Kiwi Mix

This post will be another short one, I'm afraid, as we have still done little more than sleep late, eat 5 meals a day, and stare at the computer, but we've continued to have a wonderful time in NZ despite our thus far unsuccessful search for jobs and an apartment. We did occasionally get out of the house, especially because the weather remained absolutely gorgeous, sunny, and unseasonably warm, perfect for a run through the Botanic Garden, a visit to a couple wineries, or a spin in a vintage Austin Healy.

As luck would have it, such a car lives in the garage, and Simon was kind enough to take me for a ride.

Ben and I also made time to join in a local "Self Transcendence" road race sponsored by the international Sri Chin Moy group. The route was dotted with oddly motivational signs telling us runners that success is achieved only through knowing yourself, or something like that, but they must have worked as Ben took home the prize for the half marathon (with a course record, to boot!) and I ran a respectable 10K. Ben is so far 2-0 in races on this trip, and feeling quite pleased. Too bad we'll just miss the NY Marathon when we get home!

We were fortunate enough to time our trip to coincide with the annual Christ's College Black and White Ball, which was a lovely event in appreciation of the school's board and parents. It was the first time I've ever name dropped my new last name to get an impressed reaction - the benefit of now being related to the headmaster! It's hilarious to me to think about the extremes of our trip - climbing through dirty jungles in Vietnam, attempting to sleep on a dusty, non-air-conditioned bus in India versus sitting at the head table and drinking champagne at a black tie event and gliding through Hong Kong harbor in a privately chartered boat, again sipping champagne. Luckily we're traveling with a versatile wardrobe. I knew those heels would get some use!

Another favorite sight has been the college itself, which Simon took the time to show us around. The beautiful Victorian stone campus buildings are impeccable, and all the boys heading to class in their suits were very well-behaved - impressive!

We did actually get out of Christchurch, once, in order to walk on Fox Glacier, about a 6-hour drive away. My abilities at driving on the left continue to improve, so we made the drive through an incredibly beautiful mountain pass and along the west coast without any problems.

The town of Fox Glacier consists of one bar, two cafes, and glacier-walking guides, but we were able to get a cheap motel room and a decent dinner. Our glacier walk the next morning was beautiful - another sunny day counteracted the chilly glacier breezes and although our actual time on the ice was rather short, the 4-hour hike to get there and back was a lot of fun. The glacier itself was quite impressive, a huge expanse of ice that pours down from a narrow valley into a wider plain and ends at an expanse of rocks and small ponds, left behind as the glacier has receded in recent years. Without the pressure of the ice, the sides of the valley are rather unstable, and we even saw some boulders come crashing down the hillside (a safe distance away!) which apparently happens every day. Once on the ice we were able to trudge around with crampons on our boots and get some beautiful views of blue ice and the valley below.

Sadly, we knew our comfy time with the family would have to come to an end, and we are now in the Auckland airport heading to Chile. Between Jane's amazing cooking and the general spoilage we've received, it actually is quite difficult to get back in the swing of things and haul our luggage around again. We've had such a fabulous time without an ounce of stress - truly a vacation from our vacation. Still, South American has always been #1 on my list of places to visit, and I'm so excited to finally be on our way. It feels like we're on the home stretch, with so many good things behind us, and even more ahead!