Boulders...Galloping Down the Mountainsides

Last weekend, I tramped over the Pouakai ranges behind Mt. Taranaki at Egmont National Park over two days.  It's the most challenging overnight tramp--or hike!--that I've done to date.  And so far, I'm loving it. I went with a Meetup group; strangers, really.  We traversed over alien-like landscapes of towering rock faces and delicate waterfalls carved into the side of Mt. Taranaki, a sleeping volcano that's ready to erupt any time now; and over open swamp lands before we ascended the Pouakai ranges that undulate to the north of Mt. Taranaki.  We saw views of the sprawling farm land of New Plymouth beyond.  We climbed the peak of Mt. Henry, and then descended again into luscious bush, filled with trickling streams and beautiful fauna.  The fog rolled in fairly early that weekend, hovering over us and making it all seem like we were dropped into scenes from the Lord of the Rings.  Isn't this why I came to New Zealand?!

The power of nature--though, truly, the climate was very much tame for the two days--can really break down a person.  All the more reason to owe it homage and to never go unprepared for such a trip.  Being that I was with a group of strangers, I was more nervous about what to expect out of them than I was to that of the trail.  Sure enough, two of the girls got on my last nerve (cue the head-shaking and finger snapping that I often borrow from my African-American sistas).  I absolutely abhor whiners, ESPECIALLY when I'm trying to enjoy the majesty of nature.  They complained that hut conditions were not suitable on our first night, or that the trip organizer, Ray, was being unfair.  They were ill-prepared, carrying heavy drink cans, ceramic bowls, and JEANS!  One of them was left behind when she didn't turn up after over an hour behind us.  (We went back to pick her up, don't worry).  Why come along the trip if you're going to be so unpleasant?  And when the girl-who-was-left-behind, began to give our trip organizer a piece of her upset mind, I just wanted to tell her to shut up: don't go blaming others for you mis-communication.  Not that it was necessarily her fault--shit happens--but she should've told someone that she would be too far behind, especially after Ray had already tried to put her in front of him and she insisted that he not!  A simple mistake gone terribly wrong, but why cry over spilt milk?

And then one dude was also left behind because he'd twisted his ankle on the first day and then insisted that he not take the short route after it was offered to him a half a dozen times...MEN!  Either he really did not just hear the offer (which I saw him say no directly to multiple times) or he's dumb.  Probably having further injured himself, he followed our 12km trail on the second day, and again, forced us to make the difficult decision of whether to go ahead to New Plymouth for lunch or wait indefinitely.  (Don't worry, we came back for him too.)

One can argue that we should have waited on the "no man left behind policy."  But remember that we were strangers, and not equipped with time or the right gear to make a rescue if indeed that's what we had needed to do.  The members of the group were repeatedly given schedules and the warning that one needs to be FIT to accomplish the hike.  So, no, don't go screaming at the trip organizer that it's his fault for making the members-left-behind wait for an extra 3.5 hours while we toured New Plymouth.  They're lucky that he even came back!

Whewwwwww, good to get that out.  I don't like being angry in a country that is supposed to bring me peace.  In all, the trip was amazing, and the other half the group that wasn't on my last nerve was lovely.  One girl loved to sing Disney songs, while a pair of older ladies were such a treat just to chat with on the trail.  Granted, they were Kiwi or Australian; the others were German, Canadian (who was the yeller--real surprise there), and a Filipino (**head against table**).  Does this represent a conclusion??  I won't go there...

New Plymouth was a real treat.  We climbed a giant rock face near the coast and ate lunch by the waterfront.  The coast glistened in the sun when the clouds parted for just a couple of hours.  And the drive home, with views of sprawling, green farm land and numerous sheep, was again another visual form of spectacular.

As we sped back into Wellington (quite late, since we went back to pick up the others), I realized that this trip tested my patience for people, or perhaps the lackthereof I have the tendency to detest people quite quickly, and to remain in this prejudice even if it's not called for.  I'm not saying that I'm going to call up some of these people again any time soon to hang out, but I can't put too much effort into being against them, either.  It's better to just let things go and enjoy the bigger picture, in this case, Egmont National Park.  And nature can bare the best and the worst of people.  Again, another reason to bow down to its power.

A Merry Jest and Dance!

 

The Christmas season is in full swing.  Whereas last week, I was wondering whether Christmas would feel true despite the opposite season down under, I am now certain that that will not matter.  I had been suspecting that my increasingly endearing friends in Wellington would ease the homesickness during the approach to the holidays, but now it is no question!

 

We had our company Christmas party last Friday, and what a blast it was.  During the day on Friday, everyone was abuzz in preparation: we compared ugly jumpers, prepped our decorations, and wrapped our secret Santa gifts.  By the evening, and after a couple of warm-up cocktails, we stuck together like peas in a pod while we danced and laughed the night away.  I am at ease with these coworkers now, and though these are my professional colleagues, the late night antics and somewhat sloppy memories may make for a tight-knit atmosphere.  Going to work with your friends is so much more fun than going to work with a bunch of strangers.

 

Although another wild night out with coworkers (one of many already had and to come in the future) meant a half a day wasted on recovery the following morning, my weekend ensued with more intimate moments with friends.  Saturday evening, I went to dinner at the chic Osteria del Toro with Linda, Manu, Brian and Kristina, two married couples from my work and non-work worlds that I have now brought together.  Linda and Manu especially have become my surrogate family in Wellington, but amidst another bout of their light-hearted bickering, I was reminded of my mother and Father's dynamic.  Especially when Linda began asking me lovingly criticizing questions about how, where, and why I would ever want a tattoo, followed by Manu's silent nods of agreement, it was made official that they are faint echoes of my parents.  Kristina stood up for me like an older sister.  And when the other Christina, a new friend that we had invited along to dinner that night, complained to me later that Brian had kept her from the rest of conversation by talking too much, I found myself defending him--that's my bro you're talking about!

 

And then, when I awoke to an unseasonably cold and dark Sunday morning, I made the decision to put my usual weekend exploring to a rest.  My cozy early-morning breakfast with my flatmates solidified my decision.  Anthony, in particular, had earlier made the same decision for that day, and we spent the afternoon grocery shopping--via a 1 km drive down the road to Countdown--cooking, movie watching, and finishing our chores around the flat together.  When AJ was around during spots in the afternoon especially, we all three swooned over the good-looking actors in the movies we ogled over.  And other times, we sometimes simply sat quietly, enjoying the quiet, lazy Sunday.

 

Yes, indeed, this holiday season is festive!  My friends here have indeed begun to feel like family.  Although my friends are of a wide range of countries and cultures, I must attribute this feeling--so soon and so intense--to host culture that we are all living within: the kiwi psyche and the Māori family basis.  Their emphasis on "togetherness", on the balance between work and fun, and taking it easy, especially within the confines of one's home, makes this holiday season easier to take while away from my family.  With a merry jest and dance, it's jolly Christmas in New Zealand!

To Songs of Yore Resung

It's summer in New Zealand! - but it's December - and it's Christmas...oi, this feels weird!

Fortunately, in living in Wellington, the start of the New Zealand summer is off to a cold and rainy start.  After weekend weather that seemed to be teetering on the edge between what felt more like spring and fall weather, it feels a little less like an unusual season during the approach to Christmas.  AND, luckily for me, having grown up in Los Angeles, it actually feels cooler in Wellington than it often does in December in Southern California.  So bring on the tinsel and christmas lights against the shiny sun!  I'm ready for my first New Zealand Christmas!

Of course, the start of the Christmas season was made even weirder by Thanksgiving's absence.  Thanksgiving, with its extended long weekend at the end of November, is the gateway to an American Christmas.  Nonetheless, I spent a fun-filled Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with friends: Mamma Mia on Friday with Linda; a Kapiti Island day-hike (see gorgeous picture above) and potluck picnic at the Island's summit with the Love Wellington Meetup group (and Linda and her husband) on Saturday; a wild engagement party (rager) for a coworker that same evening; and an ugly Christmas jumper making party at another's coworker's flat with just the girls on Sunday.  In the end, isn't that what Thanksgiving and the start of the Christmas season is all about?  It means being with your friends and family, enjoying one another's company, and reminiscing on the year gone past as it comes to an happy end.  And when you can't be with your real family, you make your friends your surrogate family.  Sorted.

Having had such a jam-packed weekend, in which I met some new and very sweet people at the Kapiti day hike, and grew even closer to the Wellington friends that I've already made, the familiar sentiments of a traditional Thanksgiving are echoed, if not emphasized, during what should have been a typical long-weekend at home with my family in Los Angeles.  I am thankful for these adventures, both epic and intimate, with people both familiar and new.  I am thankful for the friendships that I've built and am building, for a family so supportive and loving, even from afar, and for the simple hope that so much good life is to come.  To songs of yore resung, and to the addition of new beginnings!