'The Journey' blog started after we had completed the first part of our great adventure. I hadn't planned on doing a blog for a variety of reasons but changed my mind after coming back from New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. So, the blog begins with our trip to Central America in February.
You can read about the purpose of the trip and this blog from the first post here:
Since we will be arriving back to our home within a week, I thought I would do a recap of New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. This recap is more for our family to remember certain things about our journey before the memories fade too far into the distant past.
The Beginning
We began our great adventure December 16, 2012 with a send off ceremony at our church with our Pastors Ron Kastens, Maurice Eastwick, and Tim Lafferty. Maurice talked about the following during his remarks:
Verse for Trip
Hebrews. 13: 8
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever."
BECAUSE OF THIS WE CAN BE SURE OF ....
1. Be sure of His PRESENCE
Hebrews 13:5
"Never will I leave you: never I will I forsake you ."
2. Be sure of His POWER
MATTHEW 28:18-20 (KJV)
"All power is given unto me ..."
3. Be sure of His PEACE
(he is the Prince of Peace)
JOHN 14:27
"My peace I give unto you ..."
4. Be sure of His PROMISE
JUDE 24-25
"He is able to keep you from falling and .."
Pete Lafferty put oil on each of our foreheads as a blessing, and that afternoon we started our drive from New England to Dallas, TX, arriving Dec 18.
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| From left to right: Tim Lafferty, Pete Lafferty, Maurice Eastwick, Rachel |
After spending Christmas with my parents, we headed to New Zealand on Dec 30. Since we crossed the international date line, we 'lost' December 31 and arrived January 1 in Auckland, NZ.
20 years ago, Rachel and I met a young South African couple, Norman & Bo Hensely, in Israel. Even though our paths only crossed for one week while we were all volunteers at Kibbutz Afiq, a friendship began which stretched around the globe. Norman visited us in 1999 after the twins were born when we he was in the USA on business. Norman & Bo moved to New Zealand and we lost touch for a number of years. But thanks to google, email, and facebook we reconnected, and they invited us to stay at their home for our first few nights in NZ.
Our first night after meeting their lovely children....fish & chips on the beach in Howick, NZ.
AJ's first love....Rachel Hensley (he literally would mention Rachel periodically over the next 7 months of our trip)
S mentioned one of her favorite memories of our time in New Zealand was me bouncing the kids on their trampoline....
Norman & Bo taught Rachel and me how to be better hosts to visitors. They are SUCH a great family, had welcome gifts, wonderful conversation, had all kinds of fun things planned out on where to go in and around Auckland....and were frankly the best tour guides we had on our entire 8 month journey
Notice all the people on the beach! That is one GREAT thing about New Zealand....you want a beach practically all to yourself? Give Norman & Bo a call and they will point you in the right direction! Incredible beach with basically no one on it.....
Bo is one of the most talented people you will ever meet (and one of the nicest as well). She was a midwife and nurse....now she is a teacher....but she speaks of wanting to be a tour guide....and as stated above, she literally was the best tour guide we had in the 8 months we were on this journey. One place she took us was to the Maori cultural center / museum in Auckland. The Maori were the natives to New Zealand and have a rich history.
While we were at that museum we saw our first Maori dance including the Poi which Rachel would describe as one of her favorite moments in New Zealand. In addition, AJ got to see the Haka for the first time....and it made a big impression on him (warrior dance which includes bulging eyes, sticking tongue out, and beating one's chest....all of which AJ would do in New Zealand and at interesting times during the rest of our journey).
Example Poi Dance...
Auckland straddles the Auckland volcanic field and can legitimately be called 'the city of volcanos' New Zealand itself formed from many volcanic explosions....and some of those volcanos are still active. Norman took us to the top of two volcanos in the area which gave a beautiful overview of not only the city (which has a metropolitan population of 1.5 million....or about 35% of the entire country's population) but also allowed us to see all the other volcanos surrounding the city. I remember counting at least 15 visible volcanoes that day and I'm sure there are a bunch of other smaller ones. The largest volcano is an island just off the coast from Auckland called Rangitoto Island. We didn't have time on this trip to hike it, but it was one of the options we were given. Instead we drove to the top of these volcanoes (and actually went into the pit of one of them!)
Our Families....
Rotorua
After 3 nights with the Hensley's we headed out on our own to tour New Zealand + figure out how to travel together. First stop was Rotorua which can best be described as a city sitting on top of an active volcano. Nearly every hotel has its own hot spring (which AJ and Rachel are enjoying below)...
But oh my does this place STINK!!!! Think rotten egg smell and that is what you are hit with when you drive into the city. Why? Because it is literally like an active volcano releasing sulfer into the air. Having said that, after the first night we didn't notice the smell at all. I guess it is a bit like being on a farm where you can definitely smell the smells when you first arrive but then become numb to the smells after a little while. Don't let the smell keep you away from Rotorua as the geothermal stuff in the area is absolutely fascinating...
We spent a day at Waiotapu Geothermal Wonderland which is like a small version of Yellowstone on steroids. This place is an absolutely 'must see' if you ever go to New Zealand as I really don't think there is anyplace else in the world quite like it.
While we were waiting for the geyser to explode (the 'Old Faithful' of Waiotapu), AJ was playing on this fence and fell into the hot spring area. He was ok but his little police car went flying into the scalding hot water....
....but Daddy saved the day (and didn't burn my fingers too much ;)
AJ recovered quickly...
And the geyser didn't disappoint!
Love this shot Rachel got of the crowd oooohing and ahhhhing!
Waiotapu is just bubbling (literally) all over the place with strange colored water and springs around every curve.
One of the funniest comments from New Zealand happened at this spot. It is a huge mud pool that has boiling mud. Periodically you will see gas push mud to the surface as in the picture below. We picked up AJ and started heading toward the car after seeing this mud pit, and he really started crying. So, we stopped and asked him what was wrong....and he said he didn't want to leave without hot chocolate. He thought the mud pits were huge pits of hot chocolate! LOL
Rotorua is the cultural center for the Maori. We went to a cultural experience evening which included dinner and a show. Very educational and much fun....
This is when AJ really started honing his Haka dance (notice bulging eyes and tongue).....
Taupo
From Rotorua, we headed down to Taupo which has a gigantic lake (which is the cone of a huge, active volcano). If this volcano ever blows, pretty much the whole north island of New Zealand will be in serious trouble.
This place is also where we started to realize that New Zealand must have zero personal injury lawyers. Their playgrounds are like something you would have seen in the USA in the 1960s with really tall play areas (the 'rope pyramid' below had to have been at least 10 meters high....with no safety nets at all). You would never see something like this in the USA as the town / city would be sued out of existence when the first child fell and hurt himself. But in New Zealand, there is a sense that personal responsibility actually still matters.
Not pictured in the apparatus below are all the trampolines near the base which are connected to the ropes which lead to the top. So, as you are climbing this thing there are kids jumping on those trampolines making the ropes sway side to side. Dangerous and fun!
Huka Falls near Taupo....we had a nice picnic dinner at the falls one evening.
One of the days in Taupo, the girls did a ropes course / confidence course....12 meters up in the air. AJ and I hung out for this one (though he is all geared up in the picture belows).
All the girls did ALL the obstacles and I was very impressed! I really thought at least one of them would back out due to fear of heights (especially V who isn't fond of high places). But they said they wanted to do it, and they did it. Way to go girls!
S even did this very difficult obstacle in lieu of one of the easier obstacles that was part of the 'normal' package. The guide couldn't believe she made it to the top, but she did!
This place was another "there must not be personal injury lawyers in NZ" kind of place. In the USA, you would basically have to sign your life away to be able to go up on the ropes....promising to not hold the company liable for death or injury etc. But here they just handed everyone harnesses and said 'let's go!' It was a fun, confidence building morning.
The final thing we did in Taupo was head out on the lake in a fishing boat. Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand and the 2nd largest fresh water lake in the world. As stated above , it is also a gigantic crater for an active volcano!
View of the lake at sunset (taken later in the day)....
The driver pointed out how the Taupo volcano was actually having small explosions on the far ring of the lake. We could see the mist rising in the distance. It's not exactly the most comfortable feeling zipping around on a lake knowing that it is a huge crater of an active volcano.....but we figure 'if she blows, she blows and there's not much we could do about it!' So, we just enjoyed the afternoon; it really was a beautiful lake.
S even caught a fish...
Titanic like scene... "I am the Queen of the World!!!!"
My lady....
And S caught a second fish! No one else had any luck ;)
Um, later on in New Zealand this kind of thing led to Baby #5....
New Zealand has funny signs like this....
And that was our first week in New Zealand. We learned how to travel as a family and had much fun. Week #2 we headed down to the south island and explored some of the most beautiful places we have ever seen....and that will be the next post!
Comments from email....
ReplyDeleteFun to see the beginning of the trip. My how things have changed these past 9 months! Who would have thought that Rachel would be growing a baby! After watching her baby bump these past months, it seemed odd to not have baby in the pictures!
The ropes course looks simply awesome! Love you, Heather
Rachel seems much smaller in these pictures. :-) Too funny to see after watching her "grow" through the other posts along your journey.
ReplyDeleteHaha I remember Merge Like a Zip! I still say it to Aussie Drivers when they're busy cutting me up!
ReplyDeleteGood to see the cuzzies!