Christmas Down Under

On Christmas Eve Conor and I flew into Auckland, New Zealand. After lugging our tent, sleeping bags and rain coats through customs, we hopped into a cab and headed to the harbour. "You want to go where?" asked the cab driver, "Where they keep the boats? You want me to leave you there?"

Yes.

It was officially Christmas Day by the time we arrived at the marina. We paid our lovely friend (an amount that could have been a down payment on a small home) and wandered into the darkness, hoping to stumble upon Conor's father, Jack, at any moment, "Merry Christmas!"

Conor's parents had arrived earlier that day and had already unpacked their belongings on a beautiful 38 foot sail boat in the Auckland Harbour. After hellos, hugs and happy holidays, we retired for the night.

I woke up to cool winds, delicious coffee and the view of a few hundred other masts, the city prominent in the background. We sailed for two days before departing Auckland and heading to the South Island. We swam and hiked. We barbecued, exchanged Christmas gifts, read, and of course, watched a few episodes of Flight of the Conchords on the boat. Although we did not see much of the city, the Great Barrier Islands were amazing. It was wonderful to spend Christmas Day on a boat in the Southern Hemisphere - a once in a lifetime thing, I'm sure.

We flew into Christchurch, picked up our rental car and began driving. The Semlers like to drive. Actually, I don't know if they actually enjoy long road trips, but they claim to, and they do them well. There was very little complaining and we only stopped a few times as we travelled south to Dunedin. Dunedin is a college town on the east coast of the South Island. With summer break taking place, the town was quiet. It was also rainy and cold. It felt like home. (Minus the rain, plus snow.)

We stayed in an old church, the Chapel Apartments, showered for the first time since our arrival, and ate ta pas at a cute little restaurant in the centre of town. Dunedin was lovely. A little sleepy, yes, but lovely. We drove up the world's steepest street and then walked to the bottom. Green. Hills. Sheep.

On our way out of town, we drove out onto the Otago Peninsula, stopped to watch the albatross for a bit and then hopped on to an 8-wheel drive vehicle and took a tour of the coast. More sheep. We also saw baby seals (some just two days old) and penguins - lounging on the rocky coast, strutting across the sand to their nests. Amazing.





Jack, Mary, Me



Young seal lounging on the rocks with her baby nearby.



Is my wingspan comparable to that of an albatross?

After Dunedin came Milford Sound and Queenstown. The photos of our kayak trip in Milford Sound pretty much summarise the hours we spent there. Clear, clean water (Bella would have loved it). Mountains. Crisp Air. Breathtaking views.





Who looks bad in Spandex? Clearly not me.





Is Conor getting paid to advertise here?

Queenstown was similar to most ski-towns. We were still surrounded by nature, but the resorts and hotels, restaurants and cafes, and crowds of people were our reminders that we were no longer in the national park. Queenstown was a great transition for my trip back to Australia and Brisbane.

I returned home to Brisbane after a three hour delay in Sydney. My late night arrival and early work morning were worth the Christmas treats in NZ. If only I had stopped and snagged two bottles of Bombay in the duty free shop, my Christmas trip would have been perfect.

Fetch

While wandering through Rosalie and Milton this morning, Conor and I passed by a park. There were families sprawled about on picnic blankets and in lawn chairs, children running around with cricket bats, dressed in their sun hats. Typical. One family had brought along a couple of hula-hoops and the kids were going mad for them. We watched one mother toss the hula-hoops at her two young children for a few seconds before we realised she was playing fetch with them. And they loved it! She threw the hula-hoops into the field, the kids ran after them, grabbed them and then returned, dropping the objects at her feet. They then waited, twitching and yelping for the chase to begin all over again.

I looked at Conor, "That's not right. It's hot out here." We kept walking.

As we continued our Saturday morning stroll, we talked about Bella, our little black mutt. Bella loves to play fetch.

Conor stopped to get some cash at an ATM and I noted, pointing to our feet, "Bella would never drink out of that bowl." The Milton grocery store had set up a metal carousel outside of their front door, allowing patrons to tie up their dogs while they shopped. They also put out a stainless steel water bowl. Bella is a huge water bowl snob. If the water is not fresh, cold and clear, she will not drink it, no matter how high the air temperature. We laughed for a moment. "No, she would never drink that."



We purchased our margarita supplies and sauntered home, sweating more with every step.

It was a wonderful morning. Today is my first day off in over a week - my second day off in the last 15. Conor and I slept until 8:30AM. We ate brunch at a wonderful little restaurant in Rosalie called Salt. We wandered, reminisced about a handful of our favourite moments spent with Bella. We talked about the milkshakes we would buy later that afternoon (which a few hours later we did enjoy). We went to the grocery store and bought fabric softener, and then returned home to do our laundry. We went for a dip in the pool and then set up on the balcony with our cocktails and computers.

It was a perfect Saturday. It was a pretty good Friday too. Conor and I finished up work, met at home, showered and headed to the Tivoli in Fortitude Valley to hear David Sedaris speak. Two Coronas, some hot chips, a short, intelligent, liberal author, and a late-night burger to boot. Although we tend to avoid spending time in the Valley, we enjoyed our time at the Tivoli very much. David read from his new book, to be released Fall 2010, answered a handful of questions and told the audience about his favourite Christmas gifts. He was hysterical. He was a touch of home.



Bella is most likely sleeping in front of my parent's wood stove or romping through two feet of snow, chasing after her favourite red Frisbee. Conor and I are sitting on our balcony in shorts and tee-shirts, still sweating, and talking about how much we enjoy a good breeze. (That's somewhat sad, isn't it?)

Here's hoping Sunday brings many more common, yet enjoyable, occurances.

Resolution

I try not to make them. At least not out loud (especially while someone I know is within earshot). Unrealistic. Unattainable. Pumped full of false hope. Instead of listing my "faults", without having first concocted a solid elimination plan, I thought I might take a moment to list a few things I am grateful for and will continue to work towards and support in 2010.

1. Friends
As many of us discover over the years, good friends become family - you hold them just as close, and often times closer, as you do your own blood. I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so many lovely people. Supportive, understanding, open-minded. Thank you to my family for being there for me during the ups and downs of 2009.

2. Hope
Some days I lose sight, but overall, I feel hope. It's not just a popular campaign term. It's a grumble in my belly for more. So much more. I have hope for many things, big and small in 2010, including an end to war (as cliché as it might sound), and with that an end to prejudice and hatred. I hope for advancements and achievements in finding a cure to serious and fatal illnesses. I hope for patience and understanding from those in my life, as well as from myself. I hope for new adventures, discoveries and knowledge, and love. I hope all of this love (the love I am so lucky to feel and receive) will continue.

3. Energy and Ability
I'm not giving up food, alcohol, caffeine...no way am I giving up caffeine, but I am grateful for my natural energy and the ability to take care of myself. I am grateful for the physical ability to walk (not just to the espresso machine, but to work and the grocery store and the clothes line, etc.), to run (not just for fun, but at work for ten hours a day), to bike and hike, kayak and swim, cook and clean, the list goes on. I am grateful for my health, physical and mental, and will continue to maintain it in 2010.

4. Art
This one might actually be a resolution. Although I am grateful for expression through art, and will continue to support artists in general, I made a silent promise to myself to write and read more in 2010. We have books galore, both here and in the States, and yet I take very little time to actually sit and read. My blog is evidence that I do not write nearly enough (at least not enough for me). Conor gave me a new journal for my birthday - I plan to use it more in 2010.

5. Conor
Last (for now), but certainly not least. Conor. It's too easy to say that my life would not be the same had Conor not walked in when he did. It's been six years, stretching back to 2004, and I am grateful for every second of it. And with Conor, shortly after Conor, came Bella, our beautiful little mutt. Our family. I look forward to many more adventures, late nights and early mornings, good days and bad days, hard work and lazy moments, laughter and more laughter, with Conor.

2009 was a good year. It was a great year. May my list of weaknesses grow shorter, even if I don't intend for them to through a New Year's resolution. And my strengths grow stronger.