Auckland - June 28, 2013

I spent the day on Waiheke Island (why hee kee).  I took a ferry from Auckland over to the island, which is quite close.  It only took about a half an hour to get there.  At one point the island is only 5km off the coast of the North Island.  Here are some pictures from the ferry ride:

Philippa, the travel agent in the lobby of the hotel, booked a deal for me that included the ferry and a bus tour of the Island.   I am really glad that I had the bus tour, because if I had just walked off the ferry onto the island I would have had no idea what to do or where to go.  But the Bus tour showed us the main parts of the island.  The driver/tour guide was really great.  He is originally from Germany.  The geeky voice/theater speech teacher in me was fascinated by his accent.  It was definitely German but it did sound very New Zealand at times.

I spent quite a lot of time at Onetangi Beach (oh neh tayn gee).   I walked the length of it (about a mile),

climbed this tree and played on the swing,

 collected some pretty amazing seashells,

sat and ate lunch, prayed and meditated on these rocks.

The weather was so much better and warmer today than yesterday.  I even took off my coat for an hour or so after climbing these stairs.

At the top, looking down to the beach.

It was so lovely and peaceful.  Even the seagulls!  At other beaches as soon as you pull out your lunch the seagulls gather to scavenge or steal your lunch.  But the seagulls here just went about their own business and left me to mine.

The view of the sunset just before leaving the island.  It was a beautiful day.  

There was another girl traveling alone on our bus tour.  She was also from Germany.  I had the thought to invite her to join me at Onetangi Beach at the end of the tour, but didn't.  I'm not sure why, but wish that I had.  She was a lovely girl with a really beautiful countenance.  You could tell she had a beautiful heart and soul.  My loss.  I could have made a new friend, but instead, I spent the day alone.  It was still a lovely day, but I often thought of Katia and hoped that I would run into her again and have a second chance.  So the lesson I learned today is: listen to that voice inside telling you to open your heart and connect with people.  You can do it.  Being shy is really just self directed and prideful.   It parades as the innocent protection from others but is really just protecting yourself from you - from making a fool of yourself.  The truth is that if you approach people with an open and loving heart, especially people who also have open and giving hearts, there is nothing to fear.  There is nothing to lose and so much to gain.  I couldn't help but feel a little like the man in this video today: Your Potential, Your Privileges 

I think if I had been ever so slightly more bold, this day (while still amazing), could have been so much more.  Climbing that tree and playing on the swing would have been so much more fun with another person.  I have come a long way from that little Christy who would hide behind my mother and cling to her knees.  I have faith that the goodness in my heart will continue to grow and one day overpower that fear that steals my opportunities for even greater joy.  Maybe that day will be tomorrow...

Auckland - June 27, 2013

um…..I’M IN NEW ZEALAND!!! 

Whew!  That is so crazy to me.  But here I am!  I made it safe and sound.  I even slept quite a bit on that crazy long flight.   I must have slept 7 or 8 of the 13 hour flight.  I think I was awake for about 2 hours at the beginning of the flight and about 2 hours at the end.  Air New Zealand hands out a nice sized blanket.  I had my noise reduction headphones on, my neck brace pillow and was ready to sleep but the light from all the little TV screens on the backs of the seats was really bright.  I didn’t have any of those eye covers so I grabbed my coat and put the hood of it over my head and then let it drape down over my body.  It was a fantastic little cocoon!  Dark and warm.  And then with that amazing neck pillow, I was sleeping deeply enough to dream about crashing in a snowy and seriously wind blown New Zealand.  I have some vague memories turbulents.  They must have affected my dreams. 

So I landed, went through customs and found the bus that brought me to my hotel in Auckland at about 8:30 AM.  I showered and napped a little in the morning.  I did however, get out into Auckland this afternoon.  I first talked with Philippa, downstairs in the lobby.  She is like a travel agent that is housed in the hotel.  She was very helpful and got me all planned for my time in Auckland and in Rotorua. She has it all worked out so that I don’t have to rent a car.  And she figured out how to get me to the temple from Roturua.  She said that I am not the first person that she has helped figure out how to get to the Mormon Temple in Hamilton.  I told her that we Mormons love our temples.

I was quite nervous as I was preparing to leave on Tuesday morning.   I asked my Father to give me a blessing where I was promised peace and safety in my traveling and I felt better.  Then as we got in the truck to go to the airport I said to my parents, “You know, one of the things that I love about being Mormon is knowing that I can go almost anywhere in the world and if I need anything there are other Mormons  just a phone call away who will come running to my aid.  Complete strangers and yet they will be so willing to help me.”  And my Dad replied, “But they aren’t really strangers.  Once we have made our baptismal covenants we “are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).  And my dad is right.  It is true that I haven’t met any of the Latter-day Saints in New Zealand but I already know what kind of people they are and I know that they are willing to help me, should I need it.  And that is what gives me the courage to get on an airplane and travel to the other side of the world all by myself.  And in light of that conversation it is so appropriate that when I walked out of my hotel and stepped out onto the streets of Auckland this is the first thing that I saw. 

I am staying next door to the LDS Family Services in Auckland, New Zealand.

I got out and walked down Queen Street, the main street in Auckland from my hotel to the ocean.  On the way I stopped and had some lamb kebabs and rice, bought a scarf because I managed to pack hat and gloves but not scarf and this is scarf weather.  I also found a grocery store and bought a few snack items. That is pretty much it.  I did take a few pictures. 

I fell in love with this tree.  It is MASSIVE!

Modern day Saloon.

I was just amazed that "suckies" is a real word! And it took me a minute to figure out what I would be getting if I bought "Bouncing Berry Suckies" I think they are like those yogurt tubes you put in the freezer and eat like popsicles.

Why build a new building?  Or tear down an old colonial building?  Just build a new building around the front of the old one.  Don't worry about matching or anything.

 It is now dark and only about 6PM but I am going to bed.  It feels like midnight – actually in Utah it is midnight and in Pennsylvania it is 2 AM. 

Oceania or Bust!

Ok.  I know I am not a great blogger, but I was very consistent last summer while I was in Europe so I am going to give it another go this summer while I am in New Zealand and Australia.

One of the great things about my program at Penn State is that someone donated money to the School of Theater to allocate to graduate students for international travel.  So, thank you Penn State for helping to support me on this adventure!!!!

I leave a week from today and my adventures will begin in Auckland.  Stay tuned....