How can it smell bad but still be good?

Go to Rotorua, the 'Sulphur City' for a break! It was amazing that when I was planning our visit by reading all the different reviews about attractions, accomodation ect. that everyone just had to mention the smell. The smell of rotten eggs no less. Yet Rotorua is one of New Zealand's more popular destinations, definitely if you are visiting the North Island. The lines of motel after hotel after B&B on the main road kind of gives it away, and I believe for some reason hubby compared it to Las Vegas. As we drove closer I admitedly prepared myself for the worst....maybe that was how I survived it all....or maybe it was going in Winter when there is a bit of a breeze and the smell is not too invasive....or maybe I just fell into the tourist trap and found myself having a nice time.

The geothermal activity did not fail to impress. Everywhere you look there are pillars of steam rising from the ground all naturally occuring in the parks, by the roadside, in your back garden maybe. At night it is especially fascinting, smoke mixing with stars in the night sky with Lake Rotorua as a beautiful backdrop. We took the opportunity to enjoy this majic by relaxing at the Polynesian Spas with it's lake side setting. It maybe does not have the largest geysers in the world but they still spurt out enough water to leave me impressed and the mud pools were busy bubbling and splurting.

With it's high percentage of Maori population you need a very good excuse not to take time out as well to experience and learn about their culture. Everyone has their own opinion of there worth and how good the cultural performances are, as with everything you have to pay to see, but I just took the opportunity to observe and learn. What is nice is that when they share their traditions with you it is not just for show as they make you a part of it and there is the expectation of you to follow showing a certain degree of respect. Don't be scared though they go easy on you and help you along!

So Rotorua is commercial but it's also interesting and beautiful in it's own little way. That is how I guess it can smell bad but still be good.

Take a chance on Chris Cleave

I picked up this book from the library purely because it was recommended to me by amazon! Actually part of me does not want to give anything away except to say that for me, as I have read many bad reviews of this book, Cleave is a great story teller and well this was a good book. Yet all I  had to go on when I picked it up was what it said on the cover:

"We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific. The story starts there, but the book doesn't. And it's what happens afterwards that is most important. Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds."

Reading this did not so much build up my expectations so much as my intrigue. So now I myself don't want to give anything away. I thought the story line itself was deep and meaningful which is maybe what kept me hooked and might keep you hooked too.

Transportation, transportation, transportation

So I had to take the bus to work as I sold my car....hmph...it meant waking up early (no I admit it I am not a morning person). The only thing you get to do on a bus at that time of the morning is think and well I guess I ended up thinking about transportation and how it makes a difference when you go travelling around the world. The easier it is to use public transportation the better the holiday to put it simply. Especially for the likes of us who like to do it 'our way'. Well that is my own personal opinion anyway and that is after serious 6am meditation on the topic!

Recently in Roratonga everything seemed to be connected somehow, you never had to go anywhere else to rent a car or a scooter or a bicycle, they were pretty much on your doorstep. Nice and easy is what I call it. Then if you don't fancy driving yourself there is the hourly local bus. Granted the island is small which does give it a bit of an advantage! My own island of Jamaica is a bit more harder to get around and I think this makes a real difference to how the country is experienced. In some ways that is probably how the government likes it, a way of protecting it's biggest earner. Keep the tourists locked 'safe' in their hotels. I personally have never taken public transport in Jamaica. Jamaica isn't exactly access all areas anyway.

Now as for Europe well it is renowned for how easy it is to get around and in many ways the Europeans take it for granted. You have got planes, trains, buses and automobiles all on your doorstep. In some places you have the tube and in others you also have a tram. Sometimes it's actually easier to take a plane than a train or bus! Admittedly their can be language barriers and it's not until you are on the train that you realise you needed to actually validate the ticket (it only happended to me once a long time ago). Then don't you just love the open double decker buses in the major cities that take you rather conveniently to all the major sights. I personally actually enjoy the excuse to take these sometimes. In Glasgow you get to hear some really good stories from the guides...I'm being serious. Scotland in some places makes it a bit complicated by asking for exact fares on the bus! Trust me infuriating even if you are not a tourist!

As for the US of A well I guess if you don't rent a car you are not going anywhere far unless you are in one of these cities you can manouvre yourself around. Probably an easier and more popular option to get around New Zealand as well but there are several options of big buses to get you around as well. The local buses in Auckland can be a bit of pain but only if you are like us staying here for an extended period as they have about 100 different independant buses doing their own thing! Thankfully though they have a really good website to explain it all to you MAXX !!

Personally we prefer to have a car to get around and we drive and we drive and we drive.....

Have you ever loved a tree?

Well I have now fallen in love with many...

New Zealand is a great place to discover their beauty and grandeur.

The beautiful Kauri is particularly impressive. Meet Tane Mahuta, Lord of the Forest, the largest living kauri tree in New Zealand.

They demand my respect as whatever season they have something to offer. 

 

It can take my breath away to simply look up to their branches as they not so much sway but have a rather slow awkward dance in the wind. Often they seem to be singing me a song as the branches creek and the leaves rustle. 

 

Often you get to meet a tree over a hundred years old and can only imagine what they have seen and heard through each generation.

                                     

Dont lie awake in the forest in fear but sleep and dream the stories that the trees have to tell.

Shanghai Baby by Wei Hui

This is going to be admittedly rather short and sweet...

So I admittedly borrowed this book only because it had a shroud of controversy by being publicly banned in China. I mean I like to think I believe in breaking barriers so want to show my support for something that does. If you were to borrow a book only on it's advertisements this would be the one. It does have a heavy sexual content, which accounts for it being publicly burned, but nothing that would shock dare I say a 'Westerner'. The story line itself I felt had potential but it all felt rather shallow, like a trashy novel, leaving no real impression. I really wanted it tell me something but in the end maybe I was asking too much of it. So no it won't make it on the book list.

Controversial but rather disappointing.

A review

In transition

One thing they always talk about in my line of work is managing change. I guess when you are supporting/helping/giving advice to another person, it's usually in a time of change. This can be an uncomfortable and difficult time for the young people I support. I think though it is something everyone can identify with:  trying to stay in control in a time of change.

So I was not surprised when hubby brought up recently how he did not like this phase we were entering in, he called it being in transition. After being away for a long time it's not so simple to just pack the suitcase and leave. Even packing is not so easy as we have been away for so long. I have already started thinking about what I can get rid of so our load will be a little lighter. Then there are those things which some people I guess refer to as lose ends which need tying up. Our being forced to move for the last two months into a long stay hotel which we can simply walk away from does not seem so bad any more.

This is only part of the transition though. The other part is the reminiscing about what we have experienced here during our stay. In many ways we don't really want to leave. In social work I guess they call this experiencing loss. We have attempted to dampen this by stopping in Italy for two months for our second summer experience.

Finally there is what's ahead....one transition at a time I think.

We made it to a year in Rarotonga, Cook Islands

No I did not get to live a whole year in Rarotonga (oh how I am dreaming now) we celebrated one whole year of marriage there. We have just got back from a beautiful extra long weekend, an extra long weekend that just was not long enough. Kia Orana. It started with a warm welcome:

 We stayed at the Muri Beach Club Hotel which some might say is too modern for their liking. Yet it was a small hotel not exactly hard on the landscape, the service was efficient and friendly and the food was amazing (and yes we ate other places to compare)

 
And I would argue that it is probably situated on the best beach in Rarotonga. Muri beach with the crystal clear waters of the lagoon is breathtaking. It offers great opportunity's for kayaking and snorkelling. It has 'easy' access to two of the motu's (uninhabited small islands off the coast) and by easy access I mean you can walk there in low tide.

We also took an afternoon to discover Black Rock.

We ate the most amazing food. Obviously this involved eating lots of fish, but they do amazing chicken and pork dishes as well and we certainly were not limiting our options. I won't get into portion sizes as I am trying not to feel guilty about the quantities that I ate! One my favourite dishes is the Ika Mata. It is raw fish (mine was tuna) marinated in lime juice served with coconut cream. Never mind the taro, kumara and breadfruit. Then there is the Rukau, the cooked taro leaves, Rarotonga's version of spinach. You know what though writing a list just does not do it justice!

 
Rarotonga's beauty is not just about heading to the beach and eating good food. It's about meeting the people and experiencing their rich culture. One of the best ways is attending an island night, a must in Rarotonga. Actually our day started at the Highland Paradise, high in the mountains, in the morning where we were given a very interesting tour by Danny learning about the history of the Tinomana tribe.

After being treated to lunch we had some time to relax in the afternoon before heading out again in the evening to experience the food, the dancing, singing and drumming, as they tell the story of their forefathers. It is a fun way to learn their history and the performances are stunning. My plate was piled so high with food and I got to sample about 8 different types of dessert.

There is also plenty of opportunity to do some shopping. The best option is to head to Punanga Nui Market on a Saturday morning. We hired a scooter for the day and it's the best way to get around the island. It had hubby reminiscing about his youth and me enjoying the breeze as we sped along the road. Buy yourself a pareu/sarong...I did...or one of their beautiful wooden carvings...hubby did. Of course there was also more good food. You never feel guilty about eating in Rarotonga. There was also more dancing, drumming and singing.

You can't leave Rarotonga without a flower in your hair, a smile on your face and a hope that you will be able to make it back some day.

Aera ra.