Farewell to Islands (nearly) in the Sun

City of Auckland from Summit

Hello,

Monday, January 3rd

You never know who you’ll meet on a bench at the wharf in Auckland while waiting for a ferry bound for Rangatoto. This is an island some thirty minutes by water from the city. It is one of forty-eight volcanoes, albeit dormant, in Auckland—certainly while we were visiting. Now why would one build a city in such a dangerous environment? One could re-phrase the question. Why would one build cities along and close to the San Andreas Fault in California? As usual, questions we have—we’re short on answers.

For our last day in New Zealand, we hiked to the summit of the volcano cone. The views of the bay and the city are splendid. The water appears to be turquoise, with streaks of dark blue. The island, covered with volcanic rock and many trees, is uninhabited. The blue sky, azure water, black rock and greenery of the trees and vegetation combine to form a very pretty picture. (The sun has returned.)
On way to Cone Summit

The authorities advertise that the island has been cleared of all pests such as rats, mice, lice etc. One is warned not to bring these ‘items’ to the island. Random searches, frequently undertaken, ensure the rules are obeyed. While we don’t have a desire to abandon our collection of rodents just yet, we were worried in case they checked us for dandruff.

A stroll on Barbeque Rocks

We hiked to the summit, which is only an 800 feet elevation gain. However, it is steadily steep and quite short so one feels the strain on the leg muscles. Nevertheless, it was far from strenuous but very pleasant being in a volcanic atmosphere again. We have seen quite a bit of volcano country lately; we suggest you visit this beautiful country before it becomes too hot and exciting.

So who did we meet? Truth be told, no one famous. However, in thirty-five interesting minutes, we listened to a seventy-year old man whom explained a number of facets of life in New Zealand to us. In addition, he mentioned the eighteen years he spent on the road as a sign-writer, waking up in different towns almost each day. Now why would that have piqued our interest? He is about to complete the construction of a 75-feet yacht while he spends his free time challenging the police in cases where he suspects corruption. These, he says, are contained in his about to be published book, a copy he intends forwarding to us. His Maori’ wife, whom he refers to as Mum, passed away a few years back. With his domestic background, he was able to give us a brief run-down of the pronunciation of Maori place names. We would have washed our children’s mouths with soap and water had we heard them use such expressions, before this trip.
Our mentor in Auckland

In closing, we do wish the Kiwis were not so fussy about our boots. They have this fear that people carry dangerous bacteria under the soles even within the country. We often wonder what they would do if they could see into peoples’ souls. Yesterday, there were six stations on the hike where one could clean or, was expected to wipe off one’s boots with chemicals and a brush. Another aspect of their eco-strategy we noticed is that they discourage the use of tubs, preferring visitors to take three-minute or less, showers. We wonder whether the authorities ever peek into their backyard and see all the lakes or notice the rain that falls often. Another favorite is that each toilet has two flush-buttons, half and full—we will not provide an explanation. Our question is: If a person uses the half-flush button, should he or she only wash one hand. How’s that for a water-saver? Perhaps ‘one hand washes the other’. Now we do know that in certain cultures, one hand is used exclusively in this…domain. Maybe we should end there and say: G-d willing, we’ll see you in Australia.
Another view from Summit

Cheers,

Jenni and her 'washed-right-hand man'