Hobbiton!

Today we went to Hobbiton, the Lord of the Rings movie set village that is just outside of the small town of Matamata. It was pretty magical. That's about all I can say - nothing else will really do it justice. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Bag End, the house of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins

The Green Dragon

Inside the Green Dragon, enjoying a cold glass of ginger beer.

Mission Bay

The sun came out today for our trip to the beach. And I have a confession to make. After all my lectures to my kids about our proximity to the equator down here and how they have to make sure to wear enough sunscreen or they will burn to a crisp, and the thin ozone layer over the pacific islands; what happens? I burn. I burn to a crisp. So there it is, all out in the open. Mock me if you must, I deserve it.

We went to a place called Mission Bay, which was a nice little beach community about a ten minute bus ride from downtown. The bay had a small strip of beach and the water was shallow for what seemed like miles out. I never even got to the deep part - it reminded me of the gulf coast down in Galveston, Texas.

The sand was covered in seashells, and we all spent some time picking up our favorites to take home with us. Even Clark couldn't resist.

The highlight of the day was when Brennan asked Sadie and Ira to bury him in the sand. What would possess him to request such a thing? Doesn't he know his siblings at all? Why would he trust them with something like that? Luckily I was there to make sure they didn't torture him (too much) while he was helpless. They did poke him in the face and dump sand on his head, but he seemed to like it so I didn't intervene.

On the way home we stopped for some ice cream, then went to an international food court back in the city for dinner. Tonight it was Mediterranean. When I took this picture, my kids asked if I was going to turn into one of those people who posts pictures of all of their food. Yes. Yes I am.

Mt. Eden in the Rain

Today when we woke up and looked outside it was a bit cloudy, so we decided it would be a good day to hike to the top of Mt. Eden, which is just a few minutes away by bus. By the time we got to the bottom of the mountain (really just a very tall hill), it was starting to drizzle, but not enough to waylay us. We hiked up, and it was even more beautiful than expected. The view from the top was amazing:

Ira at the top of Mt. Eden

Brennan and Sadie

On the way to the top I saw this incredible tree...

And this bowl that reminded me of Rock Canyon Park.

Once we got up there, the rain didn't slow at all. In fact, it just picked up speed. By the time we got back down to the bottom, we were soaked. But the rain here is warm and the air is warm, so we weren’t cold, just wet. It was kind of an odd feeling. We saw the bus pulling up to the stop about 20 feet away and starting running and waving our arms like crazy people so that the driver would wait for us. We knew that we looked like idiotic tourists, but we didn’t care. We just wanted to catch that bus and get out of the rain. And yes, we did bring umbrellas with us to NZ, but stupidly left them back in our room.

We ate delicious Thai food for lunch and did some shopping downtown. Another fun fact about New Zealand: despite the high cost of living here, the NZ dollar has dropped significantly in recent months and the American dollar is much stronger. This means that when we buy stuff here we are getting great deals. I was contemplating buying a pair of Birkenstocks before our trip, but at around $250 a pair I decided against it. Today I found a pair that only cost $97 U.S. My tired, aching feet are in heaven!

After shopping in (still) pouring rain, we trucked back home on foot, grateful for the dry comfort of our rooms. Tomorrow is the beach. We are hoping and praying for sun.

Fish Market Fail

Clark and Steve had some meetings with the church public affairs people today, and Sadie took off with some of the girls to have lunch and explore. So me, Dory and the boys were on our own. We decided to walk downtown and find the Auckland fish market. For some reason, I was in charge of navigation on this little excursion – even though my sense of direction has always been disastrous at best. Even with a map, we ended up walking the absolute longest route possible. By the time we finally found the fish market, I don’t think any of us even cared. We took a cursory glance around and made a beeline for something to eat. We found a swanky little restaurant on the boardwalk and paid an exorbitant amount of money for the best fish and chips I have ever tasted. We literally sighed with delight as we put the food in our mouths. 

Dorie and Brennan were kind enough to pose in front of this cool Maori inspired mural we found in a side alley at the fish market.

Just to prove that we made it.

Church in New Zealand

We walked to church today to the Auckland 1^st Ward, located on the side of a hill in the center of the city. Everything here, it seems, is located on the side of a hill. The faces in the chapel were almost exclusively brown. We sat in our pew like a row of pale stones placed carefully along a dark shore. I felt what it must be like to be a brown face in a white crowd. But then immediately I felt the warmth and welcome of people who didn’t care about the color of my skin – they were simply happy we were there. Samoan, Māori and Tongan women with weathered faces and broad shoulders folded us into their arms, kissed our cheeks and welcomed us like family. An ancient grandmother with a large pink tropical flower tucked behind her ear took my children by their arms and guided them to their different classes, promising to find them and bring them to me after church was over. My heart ached with the memory of living in places outside of Utah, places where members of the church cling to each other with the ferocious loyalty of sailors drowning in a storm.  

After church we visited some friends, Deborah and Garrick Cocker, who live in Takapuna, one of the suburbs of Auckland. Deborah was a student of Clark’s at BYU last summer, when she travelled back and forth between Provo and New Zealand to finish her degree. They invited us for lunch – which extended itself through happy conversation into an early dinner – and ended with a beautiful walk along the beach that is just a block from their house. It was a lovely afternoon with gracious, generous people. 

Left to Right: Garrick and Deborah Cocker (with granddaughter Evie), Ira, Clark, Brennan, Sadie and Rachel Cocker (The Cockers' second daughter)

Auckland Digs

We are staying in the dorms at the University of Auckland. It is right in the center of downtown and it seems that everything is in walking distance. We are on the tenth floor of a skyscraper that looks out over the bay. The view is spectacular. Last night for dinner we walked to McDonalds and ate Georgie Pies for dinner. They were delicious. Little pies with mince meat or chicken in the middle. Only for a traditional meat pie would I ever eat at McDonalds, in any country.

Our view of Auckland from our dorms on the 10th floor.

Arriving

Our trip to New Zealand was long, long, long. Exhausting travel followed by even more exhausting periods of standing and waiting. Then cramped hours spent in various airplanes trying, futilely, to sleep. We left our house in Provo at around 9am and took the shuttle to the Salt Lake City airport where we flew to L.A. After that, it was 9 hours of waiting to check in at the Fiji Airways desk with nowhere to sit but the concrete floor. 

Waiting for nine hours at LAX. Thank goodness for snacks.

Once we boarded the plane to Fiji that night it was an eleven-hour flight. We tried to sleep, but sitting almost completely upright (let’s be honest, the recline position isn’t much of a recline at all in economy class) in a chair crammed in between two other people with whom you have to share armrests is not especially conducive to sleep. By the time we got to Fiji I was feeling that wild-eyed, empty desperation that only sleep deprivation can produce. The fact that I knew I would be boarding another plane in a few short hours didn’t even diminish the sense of relief and gratitude at getting off of that airplane.

In Fiji, I noticed two things: the lovely balminess of air drenched in moisture and the chirping of tropical birds greeting us as we walked down the plywood-and-chicken wire runway that led off the plane. It was raining, and misty purple clouds cloaked the tops of the mountains in the distance. Three skirted men played ukuleles and sang traditional island music that soothed our tattered nerves. I was suddenly and inexplicably grateful for the humidity that beaded on my forehead and frizzed my already troubled hair. The next leg of the trip was better after that. Two more hours in the airport and another 3-hour flight to Auckland was nothing once I felt that velvety tropical air like a gloved hand on my face. Once I felt the presence of the equator.

Ira, Sadie and Brennan at the Fiji airport.

In Auckland, we were met with more rain. Wonderful rain. Some members of our group were disappointed that the sun wasn’t out. Maybe it’s easier to appreciate the beauty of New Zealand under the full force of the sun, but for me the rain was another reminder that here we will be always surrounded by water. Water everywhere. Water that brings life. How I miss water living in the Utah desert. So I welcome rain. I will be happy here with the rain.