvious that business was way down.  Many main street shops were vacant.  The town is bisected by the Whanganui River the south side of which is dominated by high hills.  There is a great tower overlooking the city.  Farther up the river was an amazing children’s playground with acres of unique play equipment and the biggest flying fox (zip line) I’ve ever seen.

We stayed at a modest motel with a restaurant.  It was functional, but otherwise unremarkable.  Of course Gabe loved the pool more than anything else.

We played at the beach one night and that was heaps of fun.  There were pretty big waves on this western coast of island.  One of the more interesting features (to me) of NZ beaches is black sand--miles and miles of black sand beaches with glints of gold that sparkle in the sun.  Gabe and I played in the surf really only wading.  The water is still pretty chilly, but it was a pretty hot day.  On the next day of the trip we stopped briefly in Patea to look at the ocean and that was stunning.  10-15’ swells crashed on long beach.  Patea is also a river mouth town but its river is “protected” by a funnel formed between two sea walls.  The protection was slight as the wave fully crashed over the tops of the walls.  Surfers were using them to walk out past the breakers before jumping in to catch waves.  The whole thing looked pretty dodgy, but then most surfers pride themselves at being nuts.  Even so, I’m totally going back to Patea someday to play in the waves and explore the beaches.

One highlight of day 2 was visiting the Tawhiti Museum in Hawera just south of Mount Taranaki.  This was an unbelievably cool museum about 19^th century New Zealand.  There were the most amazing stories about the Maori of the region as well as other figures of Taranaki history both mild and bold.  Interested folks should definitely wiki for Kimball Bent and the Taranaki Land Wars.  Great stuff!

The goal of the drive was to see the mountain.  Taranaki is awe inspiring.  It is a single peak that rises from a flat plain.  The day started out partly overcast so we really couldn’t see it as we approached, but eventually the heat of the day burned off the clouds and we were left with a stunning view.  Mt Taranaki is a common peak to climb in New Zealand being fairly low (8000 feet) and easy to get to.  But even so it claims the lives of unprepared climbers every year and most recently just a few months ago when a Japanese guide died after being caught in a storm.  We’re not mountain climbers… we just drove to the parking lot of Dawson Falls and gawked at the views.

On the evening of Day 2 we drove up to a beautiful scenic overlook just a bit inside the Whanganui National Park.  I wanted to show my folks the stars in the night sky of our remote country.  They did not disappoint.  We got there a bit too early to see the full effect, but we stuck it out until the Milky Way was fully visible.  Even cooler we remembered our binoculars.  It was a moonless night and the view was spectacular.  At one point we had to walk down the road a piece to see the Southern Cross constellation behind a cliff.  We then discovered we could see glow worms in the woods off the road.  So it was cool stars *and* glow worms.  That was pretty cool.

Day 3 was probably the biggest adventure.  The road to the scenic overlook was actually the start of a 50 km scenic drive along the Whanganui River to a little dot called Pipiriki.  The road was a bit more twisty than the average NZ road, but it was still paved so we decided to try it.  The drive was pretty amazing.  At one point we had to navigate a small herd of cattle on the road, but that was easy to laugh off.  Then the paved road gave way to gravel.  Hmmmm… not nearly as much fun.  I had to really slow down.  The road continued to be scenic, but got even more twisty and then it got quite bumpy as well.  Soon it was obvious these roads washed out often and construction was ongoing.  Many places the road narrowed to only the width of my small car.  I have no idea how the large construction trucks managed.  In several place the road was so poor I was forced to drag the centre of the car on the loose gravel due to the deep wheel ruts.  It took us about 3 hours to make the 50 km to Pipiriki.  This dot turned out to be little more than an old Koro’s* trailer snack shop.  He was a fun old coot.  We took the faster highway back, but even that took more than an hour only to return us right back to Wanganui where we started our drive home… another 3 hours.

It was a long day of driving, but I couldn’t ask for better country side to look at.  Plus we would have missed out on the friendly Koro.  The Taranaki region of the North Island may appear to lack the charms of the more expansive South Island wilderness, but I have to highly recommend it.  I think it will surprise you.

*Koro means “male elder” in Maori.  He also gave free lollies to all “mokopuna” in his shop (grandchildren).

Goodbye, Mr. Simon

Before I get on to the more exciting fun posts I have in my head.  I have to pause to pay a tribute to a colleague and mentor that died this past weekend.  He was only 42.  I only knew Eric professionally.  I can only tell you about what he was to me.

Eric Simon was probably the single most gifted technical mind at Sprint.  I worked with him all of my 10 years although I could never perform at his level.  How things work in a large carrier is a topic so complex the scope of it begins to befuddle the mind.  The number of moving parts is staggering.  Eric built the original Sprint PCS network.  He was there guiding every upgrade, merger, and munge that ever was.  No one could ever keep the whole thing in their head, but I always suspected that perhaps if anyone could, it would be Eric.

Eric’s professional ability has always been my personal Nirvana—my goal, my ideal, and my guiding principle.  I am 10,000 miles away.  I write to you now from my laptop in New Zealand.  I can say with 100% certainty that this message will somehow be transmitted on a network that Eric Simon had built or influenced.  A very large bit of how we communicate today has been helped along by Eric.  I can not think of three other engineers who could fill his shoes.

It is with profound sadness that I say goodbye to such a man.  I will continue to keep Eric’s ability and professionalism as my benchmark for the very best in engineering.  I hope to someday possess half of Eric’s ability.  I know Eric was a husband and father.  I can not offer enough thanks to them for supporting Eric.  I can not possibly offer enough comfort.  I can say that Eric’s work mattered.  It has changed the world for the better.  Goodbye, Mr. Simon.  We will do our best to keep your networks running.

On the Quantity of Happiness

I had a bit of a mental breakthrough the other night.  For years I have assumed that because there is so much unhappiness around that it must therefore be in limited supply.  When things in life became overwhelming I would at times feel guilty about even asking God* for help.  After all, there are so many folks out there that need help far more than I do.

It was in one of these moments where I was pondering asking for help that a thought popped in to my head.  There really is no limit on happiness and no limit on what God can do.  The flow that leads me on my path is not limited in the quantity of happiness I can enjoy.  If I enjoy a charmed life, it is not at the expense of any other.  If I need help every day, then I can ask for it.  I thus imagine that I have the full support of the Universe with me every day.  While I still have a great many problems, I feel a sense of faith that they are solvable with help.

This is the bit of wisdom I hope to share with you—that whatever you think you deserve, the Universe will help you and bestow gifts upon you.  There is a humbleness in the asking.  Asking for help is symbolic of acknowledging that you could not do it alone.  It opens you to accepting what the Universe will bring to you.

If you are reading this now and the idea of this is beginning to light up the corners of your mind, then perhaps there is something in you that can be let go.  We take so much baggage with us.  We feel responsible for it and we lug it around afraid it will become someone else’s burden or that someone will notice we’re not toting it properly.  Let it go.  You may think it isn’t that simple—pry your fingers off the handle.  If you must, just pretend it could be true and try it.  The Universe will help you.  Give it up.  Accept the new and “undeserved” happiness from the Universe.  Take it and be glad.  Marvel at it.  It really is true.

*Substitute appropriate divine force here.  “God” is very easy to type.  I’ll provide more details on God at a later date.

Israel is a country NOT a religion

This may seem obvioius, but in every case where I've seen folks protest what Israel is doing, the immediate response is that they are racists and anti-semitic.  I'm not saying any one is doing the right thing in Israel right now.  I'm not going to review the history or try to figure out who's the evilist bastard.  I'm just saying, if you don't like what Israel is doing, you have a problem with the political policies of a sovereign nation.  You're not a racist nor to you "hate Jews."  You're no more racist that half the world that "hates americans". 

I am personally tired of Israel always whining about anti-semitism every time it is criticisized.  It's bullshit.  Israel, do what you got to do.  Be prepared for us to complain and point out flaws.  If you really do stupid stuff, be prepared for the world to respond sternly.  The worst you can accuse us of is being "anti-idiot".

Americans have claimed to be Canadians on holiday around the world for years.  There are lots of places where they don't like us very much.  There are also many folks I know that have every right to hate America and yet they know that I am not personally responsible for the US and they don't take it out on me.  Lets all hope for some wisdom.  In the meantime, take your criticism like a real Nation and don't hide behind your religion.  Tell us to "kiss off, we'll bomb who we want to bomb" or come back and say "alright, we shouldn't have done that."  However, when they shoot back tomorrow, don't claim it was racism.  Perhaps it was at the begining of this conflict, but now you are dumping gasoline on the fire.  Blow up my family and I will hate you.  I won't care who you are.  It doesn't make me a racist.

Expatriate does not mean ex patriot.

Every once in a great while I will encounter some passionate American accusing me or other expatriates of “fleeing the US” or in some other way being less patriotic because of the decision to immigrate.  While this may be true for some of those that choose to live outside the US, but I sense this is only rarely the case.  If someone is out there thinking (perhaps only in the back of the mind) that I must not like the US or that I must like it less than other Americans, then I have some knowledge to share them.

Certainly there are lots of things I didn’t like about living in Kansas.  I won’t get in to that, but I will point out that there were also many things I loved about the Midwest.  I do love living here in New Zealand and I feel exceptionally lucky to get the chance.  I don’t for a second ever think of myself as non-American.  I still file taxes.  I still send thousands of dollars back to the US.  I still have dozens of friends, family and colleagues back in the US.  I pray for our soldiers every night.  That statement is a bit of a fudge, because I pray for all soldiers every night—and everyone dying because of violence, greed and hate.  I watched President Obama win the election live on the Internet—with pride in my country.

While I am out of the country, I will be relying on New Zealand health care and will be no burden on the US systems.  My kid won’t be taking up a seat in the under funded school systems.  My cars won’t be in rush hour or adding to pollution in the US.  My investment in air fares is propping up the airline industry.

Many of my Kiwi friends have never had an American friend to ask about the US.  Many folks I meet on the street have never talked to an American before.  Lots of younger New Zealanders only know what they see on MTV and CSI:Miami… Can you imagine what their view of America is?  I field questions on history, policy and culture almost every day.  I take this responsibility very seriously.  I know I may be the only American these folks will every really know.  I do my best to explain why the US does some of the things it does—and believe me, some things are hard to explain.

I have learned tons about New Zealand culture and in the process I have learned tons about US culture.  I see clearly now two approaches to the same problems of living life well and with respect for each other.  My time here will only serve to give me confidence of experience that things can be done differently.  I hope someday I can send back what I’ve learned.  I hope I can get more of the Kiwi good things in to America.  In my view, the US needs thousands more expats.  If we really want to be “leaders of the free world” then we better learn a lot more about the world.

NZ Anniversary

            So… the first year in New Zealand.  January 10^th was the anniversary of our arrival to Wellington.  Most ex-pats seem to be interested in this sort of thing, so I took a few minutes to write down some standout thoughts.

 

What went well?

 

It is always good to start on the good stuff.  We found an amazing house (rented) with everything we wanted.  It has enough space for us, a bit of grass and a large garage (by Kiwi standards).  It is not a luxury palace, but it’s a good home.  Gabe walks to school only 3 blocks away and has many friends in the neighbourhood.  The train station is just a couple blocks away and I’ve taken the train to work every day I’ve been here.  We have discovered many fabulous places all within an hour drive of our home from parks, to zoos, and beaches.  On my walks I have seen dolphins, penguins, seals, rays, hundreds of birds I can’t name, plus starfish and the most stunning sunrises.

My job is fun with lots of great folks.  Telecom is not vastly different from other telephone companies.  It has its strong points and maddening shortfalls.  But in the end it is a great deal about technical skulduggery and copious documentation.  Toss in some bits of project politics and mix it with real politics and you get Telecom. However… unlike most telephone companies I have worked with, Telecom employees deliver more value to the customers.  In spite of contradictory strategy, politics, and really odd company decisions, the employees make the difference.  The services work for New Zealanders.  I really can’t say how much I admire that.

 

What did not go well?

 

2008 was hard financial year.  We lost tens of thousands of dollars resulting from the move.  The exchange rate slipped from .75 to .50 in just a few months.  The cost of everything was a good 50% more than we expected across the board—and we thought we had guessed high.  The cost of living here is much, much higher than Kansas, but perhaps not quite as high as California.  The utility bill was a real shock coming in at near $500 some months in the winter.  One car never sold and we had to give it back to the dealer (ouch!)  The bank isn’t going to be happy with us either.  We’ll do the best we can, but there is no overcoming the exchange rate.  We are simply very grateful our US credit rating is not a factor in New Zealand.  Even so, we’ve resolved to use no more credit. 

While very willing, Amy has found it difficult to find work.  As always it is more who you know rather than what you know.  Of course, being completely new to a country we didn’t know anyone.  We can’t be sure, but we do feel like there is a slight anti-immigrant bias—especially in small businesses.  We have also encountered overt gender bias—but again, only in small businesses.

 

What is my favourite thing?

 

Everything and every place is fresh and clean.  When we walk around our neighbourhood we often stop and just breathe in some flowery fragrance on the breeze.  It is hard to pick just one thing.  I love looking at the ocean, but in a year, I haven’t actually gotten in it!  But I loved seeing the dolphins, seals and penguins.

 

What is my least favourite thing?

 

Gotta be the exchange rate and the high cost of travel home.  It is a constant worry whether I’ll get to see my kids—and even when I do it may only be a short visit once a year.

 

What do I miss most?

 

I miss my North Hemisphere seasons… I loved the fall in Kansas and Halloween.  I love snow at Christmas and whole streets of Christmas lights.  Halloween is barely mentioned here and Christmas is high summer.  I have to admit that summer + Christmas = Brilliant!  It is the best way to celebrate with family with summer break and the holidays all at once.  But I still missed the snow and Christmas lights.

 

What do I not miss?

 

I do not miss American news, scandal and endless tragedy.  I do not miss the stories about mass random murders, insanely corrupt politicians, and unfathomable corporate greed.  We still see these stories occasionally here, but each time we can say that’s not happening here.

 

What was the biggest change?

 

Change comes in two flavours—comfortable and uncomfortable.  There are many things that changed dramatically for me, but they were good and I welcomed them.  I have loved walking to work and generally enjoying the outdoors more.  I have really enjoyed altering my eating habits to smaller and healthier.  I have enjoyed being out of my culture to see clearly what is and isn’t American thinking.  The hardest change has been to get used to always being a foreigner.  My accent gives me away instantly.  While everyone has still been very friendly, it is hard to always be registered as a stranger.  I can tell sometimes folks are mildly irritated when I just don’t approach things the Kiwi way or even have trouble following my accent—something I never thought would be an issue!

 

Other Favourites!

 

Restaurant: Green Parrot

Park: Kaitoke

Beach: Island Bay

Kiwi phrase: “Sweet As” and “It’s gone all pear shaped.”

Kiwi food: Gold Kiwi Fruit

Best view: I think the best view is from the top of Kelson.

Grocery Store: Pak n’ Save

Pizza: Hell’s

Take-Away Chinese: our local one in Trafalgar Square!

Take-Away Fish: the other local shop in Trafalgar Square!

Best seafood: Lueven