August 21, 2005
Boo hoo! Our last day! We're forcing ourselves to smile over the flat white and long black at breakfast...
With only a few hours before we have to head to the airport, we decide to blow through a few museums, which in New Zealand, or at least in Christchurch, are free! Our first stop was the Canterbury Museum, which gave us a nice overview of the history of New Zealand, from ancient Maori culture to dinosaurs once roaming the area, to weather patterns of the South Pacific, to explorations of the Antarctic. Jack found a bicycle that fit him perfectly.
After we walked down a reconstructed street of colonial Chirstchurch, complete with fake people in fake shops, we popped out at the exit and walked down the real street to the Christchurch Art Gallery, an impressive, swirling display of glass and steel.
I guess we didn't really feel like looking at the art in there, because after about half an hour, we were back outside enjoying the sunshine at the market square, and enjoying our last meal in New Zealand -- chicken kebab in a pita, bought fresh off of the cart -- while listening to a jazz trio playing under the bluest of skies.
After lunch, we headed back to the hostel, passing some of the famous landmarks along the way. This first guy,
I'll call him Sir Scott, (Scott being his last name and I can't remember his first, I think it was Edmund) was a New Zealander who led an expedition to Antartica, hoping to be the first one to put a New Zealand flag on the South Pole, only to find that the Norwegians had beat him there a month earlier. Sadly, he and his crew never made it home. The last entry in his journal was something really noble, about how he didn't regret his endeavor for a second. He said, "For God's sake, take care of my people." I almost cried. The other statue, the one facing Christ's Cathedral, is the guy who founded Canterbury. I forgot his name too.
We stopped off at a grocery store to see if they had a special cereal that I had fallen in love with when I was in Switzerland, and lo and behold, they had only 3 boxes of it, all different flavors! Fruity Bix- yum! They're small, bite-sized morsels of flaky wheaty goodness, with dried fruit baked right in. Of course, I bought all 3 boxes. Hey, if Jack can have his wine, I can have my cereal.
And then, we're back at the hostel, waiting to be picked up for the airport. We're flying from Christchurch to Auckland, then straight home to SFO.
As if New Zealand was saying goodbye to us, we were treated to a ravishing sunset in the air as we flew to Auckland. And that's it. That's our trip.
I can't believe how quickly 14 days can pass by, and yet, when I look back on all of the things that we've done on this trip, it feels like we've acquired a small lifetime of experiences. I absolutely love New Zealand. The beautiful scenery, the interesting wildlife, the friendly, laid back attitude, the adventuresome spirit, the food and wine... it was one of the most amazing trips I've ever taken. Above it all, however, it occurred to me the other day that this is the longest amount of time that Jack and I have ever spent every waking moment together doing the same thing. Of course we live together and have been happily married for two (!) years, but the space shared at home is quite different to the space shared when travelling. We were at each other's side pretty much 24 hours a day. And not a single conflict! Not to say that I expected any, but really, in the end, I feel so blessed and fortunate to have, not just a travel companion, but a companion for life, like Jack. Each day that passed only made us happier to be together. Ok, I'm getting all mushy, but I do feel that what I learned most of all from this trip is that God created an awe-inspiring, breathtaking, profoundly complex world, and I've been given an understanding, intelligent and loving partner with whom to explore it, to make sense of it and to nurture it. With that in mind, I'm looking forward to a lifetime of discovery and wonder.
Journaling about our days not only helps us to remember the things that happened, but in a way, it gives us a chance to tie our introspections of a distant land to the things that we love at home. Thanks for hanging in there with us. I hope you've enjoyed the journey.
Kia Ora.
