Wanganui

Crikey!  I’m behind in updating the blog!  Two weeks ago we decided that since Glenn had several days off work, we’d take the girls out of school and see a bit of the country.  We drove up to Wanganui, a town about two hours northwest and on the Tasman Sea.  We left Tuesday night after Glenn’s orchestra rehearsal and got in a bit after ten to the Anndion Lodge.

Wanganui (also Whanganui—the Maori spelling) is about twice as large as Masterton.  On its main streets, canopies protect pedestrians from rain or harsh sunlight, and all the canopies have hanging flower baskets December through March.  It’s becoming a popular town for artists, especially glass artists, and the central business district is thriving with cafes, shops, and galleries drawing in crowds of locals and visitors alike.

We enjoyed a ride on a small paddleboat up the Wanganui River.  It’s the oldest paddleboat in use in New Zealand and was a pleasant journey, though the boat is powered by coal, so we were peppered with tiny black specks all over our clothing.  When we returned to the dock we meandered to a glass-blowing studio and watched in fascination while the artists performed their magic to create a glass cookie jar. 

The next day we drove along the Wanganui River Trail, and it quite literally is a trail in some areas, narrowing to one lane of gravel.  It was a bit disconcerting to drive along and see many areas where the cliff had collapsed onto the road, but the view toward the river was magnificent.  There were also several Maori meeting houses along our way, so we stopped and had a good look at a couple of them.  Katy and I enjoyed exploring an historic flour mill.   

As with most weekends, the girls had music lessons and orchestra rehearsals in Wellington, so we drove along the Tasman Sea on Friday.  Although the days are growing shorter and fall is in the air, we just had to stop at a beach and play for a bit.  While there, we saw a windsurfer who leapt several feet out of the water.  Glenn and I didn’t venture into the sea, but the girls braved the cold water for a time before shivering their way back to the car to be rinsed off and dried.

Over the weekend in Wellington, we took the girls to an indoor rock-climbing facility.  Glenn and I were taught to be the person on the ground and the girls were taught how to secure their safety lines, so we worked as teams to get them to the tops of the walls.  It turned out that the facility is owned by Ian Ferguson, a five-time Olympic gold-medalist.  His medal for kayaking was on display, as was the torch he carried for the Sydney games.  The clerk took out both and allowed the girls to handle them and be photographed with them.  Probably the only time any of us will be that close to an Olympic medal!

We plan to take more short trips around the country, even if we have to take the girls out of school.  This year is for learning about New Zealand and the South Pacific, and we are able to have direct experiences that just can’t be duplicated inside the four walls of a classroom.   

Moving and Shaking

Today is Friday, March 4, and people across the country are wearing black and red to remember and honor the people of Christchurch and all of Canterbury who have lost so much in the February 22 earthquake.  Red and black are the colors of many of the sports teams in Canterbury, so businesses and schools have encouraged employees and students to wear red and black and to make a donation to the relief fund.  Katy and Beth's school allowed children to wear "mufti"--non-uniforms--for the donation of a gold coin ($1 or $2), and Glenn and other medical staff are wearing red and black street clothes rather than the usual scrubs.

On February 22, I was at the grocery store and overheard two store clerks discussing the earthquake that had just taken place in Christchurch (Chch).  One had received a call from a family member, and it sounded as if it might be much worse than the one in September.  Unfortunately, although the quake was lower on the Reichter Scale, it was nearer the surface and did far more damage than The Sept. 4 earthquake.  but it wasn't until after I had picked up the girls from school and put dinner on that I checked my email and realized that, of course, people back in the U.S. would be hearing the reports and would be concerned about us.  My mom had emailed a quick plea to contact her ASAP, and my Facebook page was filling up with "Are you OK?"  Here, the distance from Masterton to Christchurch seems tremendous, but to loved ones in the U.S., a devastating earthquake in New Zealand seemed as if it must have affected us directly.  So somewhat belatedly, I began contacting family and friends and giving them updates and reassurances.

Glenn was asked whether he would go to Christchurch if needed, along with a medical team from Masterton.  He called me to ask what I thought, and we both agreed that he should volunteer.  Within a few days, he was told that there was no place to lodge additional volunteers in Chch, so patients were being sent out of the city and to Queenstown, Dunedin, and other hospitals around the South Island.  There is still a chance that he may be asked to go to one of those cities to relieve their doctors, but it looks unlikely now that he will go directly to Canterbury.

The day after the quake, our shipment of personal goods arrived--a mere 117 days after being packed up in Tulsa.  While I had anticipated the arrival of our goods as being a joyful day, the news of the quake shifted my mood considerably.  I had the television on all day, the way we do after a disaster, and heard nonstop of the destruction in Chch.  All this time, I was unpacking our clothing, books, and kitchenware, and wondering why in the world I had brought more than 40 pairs of socks?  And when was the last time I really wore that outfit?  Why'd we bring so much stuff?!!  The irony of our overabundance and the people of Chch's loss of everything motivated me to make clothing donations to people who have been displaced.  The girls were especially generous in their donations, and we now have a couple of boxes of goods to give away.

We all were concerned about the family we had stayed with in December--Pauline, Gerald, and teenage Melanie--as their B&B was quite near the Central Business District.  I tried to contact them but was unable, and eventually I discovered the people search website that was set up to report or find persons missing since the quake.  A friend of Pauline's had posted that she was trying to locate them, so I emailed her and told her that I, too, was trying to check on them.  Within a few days, she emailed me that Pauline's sister had spoken with her cousin, and that they are OK.  Their house, unfortunately, is most likely damaged. 

There have been many aftershocks on the South Island, and now we are experiencing some activity on the North Island (though Glenn and I never seem to feel them).  There was a quake in the Tasman Sea near Wellington on Tuesday of 4.5, and another last night on the other side of Mount Rimutaka that was a 4.7--but both were fairly deep.  Because they happened after everyone was in bed, we didn't feel them or hear anything rattle, but people in town have felt them.  I've added a link to this blog for tracking earthquake activity, in case anyone is interested in following the seismic activity of New Zealand. 

I was also quite moved by a photo montage that was played during the news reports.  Pictures of the disaster were shown while the national anthem was sung, and although it wasn't "my" anthem, it brought me to tears.  The new Zealand national anthem is beautiful, sung in Maori and English.  The anthem speaks of love, justice, freedom and peace.  I've also added a link to those lyrics, and there are several YouTube versions of the anthem being sung. 

Meanwhile, it's late summer.  The days are becoming noticeably shorter, and the mornings and evenings are cool.  Fall will be here soon; today feels like fall with drizzle and wind.  We are making our plans to go to Australia during the two-week school break in April .  Glenn will attend a medical conference; then we will have some family vacation time.  Since the schools have three two-week beaks during the year, we will be able to go to several places throughout the year; and since the hospital is quite generous with its leave, Glenn will have the time, too.  We'll just have to hope that the ground underneath us settles down so that WE can be the movers and shakers.