New Zealand Leftovers
As I sit in Thailand, it occurs to me that the time has come to wrap up the New Zealand stories. I'm having amazing experiences in Asia and I haven't even told you about Australia yet! So this isn't really a story; it's the leftover Chinese food from three nights ago, it's the little bits of five different jams, it's the half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from today's lunch, and the smidge of last night's vegetables you'll use in that soup you're planning on making tomorrow.
On Tour with Daffy: Many of you have commented that seeing Daffy in pics has been a real treat. (By the way, did you know I conducted several focus groups to select just the right Pez container?!)
 | Here's Daffy in Napier, a city that was destroyed by an earthquake in the 1930s and very deliberately rebuilt itself as an Art Deco city. It is charming, with a beautiful shoreline to boot. Here you're looking at the public bandshell with the ocean in the background. |
| I also went to Napier. |  |
| Daffy loved the Good Shepherd Church at Lake Tekapo. In the back of the church, behind the alter, the wall is glass so you can look at the lake while you worship. One of the most beautiful little spots! |  |
| Jenny and I also went to the Good Shepherd Church. Here you can see it in its entirety. |  |
 | And just so you don't think Daffy was lonely in New Zealand, he did connect with his "peeps" at Lake Wanaka. |
Random Pieces of Information: I tasted Vegemite here for the first time and it wasn't bad, but you have to consider that I like anchovies.
In the town of Fox Glacier, the men who frequent one pub have their own mugs identified by numbers.
The isolation of New Zealand means that it has great liberty in formulating policies that are untainted by neighbors. I was going to write a huge dissertation on this, but will let it ride for those cozy gatherings of my public policy friends. (Did I hear a sigh of relief from the rest of you?!)
No Lions, No Tigers, No Bears!: There are no land mammals native to New Zealand except for a particular species of bat. And as I mentioned before, New Zealand has a strict No Snake policy. So other than the many, many cows and sheep, there just aren't many animals to see. The country puts a lot of the tourists' attention on birds since they could get there in abundance. One thing I never got used to were the deer farms. You'd see deer grazing as if they were horses or just lying in a field like cows; it was really a bizarre sight. Before New Zealand, there were only two animals in this world that I would kill -- mosquitos and cockroaches. Add to this sandflies. They are teeny tiny and monstrous. I believe this is a policy of New Zealand to assure its beaches remain untouched.
| Since I so rarely take a good picture I had to include this one of me in front of the Picton Harbor. Too bad I was still learning how to use the photo editor when I uploaded this one -- the contrast is screwy. |  |
 | While I'm being vain, let me include one more shot of me, this one on the East Cape of the North Island, one of my favorite places. |
| Finally, a fitting way to depart New Zealand -- through a Maori gate. |  |