The Word from Dunedin

Some Wedding Photo's

2008-02-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

The most nervous part of the day for Pete!
Stephen and Dave were excellent groomsmen.

Evangelene, Michaela, Ellen, Desray and Claire

Guests from the UK are transported to the reception
in style!

Putiputi - Flower

2007-11-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

Driving into Milford we were asked to close our eyes, like children, and emerging from the Homer tunnel like this was exciting; what were we going to see? Were we going to be met by clear weather, and a stunning vista of mountain walls and open skies?

No of course we weren't. It was raining, and the thick grey cloud hung about us, obscuring the view of the landscape. Still, it was with great excitement and optimism that we arrived for our boat-trip at the terminal, boarded our craft, and stowed our luggage below.

We had placed ourselves in the trust of RealJourneys, a company that operates tour buses and boats in and out of Milford Sound. Our launch was the Milford Mariner, a very well fitted craft with ample viewing decks, a full kitchen, flushing loos, hot showers and a licensed bar. It could carry about 65 but there were only 30 or so of us on this trip, in the off-season. Service was excellent, and I would recommend this trip to everyone and anyone. We were accompanied by a posher and more expensive launch the Milford Wanderer, which features in two of the photographs below!

As we left the small jetty at Milford and headed-out into the sound, we began to see the great cataracts emerging from the cliff tops and crashing their way down into the water. All around us the water trickled and flooded. Light drizzle and wafting fog became steady rain, and spray surrounded the bow of the ship, until I was throughly wet all over, and thankful for my raincoat and plastic over-trousers. I was largely on my own for these first few minutes as we headed down the sound, past waterfalls and darkened shores. To my surprise many of the passengers opted to sit indoors, as though this was any-old trip, a pleasure boating exercise on a duck pond perhaps. This proclivity continued through most of the trip, with only a few passengers venturing forth for any long period of time, and I felt isolated - as though my behaviour of staying out on deck was strange. Though to me, it was their behaviour that was the stranger, as they were missing-out on all the wonderful things I saw. Surely it was complaints of cold, and the rain, that caused people to stay below deck - and not a lack of wonder for the environment of Milford Sound?

The highlight of the first day was kayaking on a small tour of the bay where we had moored for the night. Apart from getting even wetter in the rain and splash of the paddles, we were given an excellent commentary and shown some of the more interesting aspects of the sound. For example the surface water is a fresh mixture of rain water and silt washed from the mountainous sides of the fiord. This layer is quite earthy to the taste and not too salty. Below this layer (about a metre or so) is the seawater, which is home to many deepwater species which exist close to the surface here in Milford Sound, due to the relative calm and the light-filtering qualities of the surface layer. Black corals, anenomes and varieties of squid are all found here at surprisingly shallow depths. We also saw a seal pup hauled-out on a rock, and Fiordland crested penguins, one of the most endangered, hopping about and making a racket just onshore. At one point along the cove is a great iron chain and anchorage discarded from some vessel many years ago. It highlights the peculiar history of man in this area, not least how recently it is that Milford has come to be inhabited, and how fragile that inhabitation continues to be. Although beautiful, and a boon to sailors travelling the South West Coast of New Zealand, this is not a hospitable place. Overnight we had a beer and talked about murihiku - the shadow land of Fiordland, and then got an early night. I was up at six for sun-rise and saw a wonderful starry night over Milford.

Day two of the Milford trip is coming up . . .

Mahinga - working

2007-10-24T02:59:00.000-07:00

Mahinga - working, as in "mahinga kai" - cultivation or food gathering

This week's post is a special one, because Ellen is back from Japan, and there are only three months or thereabouts until the wedding. I have just got back myself from an awe-inspiring trip to Fiordland, or arawhenua - the shadow land. Readers from New Zealand will be expecting tales of strong south-westerly gales, as the southern tips of New Zealand have been experiencing 170km/h winds over the last few days. However, we were incredibly lucky with the weather on our trip, and only on our return did we experience those buffeting winds. We were treated to almost perfect weather for our two days in Milford Sound.

On day one we left at 5am to drive to Te Anau. We travelled via Gore and Clifden in Southland. Clifden has its very own suspension bridge - which is a clear replica of the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol - which was my sole reason for going there. However I was surprised to see that there is no acknowledgment of the bridge's pedigree in the local signage. I cannot fathom how the New Zealand Historic Places Trust has failed to recognise the significance of a miniature replica of IKB's famous suspension bridge design in this remote part of the South Island, but my contact at the Trust assures me that this embarrassing oversight will be raised at the highest level forthwith. It is after all, not what you know but who you know that counts!

On day two we got up to watch England lose to South Africa in the RWC final because the fourth official couldn't recognise a clear try when he saw one.

Today was the day we were going to Milford Sound! The trip had been built-up in my mind and we were apprehensive as we boarded the coach, Mike and I, as to what was in store for us. We had been talking about, and planning the trip, for days, and so when we finally set-off from Te Anau we were extremely excited and ready for the trip of a lifetime.

The road to Milford winds through Fiordland National Park, up the Eglinton River through beech forest and over The Divide which is the lowest pass through the Southern Alps. From here it winds up the Hollyford Valley through incredible snow fields and into the Homer Tunnel. The Homer Tunnel was built during the Great Depression by men paid two cents an hour (current NZD rate) in some of the harshest conditions possible. The area is prone to avalanche and is snowed-in four to five months of the year. It is three or four hours drive by coach from the nearest town, and that's travelling at today's speeds. In 1910 this would have been literally, the middle of nowhere, and terribly hard hard work.

On the other side of the tunnel is the Cleddau valley (pronounced Clethay - as in Welsh) which winds down towards Milford itself. This is stunning countryside. The average rainfall is a massive 6m a year. The landscape is carved by glacier from the last ice-age and the flora is quintessential New Zealand; tree ferns, beech forest, flaxes and mosses. The only terrestrial wildlife we saw was the native parrot, the Kea:

and now it is bedtime so the story will continue tomorrow . .

Whakarongo mai!

2007-10-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Whakarongo mai - "listen up!"

I had an amazing trip with the Andersen family through to Lake Taupo last month. We stayed at Hatepe in the bach and enjoyed several days of true whanau-style recreation. John provided an amazing barbecue on day one, and then on day two we went to AC Baths to enjoy the hot pools and Erik and I even had a go on the kiddy's pool inflatable assault course. Erik only won because I let him!

We did a very good walk along the Waikato to Huka Falls. I enjoyed seeing the native bush there, quite different to the environment here in Dunedin - central North Island is relatively tropical! Although I doubt those who live there would see it that way . . .

I felt my first earthquake whilst I was there, a good 4.5 shake which was centred very close to where Paul and I were fishing. My immediate thought was that somebody was chopping trees down. I heard a real rumble and then a shudder. Since then we have had two or three quakes in Dunedin, which were quite different, much shakier and longer-lasting. Dare I say it, I am getting used to the idea of regular earthquakes!?

I should mention that Paul was the only one fishing at the time, I was battling through undergrowth on the opposite back in order to retrieve some tackle which we had snagged on an over-hanging branch. When I finally made it to the right spot, Paul had hooked a gorgeous trout!

Talking of the trip as a whole, I have to say it was exciting to leave Dunedin behind for a while and see bits of New Zealand familiar to me, as if I weren't many many miles from home and on the other side of the world. In fact, leaving Dunedin I realised it felt a bit like home - familiar, comfortable, and perhaps a little boring.

This weekend I am taking a trip to Milford Sound with a friend from work. I promise some photo's on my return!

Just some pictures

2007-09-04T00:23:00.000-07:00

I've been wishing to share these for some time - just a few snaps I'm proud of, from around Dunedin in August.

First up a bunch of early show daffs from our garden.

Next a snap of me with the Mornington First XI Football Team:

And lastly a picture of last week's lunar eclipse - a once in seven year event apparently. Luna rossa sounds Italian - it describes the phenomenon better than 'lunar eclipse' I think!

Kikorangi - sky blue

2007-08-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

Kikorangi - sky blue. As in, he kikorangi tōna whare - his house is sky blue.

To the hills!

The mountain spine of New Zealand's South Island was given the imaginative name 'The Southern Alps' by James "call me Captain Obvious" Cook on March 23rd 1770. I believe it was known locally at the time as te tiritiri o te moana and is thought in the Maori ontology to embody some frozen sailors from an ancient godly canoe. The lead sailor (and tallest mountain) is Aoraki and he is there, turned to stone by the freezing winds, with his brothers.

Our Captain Obvious called Aoraki, the tallest mountain in New Zealand, 'Mount Cook' (see below).

It took about an hour to drive from our motel in Kurow to the foot of Lake Pukaki to get this shot of Aoraki and I. Aoraki was certainly hanging out in the clouds that day, with his head the only spot of moisture in the otherwise clear blue skies.

We had left Dunedin for a weekend of culture!

This part of the Waitaki is rich in Maori rock art dating from pre-contact times aswell as from the 19th century. Local people left a variety of images drawn on favoured limestone outcrops, using a mixture of animal fats and plant resins, plus ochre, to describe abstract patterns and features. Some animals and humans can be discerned, and later drawings feature European sailing ships and men on horseback. The image shown is a lizard (according to Ellen) and a man (according to me), you need to see the whole site to form an opinion, but it's certainly open to interesting interpretations!

Ellen is working on interpretive information boards and site design for these areas, in her role as Maori Heritage Advisor for the Historic Places Trust.

It took us three hours to drive each way and so we made sure to stop and enjoy the view along the way. Moeraki is about an hour's drive North of Dunedin and features some quite remarkable geological curiosities called, again quite imaginatively, The Moeraki Boulders:

Tradition holds that the boulders are the treasure of a foundered canoe, arai te uru, which brought kumara (the sweet potato) from Hawaiiki, the ancestral lands of Maori. The kumara was washed ashore and became stone here at Moeraki. They are a fitting testament to an amazing feat of technology and daring which was achieved by prehistoric men and women: namely the transport of the South American sweet potato plant to New Zealand, via the enormous Pacific Ocean.

Te Aniwaniwa - The Rainbow

2007-06-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

* A note on terminology - I had previously entitled this post 'te kopere - the rainbow', which is plain wrong because rainbow in Maori is aniwaniwa, so I changed it. Paul tells me that te kopere may mean mist, but our dictionary here lists te kopere meaning a sling or dart. Clarification welcome!

I took these photo's on the way to work this week. The mood in Dunedin during the recent cold snap has been one of grim determination, not to let the weather spoil the party. Road gritting lorries have been up and down outside our house, and they also now spray a kind of acetate to lower the freezing point of water, but still the cars skid and slide across the considerably steep street and regularly are abandoned by their drivers half parked, half wedged against the kerb.

On the left is First Church, a presbyterian church begun in 1862, which has been described by the Institute of Architects as a “Magnificent example of Gothic Architecture”. On the right is Dunedin railway station, "the most photographed building in New Zealand". It's architect, George Troup , was nicknamed Gingerbread George because of the decorative style he employed. Inside the station are some marvellous railway themed mosaics which my grandad would have fallen in love with.

Returning home from work I cross the railway line back into the city, leaving behind the waterfront industrial area, and looking back over my shoulder I can see out towards the mouth of the inlet where, on this particular day, a rainbow was shining through the cloud.

And during the recent snow showers, Ellen and I were able to go out and build ourselves some new friends. Say hello to Ice Man and Mr Frosty:

Rawe

2007-05-31T03:08:00.000-07:00

Rawe, meaning lovely

As in "ko rawe to blog mea", your blog-thing is lovely. Thanks Paul!

This coming Monday is the Queen's Birthday here in New Zealand. We will be celebrating, along with all the other Kiwis, by staying in bed a little longer and getting out and about to enjoy some of the winter weather. It's unseasonally warm at the moment I'm told, and some evenings when the wind is blowing in from Central Otago it feels like a warm summer breeze. Still, the sun is barely risen by 8am and disappears just after 5:00. Mid-winter approaches, though without the satisfying promise of Christmas.

This post is dedicated to Ellen's brother Paul, his wife Joella, and their baby Noah. The three have recently moved to a new home in the Wairarapa and Noah has enjoyed his Dedication, surrounded by friends and family (although I just couldn't make it in the end)! Noah is shown here being carried by his paternal grandfather, John.

I've started working full time for Steel & Tube Reinforcing as an Administrator. This is not my dream job. However I'm learning tons about the steel industry and about company accounts etc. This job will be OK for a while - at least until the wedding, and I am really glad to be earning a regular wage. Working conditions are pretty cool - I am part of a small team within a larger company and we have lots and lots of work on. The atmosphere is quasi-building site at times and very conservative at other times. I am making some friends and generally enjoying it. Plus I get to buy power tools at supply prices. Bonus!

Ellen and I have been enjoying using the local swimming pool, which is one of the best I've ever been to because of its size and sophistication. We get up really early and hang out in the spa which is surrounded by native bush, and then we use the dive and lap pools. Someday I might have a go in the kids pool when the wave machine is on! Football is going really well and I am definitely going to score some goals this weekend. I am predicting one diving header in at the near post and one ranging shot from 15 yards or so, in-off the far post.

Wedding planning is developing apace. We have a budget up and running and are developing a timeline. We have done lots of research using NZ Bride & Groom Magazine which is pretty hilarious. Have you ever seen rings made of titanium? Oh yes, for that special Terminator in your life! Ellen wants me to assure you that these are library loans and not purchases. I particularly like the sections on ceremonial protocol, I didn't know I was such a traditionally minded person! Ellen's favourite sections are the invitation design examples, a topic she is only mildly obsessed with right now.

ANZAC day post

2007-04-24T17:20:00.002-07:00

It's been a long time since my last post here, partly because I've been busy looking for work and other things to do, but partly because I've begun to feel settled here and the time has been flying past! Today is ANZAC day - a dawn ceremony in all major towns and cities has been conducted to commemorate the war-dead. Ellen attended one in Auckland that broke all records for attendance, and I listened on the radio from the relative safety of bed.

I'm now working two separate jobs; one in a steel factory which is very new to me, and one processing applications in a Government department which is really familiar. I am working in the mornings for New Zealand Steel & Tube, in the reinforcing section here in Dunedin. My main responsibility is ordering and processing new jobs on the computer, but I've also spent some time in the workshop using a steel shear to cut reid bar. Not bad work! I'm not used to the strong impetus of having customers demanding a product, or to working in a heavy industry environment, but it's quite good.

Our football team is not doing quite so well, with two resounding defeats in the first two games. Partly because I'm yet to play a full game ofcourse! However we are improving on our game and remain optimistic. Off the field, it has been great getting to know new friends and seeing more of Dunedin. Ellen has even been training with the womens' team, and so it's become an almost daily part of our lives.

Our little house gets quite cold when the wind blows and we are investing in our heavy curtain to seal our lounge from the draftier kitchen area. The worm farm is getting up to capacity and the little wormies are munching through ca. 250g a day. Our pea plants are slowly working their way across an improvised trellis. The soil is quite poor and I will have to thin them out soon to keep them alive.

Parakuihi

2007-03-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

parakuihi: breakfast. As in, kua whakareri tōku wahine i te parakuihi or my wife has prepared breakfast.

Dunedin continues to be an exciting and promising place to live. The last few weeks have seen some glorious weather, and we took a lovely trip to St Kilda to visit the ocean there. It is only a short bus ride away and promises some awesome surfing opportunities despite the threat of sharks (including white pointers, or "porkers" as Quint calls them, Hooper would say: "It's a Carcharadon carcarias, it's a Great white"). But Jaws quotes aside, the risk has got to be low, right?

The worm farm is slow to start as the little wormies chomp through the coconut husk bedding they were provided with and shun the relatively unpalatable kitchen scraps. I hope to wean them off the coconut within the next few weeks so we can start putting most of our green waste in there, rather than ini the straightforward compost heap. Whether you like it or not, I will keep you posted! We have also planted peas and spinach and have a healthy coriander plant growing. That's really exciting because it is supposedly quite hard to grow in colder climes.

Ellen has been very busy at work and has been enjoying fitting our new place with furniture and bits and pieces of kitchenware etc. It is all looking very good and we hope to be buying a nice couch soon so we can enjoy the winter evenings in front of our open fire. Both of us are thinking of the wedding nect year and how awesome it is going to be to have friends and family all together. Also, we happy many of the travellers from overseas will be able to stay with us here in Dunedin as part of their trip and to enjoy some of Otago's famous attractions.

I have joined a football team called Mornington and hope to get into the first team this season. It is a small side and not expected to do well. Come on the underdogs!

whakairi(a)

2007-03-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

whakairi(a): to hang, as in e whakairia ana ngā kākahu horoi e taku wahine.
The washing is being hung by my wife.

We took a drive out to Taieroa head this week. There was an official welcome for Ellen and so her managers from Wellington were in Dunedin, it was the perfect opportunity to do some sight-seeing!

There is a stone embankment all the way around the peninsula which was originally built by convicts from the Parihaka settlement of Maori in the North Island. These Maori used passive resistance against the encroachment of Europeans, and were essentially enslaved after a bloody attack by men on horseback and were then transported around New Zealand. Many ended up down here breaking rocks and building the roadway.

At the end of the peninsula there are the remains of a pa, which were Maori hill forts, which was built to defend the area when successive waves of Maori were moving South from the North Island. There is also a British-built cannon underneath the hill which was installed to protect Dunedin from invasion by the Russians (?!) Repeated clearing of the native bush on Taieroa head has produced a habitat suitable for nesting of the Royal Albatross and there is now protection of the site for these magnificent birds. On the rocks below the head we saw sea lions and a yellow-eyed penguin, one of the world's rarest. Awesome!

At the bottom of our street is St Joseph's Cathedral (above) which is one of Dunedin's most magnificent buildings. The original plans inicluded a 60 metre spire but repeated attempts to complete that section have met problems, with insufficient foundation work being the current bug-bear.

Ellen and I often joke that we wish we lived further down the hill so that we could look out on St Joseph's, rather than the local high-school gymnasium, a monolith of concrete, which is our main vista from the living room.

Our front balcony does get a nice view of the harbour if you crane your neck. It is now home to my first worm farm which is a good alaternative to composting that I am trying out.

Taonga

2007-03-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

taonga meaning treasure or thing of importance

view down the hill from our front door

I am spending my days shopping for bits and pieces that we need around the home, and doing research for a job application which is coming up. Our house is tidy, and quite pleasant. We are looking forward to bulking up with some furniture for upstairs and some dining room chairs. We are sitting on garden chairs at the moment!

I have been in touch with a local builder who is converting a Dominican Priory into a Motel. We think he is working for the same people who run the Brother's hotel here in Dunedin, which was also a monastery prior to its current use. Ellen is a fan of the Brother's and so I might see if I can get some experience working on the restoration of the priory. It sounds like an interesting job. Currently I am hoping to get an interview with the local council for a job.

We have decided on February 9th of next year for our wedding. This means that the weather will be reasonably better than January. More settled at least. We are hoping to confirm the venues over the next week or so. It is all quite exciting.

Matua

2007-02-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

Matua meaning uncle (literally, "older man"), as in he matua ahau - or I am an uncle!

Here is a picture of me with Noah James Andersen, my first ever nephew:

Noah is Paul (Ellen's brother) and Joella's first child. He was born at Masterton hospital in the Wairarapa on February 16th at 12:15pm.. He weighed 5lb11oz.

pungawerewere

2007-02-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

Pungawerewere meaning spider,

as in e huna ana te pūngāwerewere i roto i te māra, or the spider is hiding in the garden.

The fair weather continues, allowing me to finish the ornamental paving! The part of the garden shown in the above photo is the herb garden, at the back and to the right is the beginning of the long bed at the rear of the garden. We have increased the size of the lawn, reseeding it, and making it easier to manage the garden maintenance. Here is the veggie patch:

We have pak choi, peas, lettuces and celery. The pak choi grew very well indeed and the lettuces are just becoming ready about now!

Last night I went out to an open-air production of As You Like It. It rained, and the actors enjoyed ad-libbing to the crowd about the misery of ill-weather &c &c. The show was very enjoyable, it was great to go to the theatre after a long time away from it. Upon returning home I found England were 170 for 3 against Australia and the chance turned into a win - an exciting win!

whakatipu

2007-02-05T01:43:00.001-08:00

Whakatipu meaning to grow. Whaka is a common prefix in Maori which means to make. In this case making growing, as in whakatipu ana te hua rakau or, the fruit tree grows!

Svend's garden in Kilbirnie has been doing lots of growing and is looking absolutely lovely. Today I planted a couple of feijoa trees and a small hebe. The lettuces and peas are really coming along! Some ornamental edging has gone in and all that is left is some finishing touches. Good timing, as we are moving to Dunedin in a matter of weeks. I will miss being in the garden! It is great to be working outside and enjoying the sun. Today it was so hot I had to take the extreme measure of swimming in the ocean after work - an adventure that surprised Ellen and her family as the water here is somewhat cold. However, it felt great to be back in the sea after too long as a land-lubber!

Tomorrow is Waitangi day, commemorating the signing of the famous treaty. The treaty of Waitangi was written in 1840 on behalf of the British Crown, and was signed by some of the chiefs of the tribes of the New Zealand Maori, in order to bring a settlement between them and the Europeans, and found a nation state and government in New Zealand. It is seen as the birth certificate of the New Zealand nation, and duly celebrated. However disagreements over the meaning of the treaty continue to this day, and there is no small amount of ill-feeling on both sides regarding the rights of Maori over their own sovereignty, and the rights of the New Zealand Government to legislate for all. Waitangi day is also Bob Marley's birthday, and many Wellingtonians choose to celebrate this instead.

hua rakau

2007-02-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hua rakau meaning fruit tree in Maori. The first 'a' of rakau needs a macron (which is a short line written above it to denote a long pronunciation, as in car rather than bat) but I don't know how to add them using this technology! There are many native trees in New Zealand producing fruit. The kiwifruit is not among them - kiwifruit is Chinese, it's the national fruit of the People's Republic of China!

So we're moving to Dunedin in two or three weeks (life is so very vague sometimes) and hence we are house hunting and worrying about what I'm going to do for work and what it's going to be like etc. Meanwhile I am still working hard in Svend's garden and looking forward to taking some photo's to share with the blogosphere. It has been lovely here over the last few days and i have enjoyed being outdoors. I am a little nervous about the Dunedin winter, I hope it's no worse than Oxford!

Recreation has included a couple of games of chess by correspondence. I secretly hope I am winning in the first game but my partner has not sent me a move for a few days. I secretly hope that's because he knows I am winning! The second game is just opening and my partner is contracted in a major new movie production and may not be able to study his moves for a while. Oh well, these things can wait. We have also been to see the new Bond movie which was thoroughly entertaining, and Borat, which was thoroughly crass. No surprises there then. Lastly we saw the History Boys which is almost beyond description. We enjoyed it, and it is one of those thoughtful films you find yourself pondering over for days. I didn't ponder much over Bond or Borat, as you can probably imagine.