New Zealand, Week 1

After camping, hiking and kayaking our way through remote corners of New Zealand, I'm finally able to sit down and blog a bit about our adventures. It's been just a little over a week and it seems we've barely scratched the surface of this rich and beautiful land.

We arrived in Nelson, the north part of the South Island. Our flight was delayed leaving San Francisco (three hours on the tarmac), so our total time in the airplane was over 15 hours.

In Nelson, we were picked up by Pastor Chris J, a pastor at a little country church outside Nelson. The Lutheran Church in New Zealand (a branch of the Lutheran Church in Australia) was founded by Germans and doesn't ordain women. I was a bit apologetic in my emails to Chris (would you meet with me? are you offended that I exist?) but he was gracious and kind. He and his wife Haidee took us back to their home for a lamb luncheon (I had salad) that Erik loved.

I'd expected, for some reason, that Chris would be older than me or at least middle aged. Turned out he was in the first year of his first call and was barely older than my little sister. We had much to talk about though, like the challenges of doing ministry in a secular world and the need for boundaries and what it's like to be a young clergy person. We got along so well that he even suggested a pulpit exchange in the future, until he realized that might not go over well with his denomination!

From Nelson we went into the wilderness and spent three days kayaking and camping in Abel Tasman National Park, named after the Dutch explorer who was the first white person to see the islands. Abel Tasman was beautiful and so warm and sunny. We explored bays, beaches and a seal colony, delighting in the moms with their playful pups. We met some New Zealanders from the North Island who gave us plenty of advice about our adventures to come.

After we cleaned up in Nelson after the kayak (and had an amazing dinner at a classy place with local snapper, lamb and pinot noir) we went to the Marlborough Sounds. The roads were so windy as we drove into the sound, which was about as rainy and gorgeous as the Prince William Sound. We hiked a bit and camped in the rain (thank goodness for Erik's secure work on the tent!)

The next day we explored the other thing the Sound is famous for: wine. We drove through a wine country not unlike Northern California and sampled some amazing Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs. Then it was on to Nelson Lakes, which was a little taste of the fjordlands in the center of the south island, along Lake Rotoiti. We took a 2.5 hour hike the day we arrived at the Nelson Lakes. I really am not exaggerating to say it was one of the most beautiful hikes I've done. Sweeping views of the lake, hills and forests, and well-maintained trails through woods and ridge. It was perfect. We camped again that night, near Lake Rotoiti. Our only complaint was the sandflies, which are starting to dot my feet and legs like so many chicken pox.

Yesterday we left Nelson Lakes and drove to the West Coast, which we're now following South. The drive through the Buller Gorge was lovely and now the views of the coast are a bit like Big Sur along California Highway 1. We stopped here, Punakaiki, where we treated ourselves to a night in a cottage and some fish and chips in a local tavern. Today we're off to see the famous "pancake rocks" which are nearby. Then we keep going south, until we start seeing the glaciers, fjords and mountains that will surely remind us of home.

Truth is, New Zealand so far has reminded us of Hawaii, Alaska and California all thrown together in diverse ecosystems and lands. Yes, we've seen hundreds of sheep, but also beef cattle, dairy cows and lots of interesting birds. There's so much here to explore and it feels like three weeks is just a taste.