March 2011: New Zealand

As each month passes, we barely have time to process one country before we are in the midst of the next. We have been anticipating New Zealand for many months because Terry’s parents would be joining us for the entire time and an extra four days in Sydney at the end. Corbin adores his grandparents so much. Both of my parents are dead and even my “second mom” died this last September. So Terry’s parents are all Corbin has in the way of grandparents. Grandma joined us month one in Scotland for three weeks but to have both of them in New Zealand was very exciting.

Another reason we were VERY excited to fly to New Zealand was that Corbin and I would be experiencing Emirates A380 First Class showers! I used miles to upgrade us to first specifically to try showering at 39,000 ft. The whole trip report can be found here:
FLIGHT#31 Emirates #412 A380 First Class SYD-AKL Shower Pics/Video

We were supposed to meet up with Grandma and Granpa at the Thrifty desk at the Auckland airport. Instead there they were holding a little sign just outside of customs welcoming the Haley Boys to New Zealand. They had just flown in on Qantas nonstop from Los Angeles. I convinced them to go business and they really enjoyed it.

Corbin had prearranged with us that he was to get the first hugs from both of them. He ran ahead and fulfilled his wish. I always love watching friends and families greet each other airports. For many years, I haven’t had anyone waiting for me except maybe the car service driver holding a sign with my name. That doesn’t count. I love the scene in the movie “Love Actually” showing many different people greeting each other at the airport. It always makes me tear up. When we lived in Munich we often would go the airport to fetch our friends visiting from the States. I loved standing outside customs watching people reunite as we waited for our friends.

Needless to say, the tears flowed as we saw the grandparents. I’m even tearing up RIGHT NOW as I write this. Damn, I ‘m a sap. It was great to see them. Coming all the way from the US, they were much more jet-lagged than us but their spirits were high.

Getting us all down to our house at Lake Tarawera was a bit complicated. Five people, seven large bags and a bunch of carry-ons weren’t going to fit in the Toyota Corolla that Terry’s dad Jon had rented. The options were a bus for half of us or renting another car. I decided in the end that another car was the way to go so that we could all stay together. It was slightly more expensive but made life easier. I had booked via Expedia with a $50 extra drop off fee. At the counter they wanted $250 extra. Luckily I had a printout of the reservation and she honored my price. As much as I would love to travel paperlessly, the world just isn’t ready for that yet. On this trip, I’ve learned to bring copies of all reservations. Terry bought us a small travel printer and it has proved to be invaluable. Okay, he was right about TiVo ten years ago and he was right about getting a travel printer. I guess that’s why partnerships are good.

The other weird thing about my Thirfty rental was that the car had a lot of dings and scratches. At the counter, the agent told me not to worry about anything less than 2cm. Of course when I got to the car, it had many scratches much larger than 2cm so I had to schlep all the way back into the terminal. In the end she marked them on the rental agreement but said they didn’t matter. I’m used to renting cars in South Africa for twenty years now and they go over their car with a fine-toothed comb. They don’t let a single nick slide by their eagle eyes. So this laid back Kiwi attitude was something altogether new for me.

New Zealand greeted us with rain for our arrival and our journey three hours south to Rotorua. We had freeway for about a third of the time but the rest was mostly country roads. I was immediately struck that NZ is not a crowed place. The roads were well maintained. There just weren’t enough people to justify a freeway. On our trip down, we were greeted with beautiful countryside and many flocks of sheep and herds of cows.

I started to get scared. New Zealand is rural. I knew that we were outside of Rotorua. I wasn’t sure how far. Terry had never confirmed with our landlord if the house had Internet. Also with five of us sharing one car out in the country, WOULD I GO STIR CRAZY AND FEEL CUT OFF FROM THE WORLD?

We knew we had arrived in Rotorua when Corbin asked if I farted. A strong smell of sulfur had filled our car. But it wasn’t my brand. We had heard from many people that Rotorua has the reputation of smelling like sulfur due to the large geo-thermal activity in the area. In fact most people questioned on why the hell we were spending the month in Rotorua. It had begun to sound like the armpit of New Zealand. We found the New World supermarket and stocked up on provisions as quickly as possible. Grandma and Grandpa were beginning to fade.

It turns out our rental house is about 25 minutes from the thriving metropolis of Rotorua. As we drove away from the city, it began to look like the backroads of Maui, lots of dense, green vegetation and palm trees. My worries increased with every kilometer that we drove. WHERE THE HELL WERE WE GOING?

We finally drove up a steep driveway to the Bowron Bach and it was stunning. As soon as Corbin’s fourth grade teacher found out we were going to New Zealand, he mentioned that his family has a bach, or weekend cabin, that sleeps sixteen on the shores of Lake Tarawera. He grew up spending his vacations and summers there. Terry immediately loved the idea and booked it.

The house had amazing views of Lake Tarawera facing the famous volcano that erupted in 1869. The top of the volcano is five miles wide always changes colors depending on the sun and the time of day. All of us loved our view especially watching the sunrise in the mornings. I’m mostly a sunset man myself but we had some outstanding sunrises. I just don’t feel like enjoying a nice glass of red wine at 6:30am.

Our bach was one house away from the shores of Lake Tarawera. The houses right on the shore looked nice but I enjoyed being up a bit. Luckily shrubs and trees blocked the view of the road and our lower neighbor’s house. We spent many hours in our living room and out on the front porch enjoying the views. The best word to describe our month there was “relaxing”.


An art lesson with Grandma at our bach on Lake Tarawera

Part of what made it relaxing was the fact that indeed, the bach didn’t have any Internet access. My iPhone didn’t even work there. If I walked out to the nearby boat launch pier, I could get enough signal to get my emails. The connection was barely enough to write a one sentence email. We purchased local SIM cards for Terry, his dad and me. There was little competition so they were fairly expensive compared to other countries. We still loved having a fully functional iPhone to help guide us around.

I would have embraced the solitude more if March wasn’t the month when we needed to begin our job search back in the Bay Area. I had recently read that 19,000 teachers had been given their pink slips by the State of California. This meant that these teachers have been warned that they MIGHT not have jobs in the fall if there wasn’t enough money. In all reality most would be kept on and very few would be let go. The job market on the other hand would be full of nervous teachers anxious to nail down a real offer of employment.

I know that I’m a very good teacher. More importantly I am bilingual in Spanish and teach math. This combination is rare. It has opened many doors for me in the past and I’m hoping that this job search will be easier for me because of this.

Not having Internet at the bach meant that pretty much everyday, I drove into town and parked myself at an Internet café to begin the process. I had decided already that I was going to focus my search to small charter schools like I taught at in Los Angeles. I really enjoyed working in a community where everyone knew each other as opposed to the 5,000+ student high schools where the members of the math department never talk. I’ve experience both and much prefer a small school.

As I began my first steps in speaking with the targeted schools, I quickly realized that these schools really aren’t prepared to have interviews over the phone or Skype. As the month wore on, my progress was slow to non-existent. The worst was the schools that wanted you to fill out a job application form and mail it to them. In this age of online application submission, this seems archaic. International schools worldwide are much more setup to hire without an in-person interview.

Soon after our arrival in New Zealand, the horrible earthquake hit Japan. Our friends in Tokyo were all shocked like the rest of the world at the intense damage. Sharon said that the tall skycrapers in Tokyo all looked liked they were made out of rubber as they swayed back and forth. Both Sharon and Rebekah’s schools were cancelled for two weeks while the nation figured out the damage. Sharon posted lots of photos on Facebook showing the EMPTY shelves in the store. Then as the days worn on, we learned about the crisis at the power plants. The whole nation was scared of the catstrophic possibilities.

We soon realized that the pace of our month in New Zealand was much slower than the other months. Grandma and Grandpa both helped out with school since they were both retired teachers. Grandpa is also a professional double bass and electric bass player. He’s taught almost every instrument over his career and was very pleased when Corbin expressed interest in learning the trumpet.

Grandpa Jon spent a few weeks looking for a good used trumpet and finally found one through a friend. He was very happy with the sound and said it would last Corbin a long time. About a month before they met us in New Zealand, they showed Corbin the trumpet via a Skype video call. He was so excited.

On the very first evening we arrived in NZ, Corbin pulled out the trumpet and tried to play a few notes. Over the rest of the month, he and Jon had two daily lessons. He picked it up quite quickly and by the end of the month, he could make it through Mary Had A Little Lamb and Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star. He was very surprised when I picked it up and played “When the Saints Go Marching In”! I played for two years in junior high school but then dropped in once I was practicing piano for two hours a day in high school. Learning two instruments was too much while trying to live my life as a stay-at-home supermodel.


A trumpet lesson in pajamas

I was a little concerned that he didn’t have anyone to play trumpet with until he starts school in the fall. Would his interest continue when he was always playing alone? We thought of having him record videos of himself playing to send to Grandpa but that has yet to happen.

Our bach was twenty-three kilometers outside of town and one of the games we liked to play on the journey was “Count The Road Kill”. One time we got up to seven! Animals of all kinds littered the Tarawera Road and we couldn’t believe how quickly other animals made them disappear. New Zealand is a very rural country. All the critters reminded us of that.

One of our first excursions was to the closest tourist attraction, The Buried Village. By the mid-nineteenth century, Rotorua had become a popular tourist attraction for Europeans. It was normally a four month excursion from Europe and back but the upper classes loved the adventure. Many had the goal of reaching Lake Tarawera and its famous hot pools at the Pink and White Terraces. A Brit even built a hotel set back from the water’s edge to house the travelers.

Soon after midnight on June 10, 1886, the ground began to shake and soon the sky was on fire with burning embers coming from the nearby volcano. The embers and ash burned and flattened the hotel and surrounding wooden buildings. The ground was covered with over ten feet of ash. The traditional Maury buildings with high pitched roofs faired much better and served as refuge for the local Maurys and the Europeans. Not many people died but Lake Tarawera rose ten feet and the shoreline got much bigger.

The worst part of the eruption was that Pink and White Terraces were entirely covered up and lost forever. They were considered by many to be a wonder of the world and now they were lost.

Many years later, a European family began the task of excavating the village that was buried that fateful night. The result of their work can be seen today as The Buried Village. The great grandson of a Maury woman who helped save many lives that night lead our tour around the ruins. He was a wonderful man who told the story with enthusiasm and passion. It is so nice to meet people who truly love their job.

New Zealand has attracted many immigrants for several centuries. While Australia’s original European immigrants were banished there by the English penal system, New Zealand’s first immigrants arrived attracted to its fertile lands and beautiful countryside. Over the years, various population waves have arrived and currently a large wave is from South Africa. As the quality of life for many plummeted in South African cities, many have decided to seek out a better life in New Zealand. Three of these people include my dear friend, Annemarie, her husband Bryan and their son Josh.

I have known Annemarie for many years since she was the first girlfriend of my best friend Robert. We all climbed Kilimanjaro together months before Corbin’s birth. At this point we’ve been friends for more than twenty years and we’re both married now with a son. After the birth of their son, Annemarie and Bryan started to discuss emigrating to a place with better schools and a higher quality of living. The end result is that they happily live in a suburb Auckland for three years now.

Spending the month in New Zealand meant that we would be hanging out with Annemarie and family. They decided to come down and stay with us the first weekend after we arrived. Corbin was really excited to have another kid to play with. They both are only children so they crave peer interaction! Rotorua is famous for its many outdoor adventure activities so now Corbin could experience them with someone other than his dads!


Annemarie, Bryan and Josh visit us at our bach

We sat down on Saturday morning with the boys to discuss the many options available to them. They decided that a sheep demonstration was first followed by a ride down a hill in a huge plastic bubble. If there was time they also wanted a luge ride at the famous Skyluge of Rotorua.

The Agradome Sheep show was surprisingly interesting. All of us really enjoyed it. Corbin was even selected to help milk a cow on stage. It was the second cow he had milked in a month. The high-speed sheep sheering amazed us all. The show ended with a demonstration of sheep herding. It was great fun to see these little dogs in charge of so many sheep. Of course Corbin reminded that we have PROMISED to get him a dog upon our return. It’s been a running theme for about five years now. While in Germany, we dog-sat for our neighbors many times. Corbin proved that he was willing and able to take the dog on several walks a day and clean up its poop along the way. He did share that “It’s disgusting!” but learned it’s part of dog ownership.

Our next stop in the day of Rotorua adventure was the Zorb. Corbin had seen many brochures for this thrill ride all over town. The idea is that you get in a huge plastic ball partially filled with water. Then they push you down a hill and you fly around inside the ball as it rolls. It looked like fun and both boys were very excited about it.

The shocker came when they told us it was $34 for each kid. We paused. We went outside to watch someone experience the thrill. I timed it. It lasted 40 seconds. That’s about a dollar a second. Luckily both boys recognized this was highway robbery and said let’s move on to the next activity. Whew! We got out of that one easily. Maybe seeing all the poverty in India has made my son economically and socially conscious. Paying $34 for less than a minute’s fun just doesn’t make sense in any culture.

Up next was the Skyluge just down the road. When we were in Singapore the month before, we did the luge at the Sentosa park. They had a nice history of luges giving credit to the Rotorua luge as the first “non snow” luge. I knew that this activity wouldn’t be cheap either but would last a bit longer.

Originally I was going to go with the boys while the other five adults stayed below. But then I simply asked if they could do it on their own. This was a big step for two boys not used to having siblings. We told them that we would meet them at the exit to the gondola once they finished their five runs. SWEET!

The adults enjoyed hanging out in the shade at the bottom while the kids had fun way up at the top of the hill. Almost immediately I regretted not giving Corbin a mobile but the only way down was the gondola. After an hour and a half of no little boys getting off the gondola, Annemarie got worried. Her son was only nine and had never even had a sleepover at a friend’s house. She decided to stand right at the exit so that she could see every person coming off the mountain.

At the two hour mark, I went over and stood with her. Part of parenting is letting go but sometimes I worry that I’ve let go too much and that something bad could happen to Corbin. It’s like standing on a scale on only one foot.

As my brain was debating approaching the customer service desk for their help, two boys came running off the gondola with stories of excitement and adventure. They had only completed four rides but had come off the mountain because they thought we might get worried! AMAZING. God, I love our kid.

Our pocketbooks were much lighter by this point and we decided that we’d go enjoy lakeside living for the rest of the day. The boys played in the water and the nearby park. They met another boy and his dog. We enjoyed NZ wine and had a great barbecue or steaks and salmon. Life simply doesn’t get much better than this.

On Sunday morning I made a huge American style breakfast and even made hash browns. Corbin was very impressed and commented “These are even better than the one’s at Bob’s Big Boy!” One of the LA institutions that we miss for big breakfasts and amazing burgers is the Bob’s Big Boy Diner in Burbank. This was high praise to be compared to Bob’s.

Our final activity as they left town was a 1.3 km shrub maze called Amazeme. It wasn’t expensive and the boys LOVED running around. It took thirty minutes for them to reach the center. They were so happy when they conquered the maze. They came out, drank some water and then did it again. Forget video games. There is nothing more fun than running around some bushes on a sunny day in New Zealand.

With the grandparents staying with us for a month, Terry and I had more opportunities to have some date nights. As we spend the year with the three of us traveling, Terry and I haven’t gotten lots of time alone. We were going to take advantage of this opportunity while we could.

For our first date night we went to the weekly nighttime farmers’ market in downtown Rotorua. Terry and I have fond memories of going to the Wednesday night summer farmer’s market in Davis, California. It was a wonderful ritual with all our friends. Going to the local Kiwi version would automatically make us feel good. With our travel Scrabble board in hand, we set off for a fun night.

The open air market had only one produce stand but we bought many things. The prices were half of the local supermarket and the quality was great. My favorite find was real, red tomatoes. I hate buying tomatoes in the grocery store.

Our neighbor at the lake owes a Central American restaurant Sabroso and was selling quesadillas at the market. We chatted with her for a bit and then decided to seek out the rest of her menu by going to the real restaurant. She mentioned something about great margaritas which I’m sure influenced our decision a bit!

It was a fun evening of great food, a pitcher of margaritas and two games of Scrabble. After twenty years together, Scrabble has become a permanent fixture in our relationship. Over time we’ve become very good players. All of our friends have stopped playing with us. Once you’ve made the word “cwm” in a friendly game, your friends simply roll their eyes and suggest a game of cards. For the uninformed a cwm is a half-open steep-sided hollow at the head of a valley in the mountains of Wales. Duh. Don’t ask me to pronounce it.

We often play in public places and often strangers will stop by to look at our board. After a few seconds of trying to understand our board, they simply smile politely and leave. One time someone told us “THOSE AREN’T WORDS.” Terry provided a suitable sesquipedalian response which confused them even more.

We had been warned by many people that the drinking and driving laws in NZ are very strict so I made sure that I was well under the limit before attempting the journey back to the bach. Sure enough, we were part of a sobriety checkpoint. I didn’t have to breath in the breathalyzer but we had a short conversation about my consumption. Even the policemen are warm and friendly in New Zealand.

One of the things that Rotorua is famous for is its geothermal pools. The best of these are in Waimangu about twenty minutes outside of Rotorua. We spent about two hours walking around the amazing thermal pools colored by the different minerals. At times the sulfur smell was overwhelming but soon a wind would come and freshen the air.


Corbin at a geothermal pool in Waimangu

The next weekend Terry and I abandoned the family again to go have a romantic weekend up in Auckland. Since the five of us have been sharing a car, Terry and I thought we’d try to take the bus. NZ doesn’t have a train system but has good system of private buses that get its inhabitants around. I was instantly drawn to nakedbus.com for some unknown reason. They offered a $40 round trip fare for the four hour journey. The best part was they offered free wifi!

Early Friday morning we boarded a brand new bus with leather seats and the promised wifi. This was a very different experience from the typical Greyhound bus of the States. Terry and I have learned how to be good travelers together. We both had several episodes of TV to catch up on so the journey flew by quickly. Riding on the NakedBus also provided lots of fun comments for my Facebook page.

We arrived just after noon and soon were at our suite at the Best Western President Hotel. It all sounds much more glamorous than it was. The key words in that name are Best Western. Nothing else really matters. It was perfectly fine for the price and the location was great. But really, a Best Western?

After lunch we explored the downtown and then went out to Karangahape Road, the “gay area”. This was simply the “gay area” simply because the city’s only two gay clubs are located there. Not much else gay there really. We found a nice pub full of people who had left work early and we managed to get in a couple of games of Scrabble. Woo hoo. Party!

I had read in the Rotorua newspaper that the Auckland Arts Festival was finishing up its two week run the weekend we were visiting. I quickly booked us a very popular cabaret/vaudeville show that seemed to be the most popular event of the festival. It was a great Australian company called Smoke and Mirrors. An ensemble of about ten people offered a mix of acts from acrobatics to moving ballads. We absolutely loved it.

That night we had a choice of two bars: bar for older gays and a club for younger gays. It was not a hard decision, old farts at Urge here we come! It was a fine crowd that was friendly and not pretentious. Soon it began to peter out and we figured out that everyone either was headed home or to the younger club for the drag show. Wanting to make the most of our big evening out, we went down and watched the show for a while. I felt like I could have been the grandfather of most of the people there. The show wasn’t great and the crowd made us feel lecherous so it was time to hit the hay.

The next morning we slept in and then enjoyed a couple of games of Scrabble in our suite before attacking the day. We ended up on a ferry over to Devonport on the peninsula. It was great to be out on the bay and get a view back to the downtown area. We found a nice French bistro where I enjoyed a large bowl of mussels for lunch. I was in heaven. I found a wonderful original Pan Am poster for New Zealand but didn’t like the $4,500 price tag. While it was in great condition, that seems a lot for a vintage, mass produced poster.


A beautiful view of Auckland from the ferry to Devonport

Back in November while we stayed in Thailand, Terry and I had our twentieth anniversary. On the actual date he was up visiting his friend Greg in Bangkok. It’s just how it worked out. We said we would celebrate later. So this weekend was designated as the official celebration of being together for two decades. Sound the trumpets. I had done my homework and decided we would eat the pinnacle meal of the weekend at the much heralded Pure restaurant in Herne Bay. The food was fantastic and our waitress from Stuttgart was delightful.

By the time we cabbed it back to the CBD, the streets were alive with drunk Kiwis. On Friday night we had noticed that many drunk people walked the CBD streets. The Saturday night crowd was even bigger and even drunker. It was a young crowd in general but really all ages joined in the fun.

We ventured out the older men’s bar for a night cap. It was much more crowed than the previous night. It seemed to be full of Americans though! We chatted with three different couples from the States. We’re everywhere!

The NakedBus experience on the way home was equally great as the ride up. Everyone still wore all their clothes but were all well behaved. It was a wonderful weekend overall and by the end we were both missing our Corbin. Our little break had recharged our batteries and were ready for the rest of the month.

Grandma and Grandpa went down on their own little romantic getaway to Wellington for a couple of days after that. I’m glad that they felt comfortable to go out on their own. I decided this would be a perfect time to do some more adventure activities with Corbin. Unfortunately, he’s really skinny and didn’t meet the weight requirements for bungee jumping and black water rafting. I did find some abseiling at night into the famous glowworm caves.

Corbin and I drove across the country to Waikomo. Okay, it’s a skinny country so it only took a couple of hours to get there. We met our guide for the evening at their office and he drove us to a private farm that just happens to have some amazing caves on it. We got outfitted in coveralls, harness, helmet and headlamp. I was very impressed that lots of detail was paid to safety. Anyone could do this activity. The hardest part came after the abseil when we had to climb some slippery ladders to get out of the cave.


All geared up and ready to abseil

We descended two times and both were absolutely amazing. When we turned off our headlamps, thousands of glowworms appeared. Each one set up tiny webs to catch their food that happened to be flying by. It was an amazing eco-system and will remain our favorite memory of NZ.


The glowworm green light and food caching threads

Back when we stayed with Rhys and Penny in Melbourne, they told us about their friends and fellow CouchSurfers Colin and Steve who lived on a farm about an hour north of Rotorua. They thought we’d have a great time with them. I gave them a call once we arrived but couldn’t find a time when we all were available until our last weekend. It was well worth the wait because we ended up having a wonderful time with them.

Colin and Steve live just outside Tauranga on a five acre farm up on a hill with views of the ocean in the distance. It’s pretty much the picture postcard of the New Zealand countryside. We arrived around 5:00 pm and our visit began with a tour of their whole place. Colin is retired so his fulltime job is to take care of the farm. Steve has a computer job but also spends most of his time helping them “live off the grid”. These are the most self-sufficient people I’ve ever met. They have chickens, sheep and rabbits that all end up on their table. Their vegetable garden is huge and they have many fruit trees of all kinds. The highlight of their garden is rows of grapevines that they make wine with. Throughout our time with them I kept discovering things they make at home: wine, schnapps, sparkling wine, sorbet, canned goods, sun-dried tomatoes… The list is almost endless. They were the pinnacle of my year of searching for local food. You can’t get any more local than your backyard!

Colin had gone through prostate cancer and colon cancer. He firmly believed that dairy products accelerated the cancer’s growth so he had given dairy up years ago. I was fascinated learn about his transition to a dairy free life. I simply can’t imagine my culinary life without butter and cheese. They are not just building blocks to my cooking, they’re the foundation.

That first evening Colin offered to make us dinner. A lovely green curry chicken and vegetables warmed us all up on that cool night. The other thing warming us up was all the alcohol. We brought a couple bottles of wine but soon learned it was like bringing a cobbler a pair of flip-flops. Colin and Steve served us some of their white wine. Then their red wine. Then their sparkling wine. Then after dinner we drank their schnapps. I’m normally fairly careful not to mix but it’s hard when everything’s made at home! Finally for dessert they had made us fresh homemade coconut sorbet served with a mix of berries from the garden. They must have sprinkled cocaine all over it because it was absolutely amazing.

The next day Steve went to work and Colin took us down to Waihi beach where he let their two wonderful dogs run around. It was drizzling but the setting was beautiful. We had missed living near the ocean. This year has been such a treat for us since so many places have been on or near the coast.

That night for dinner I bought some fresh fish from a fish market right on the pier of Tauranga. I served it with a caper and sundried tomato sauce over fresh pasta. Terry made his famous chocolate chip cookies to finish off the evening. Immediately after eating, the boys taught us a great card game called Barbu. It’s like hearts but the “bad” cards change with each round. It’s the perfect game with friends and we ended up playing it twice that night and then again the next morning after breakfast.


Colin, Steve and the dogs

Our final morning, Colin made an amazing breakfast featuring eggs that his chickens had laid that morning. When paired with his homemade bread and jams, it was a perfect start to the day.

By the end of our visit we realized that once again we had met some amazing people and this was just the beginning of our friendship. As Terry and I drove back to Rotorua, we commented on the number of wonderful people that we had met this year. We are so luckily to be having this experience.

One of the unexpected events of our month in NZ was meeting up with some friends from the Munich International School. Jim and Emily are also on a one year world tour but headed the westerly direction. I worked in the math dept with Jim and Emily was Corbin’s librarian in the junior school. We got an email from them saying they were going to be in the Rotorua area and would love to see us.

They ended up parking their mini RV on our lawn for two nights and we had a great time with them. They both even taught Corbin a class! We love our visiting professors program. We also ended up doing two great activities with them: a boat ride out on our lake and a Maury cultural center dinner and show.

After staring at Lake Tarawera for the month, we thought it would be fun to venture out on her waters. We had driven past a sign offering tours so we finally called and he said he was leaving in forty minutes! So our whole gang including Jim and Emily walked down to the jetty just in time to take a nice two hour trip around the lake. The highlight was stopping off on a beach where the hot waters were seeping up through the sand. The moment I dug my foot about an inch into the sand, it would instantly burn the bottom! Of course we all tried this several times until our feet were red. From there it was a short walk into the forest where we bathed in some wonderful natural hot springs. If you had asked me a year earlier if I would ever be almost naked in a hot spring in a forest with Jim and Emily, I would have bet good money against it. We all had a great time and the weather couldn’t have been better.


Jim and Emily join us for some hot springs

Throughout our month, I had seen lots of brochures for Maury cultural shows. Most tended to be about a hundred dollars and include dinner. The local tourist office was forbidden to recommend one over the other so we were very happy when our friends Colin and Steve recommended Te Puia just outside of Rotorua. It’s where they take all their visitors to the area. We went on our late night in the area. It was a perfect ending to a great month.


Te Puia opening dance

The show began with a brief history of the Maury people, where they came from and their early history. Then we received an official greeting from a group of Maury warriors wearing very little clothing. Soon the women joined us and the festivities began. We moved into a traditional house where the Maury sang and danced for about an hour. It was wonderful and Corbin, Terry and Jim all appeared on stage where they learned a traditional dance.

Being a foodie I’m always kind of scared of the expression “dinner show”. I worry that both the food and the show will be mediocre at best. The show far exceeded my expectations so I was hopeful the food would be something special. Unfortunately, it reminded me of why I hate most buffets. It’s sad when the Emirates Lounge buffet is the best buffet you’ve had lately.

With that our month at our bach on Lake Tarawera came to an end. It was so different than other months but rewarding nonetheless. Terry’s parents, Jim, Emily, Annemarie and Bryan and our new friends Colin and Steve all made our time in rural New Zealand a treasure.


A view from our bach of our final sunrise on Lake Tarawera

Our two last days in NZ were spent up at Annemarie and Byran’s house in Torbay, thirty minutes outside of Auckland. They have a great house on the coast in a beautiful suburb. Many people refer to this area as little South Africa since there are so many immigrants from there. Our friends aren’t the first to look for a better life there. After we arrived, Bryan and Annemarie took us on a little drive around the area. It could have easily been a suburb in California. The downtown area of the neighboring town, Browns Bay, was quaint and offered everything. Annemarie was trying to sell us on the place so that we would decide to move here too. I have to say that after our month in New Zealand, we wouldn’t mind at all to live there.

Annemarie had suggested that Corbin join Joshua at school the next day and do a presentation on the trip so far. He had been working on this presentation as part of his school for about two weeks. He put together a great PowerPoint with lots of photos. Terry and I really wanted to watch him present but the teacher thought it would be better if we weren’t there.

While Corbin and Josh were at school, Bryan and Annemarie drove us around their area. We stopped for a beautiful lunch at a restaurant overlooking a huge garden. The first world living really isn’t too hard.

They took us to a hill just above Devonport with a spectacular view of the Auckland CBD. It was a glorious day and their sales pitch on living in NZ was looking like we were going to bite.


A view of Auckland with Bryan and Annemarie

As we picked the boys up that afternoon after school, Corbin said it went very well. The presentation took forty-five minutes and then they asked lots of questions. I was really proud of him. He also seemed proud of his accomplishment. With home schooling this year, he really hasn’t gotten any opportunity to present in front of the class. Originally his iReports were supposed to replace that but they really aren’t the same thing. The day with Josh’s fourth class gave him confidence and reminded him of what school would be like next year when we weren’t traveling 100,000 miles.

Corbin and Josh had a great time together during our entire visit. Both are only children so they appreciate their time together more than others. Their play was rambunctious and definitely boy-like. All of us parents enjoyed watching them.

I told our friends that I would make dinner for us all. I noticed that Annemarie had a crepe maker so I recreated two dishes from my past. Back during my university years at UC Davis, my friends and I loved to frequent “The French Bistro”. They offered both savory and sweet crepes that you ordered from a counter. The Vietnamese owners gave you a laminated French flag with a number in the middle that you would insert into the wooden Eifel Tower at your table. Okay, it was about as French as French toast but the food was good and you could have a salad and a savory crepe for about $5 back in 1988. Often my friends and I would meet there before going off to Chamber Singers rehearsal. So many wonderful memories. It’s also the place where I came out to my mom. She had come up for one of my concerts and we went out to dinner there first. I can still remember the table we sat at, the clothes she was wearing when I finally told her I was I gay. I have the two most liberal parents in the world but it was still a momentous occasion. And The French Bistro was there right alongside me. Later when Terry was in grad school at UC Davis, we continued going there and soon it became a favorite for us and our long Scrabble games.

I had two favorite crepes: coq au vin and avocado. I decided for the first time ever to recreate both recipes for our friends. The coq au vin had slow cooked shredded chicken breast with mushrooms and Italian parsley in a delicious wine sauce. Twenty years later, I’ve learned a lot about cooking and was able to approximate the dish quiet closely. Everyone raved about it. The other crepe was much simpler: melted cheese, tomato and avocado slices inside the crepe with a HUGE dollop of sour cream on top. Annemarie made the boys some Nutella and jam crepes for dessert to round out the meal. It was a wonderful, nostalgic journey down memory lane and it was great to share with friends we’ve known so long.

While we were hanging out with our friends, Terry’s parents enjoyed exploring Auckland. It was good for them to have a little time on their own. They both have become more confident travelers this year and two days on their own provided them with a nice break from the big family travel thing. They told us later that they really enjoyed looking around the harbor and getting to know the city.

Our last morning we met up them and went together to the Auckland Museum. Terry and I had visited it on our romantic weekend away and knew they all would enjoy it. Corbin loved all the exhibits on the Kiwi’s involvement with the Boer war and the two world wars. He and Grandpa lingered while Terry and I played Scrabble in the museum’s café.

Just west of the museum is the shopping area of Parnell. I knew that we would find someplace nice for lunch over there. Corbin mentioned that he’d like some Japanese food so we found a place with a $11 lunch menu. We all ordered and couldn’t believe the quality and quantity of food that we were served. This place was a real find. Each course was beautifully presented in true Japanese style. It was a wonderful last meal in NZ.

Terry and his mom went out to the airport in the limo provided by Emirates and the rest of us went in the rental car. It all worked out perfectly. Soon we were all checked in and ready to go back to Sydney for a four day visit.

Our dedicated readers will remember that Corbin and I flew out to NZ on Emirates First class and took our first mid-flight showers. On the return, I would be alone in First Class with the others back in Economy. I almost felt guilty that Terry wasn’t getting to try Emirates First but I am the travel addict. If you are addicted to heroin and have only enough for one hit, there is no way in hell that you’re going to give that hit to your partner of twenty years. Because you’re addicted, you have to keep it all for yourself. Thus I flew back in First while the others were in economy. Hate me. Love me. It’s your choice.

FLIGHT#32 Emirates A380 First Class AKL-SYD

It was late by the time we got through customs and to the hotel. Gram and I went in the Emirates car while the others took the airport train into the Central station. Our hotel was only four blocks away. Terry decided since it wasn’t too far, they would just walk. Little did he know that it was uphill the entire way.

I had booked us into the Adina Apartment Hotel in the Surry Hills area of Sydney. I found it on hotels.com and chose it because it was a two bedroom apartment for the low price of $250 per night. We loved this place. It had a full kitchen and a decent living/dining room. The five of us fit easily. The location was wonderful on Crown St just south of Oxford St. I am amazed that more often than not we accidently book in a place in or right next to the gay area. Maybe there is some subliminal gay radar thing that I am unaware of.

Our three days in Sydney flew by. We took everyone down to the Circle Quay to see the Opera House and stop by the Symphony Office. One of Grandpa Jon’s double basses used to be owned by a member of the Sydney Symphony and he was hoping to get some more info about it. He never made the connection because our time was so short but Jon did buy us tickets to the Sydney Symphony concert the next evening. None else was interested so it was just the two of us.

I’ve always heard wonderful things about the Sydney symphony hall and the opera hall. I somehow always assumed that there was only one hall but the “opera house” is actually three separate buildings. I just had never seen the buildings from the right direction. Jon and I arrived early enough to explore the entire hall. In the back lobby area, we stumbled across a pre-concert talk. Jon purchased seats near the choir on stage left. It was great to feel like I was part of the symphony chorus.

The first act was Beethoven’s 7th and then the second act began with Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings and then John Adams’s 'Harmonium'.. The concert was especially enjoyable because the guest conductor was Edo de Waart who conducted the San Francisco Symphony for many years. It was like meeting up with an old friend. The SF Symphony under his direction had originally commissioned the Adams piece so he was very connected to the work.

The whole experience was wonderful and I’m so glad that Jon and I shared it together. Since returning to the US, Jon has decided to retire from the Sacramento Symphony and all the other shows that he plays. He said it’s time to let some of the younger guys get a chance. I think he’ll miss the interaction with his mates of many years. What he won’t miss is lugging his basses all around. I’m sure it has crossed his mind that maybe his life would have been easier if he had taken up the flute instead of the double bass.

On our next full day we decided to visit the nearby Blue Mountains. Unfortunately we happened to go on a Sunday when the direct train service was interrupted and we were forced to take a temporary bus for most of the journey. The ride was less comfortable and the route was full of Sunday traffic. Once we arrived though he whole thing was worth it.

The Blue Mountains are a beautiful rock and mountain formation somewhat like the Grand Canyon. Instead of the red rock, the mountains have a blue tint from a distance. Most of the day is spent moving around the edge to get different views.

Our friends suggested that we take the Hop-On Hop-Off bus to see most of the sights. In hindsight, we should have just grabbed a taxi for more flexibility. The highlight of the day was a cable car journey down the side of the mountain into the valley below. There we hiked around for an hour and then took another funicular up the side of the mountain. We got spectacular views and the sun even managed to come out changing all the colors.

We also really enjoyed taking another cable across a deep valley. It was amazing to look through the glass bottom to see the valley directly below. At another point we Hopped-Off and hiked down to a beautiful waterfall near the edge.

When the sun disappeared, it was very cold up in those mountains. We were experiencing a totally different climate than Sydney. By five o’clock we were ready for long journey home with tired legs and bodies.

Terry and I were able to go out at night together since Grandma and Grandpa were around to babysit. We met up with a guy we met in Melbourne and enjoyed some of Sydney’s gay bars. Some of the drag queens had such strong accents that I don’t think I got half of what they were saying! We still had a great time and were thankful that the crowds of Mardi Gras were long gone!

Our time in Sydney flew by and soon we were all on the way to the airport. All of us were dreading this day because it meant saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa. Our month with them had been so wonderful and it just reminded us how much we missed all our family. Luckily all of us were on Qantas so we could spend the final moments together in the lounge. Their flight would take them directly to Los Angeles and we had the nonstop on to Buenos Aires.

Month nine of our adventure came to a close. Throughout the month in New Zealand both Terry and I began the worry of finding jobs. It was proving to be difficult especially from afar. Terry decided in the end that he needed to fly up to San Francisco to attend a job faire put on by a headhunter. He had gotten his last job with this agency and was hoping they would work their magic in this tough job market. They pushed hard for him to attend this faire. It meant that after flying to Buenos Aires, he would fly up to San Francisco the next day. Sydney to Buenos Aires to Miami to Dallas to San Francisco. Not exactly the most direct route!

We knew that he would have a harder time finding a job than me so the job faire seemed to be the best way. I was still hoping that I would be able to find my job from afar. Until now, it seems to be going nowhere. A trip to California might be in my future also.

The weight of being jobless has definitely caught up with us now as we are about to enter month ten of traveling with no income. If we don’t find jobs, we won’t last through another year of no income. We also have begun to research middle schools for Corbin. Obviously it depends on where we get jobs but it looks like Corbin will be going to public school for the first time in his life. Terry and I have great reservations about this on top of all our other stress.

We’ve begun discussing cutting a week off Chile and a week off Colombia to get us home in time to visit schools before they close for the year. It would break my heart to do this but the job thing is important. Reality of life after our amazing adventure is now upon us.

The next month in Buenos Aires should be wonderful. We have our friend and her two kids visiting first and then some of our dearest friends from Los Angeles visit a week later. I hope that my job search will improve and that Terry will return to BA from the job faire with a job offer in hand.

Thus is the life of a world traveler. We asked for adventure and we’re getting it!