The Coromandel: Beaches, tractors and volcanoes

Since leaving the Northland we have had a week on the road. Driving in New Zealand is mostly

Our North Island journey 

on two-lane roads, windy and scenic.  The only trick is staying left. Our Kerikeri friend, John Aish used to tell his kids that they made roads in New Zealand too long and had to add lots of curves to use it all up. That explains why we've had so few straight roads.

First stop down the North Island was visiting our Vashon neighbors at Hahei Beach. Becky and Richard Jenke are fabulous hosts and Hahei is a truly remarkable beach on the rugged Coromandel Peninsula. The weather didn't cooperate to get out on the water so we enjoyed long meals and story telling with Becky, Richard and their fantastic neighbors. We worked off the a little of the eating with some beautiful  hikes in the hills, to nearby Cathedral Cove, and the mile-long Hahei Beach.

One heard a fabulous story about a wounded Orca that had a crayfish pot wrapped around his tail. The Jenke's neighbor Russ owns the dive shop so he and his son, Rhys, went out to rescue it. Rhys jumped in the water with his Go Pro camera and cut the rope off the exhausted Orca's tail. He said he didn't worry much about being in the water with this huge mammal until the five other Orcas in the pod came swimming around. Click here to see a good news story and Rhys's video footage of the amazing rescue.

The Hahei locals have an interesting way of launching boats here using old tractors. Richard says some people have a boat just as an excuse to have the tractor. His neighbor Perky has two, big red and little red. It's good clean fun watching people launch and retrieve boats through the surf. Old timers sit by and watch knowing they are going to have to pull out a rookie or two. And then some tractors just make good sunbathing decks as demonstrated below.

Sunbathing Hahei style

Looking back at Hahei from the nearby Pa (fortified Maori village)

From Hahei Beach, we followed Richard's sage advice and headed southwest into the middle of the North Island to National Park. Established in 1887, Tongariro was the first national park in New Zealand and the fourth in the world. It is a dual World Heritage area, a status which recognizes the park's important Maori cultural and spiritual associations as well as outstanding volcanic features. Three mountains dominate the skyline and one was active as recently as 2007. More like two huge craters (much like our Mount St. Helens after it blue) and one remaining intact cone. Our hotel is on the flanks of Mt Ruapehu, the most active. After we check in we notice the room has instructions for what to do in case of a lahar flow. Escaping that kind of event is a bit like a jet aircraft attempting a water landing, highly unlikely chances of survival! Nearby is a perfectly shaped cone of Mt Ngauruhoe and beyond that the crater where Mt Tongariro was blown off a few hundred years ago. Beautiful scenery that was quite different from anything else we'd seen so far and fine hiking in subalpine meadows.

Jeff looking out at cone-shaped Mt Ngauruhoe. Mt Tongariro is the hard to see crater to the left.
We are standing on the flanks of Mt Ruapehu. 

From there we stoped off in Waikanae, a lovely beach area just before Wellington on the Kapiti Coast. Great open beach with not many people on it. We stayed at the Konini Cottage, hosted by the lovely Maggie and Bob Smith. Stop by and see them if you come this way, a wonderful, relaxing place and wonderful hosts. Be sure and try the local ginger beer as well!

The Waikanae beach stretches for five kilometers unobstructed.

After a week on the road, we find ourselves in Wellington, the capital located at the very southern tip of the North Island. It is the hilliest town I have ever seen, even steeper than San Francisco. Nice to be in one place for a week before we catch the ferry to the south island. And lots to see in Wellington, tons of good eateries, coffee, funky shops and walks to check out in the meantime! After all, it is the home of the Flight of the Concords... cheers!

Tractors in use in Waikanae for launching sightseeing boats for the nearby Kapati Island Reserve. 

Jeff and Richard on Hahei Beach after a hike to Cathedral Cove

The wonderful Becky Jenke along the estuary that flows to Hahei Beach

The Northland: The geography of isolation

In thinking about how to talk about New Zealand, I find myself coming back to the geography. 

geography. The fact that these islands are in the middle of the South Pacific has meant they are naturally unique. There are plants and birds that exist only here. People didn’t find this place until less than 1000 years ago. First it was the ocean going Polynesians who traveled in canoes over thousands of miles of vast, empty ocean. Followed by the Europeans only a few hundred years ago. If you are interested in learning more, visit this link for short stories and pictures.

We left Auckland and traveled north to explore the Northland and Bay of Islands from the small town of Kerikeri. It’s subtropical here so the mix of plants and fertile volcanic soil creates a beautiful green and lush environment. It’s very hilly with high open grazing areas with cows and sheep. The ocean shows up in almost every backdrop here where the island is narrow and surrounded by what they call the Twin Coasts. Our first day here was a wonderful farmers market reminded me so much of ours at home on Vashon; Small local farms selling everything from homemade yogurt, fresh cheeses and produce to blueberry pancakes and guacamole. We found Russell and Paihia to be rather touristy towns but it is easy to get way from that and onto a fairly remote beach or forest trail.

Ancient kauri tree

In the north, it's easy to see how the large protected bays with scattered islands and rivers flowing in makes it easy to see why people (Polynesians and European) decided to settle here. And it makes for incredibly

beautiful scenery.

There are some stands left of the once prolific Kauri trees with 6+ foot wide trucks and 60+ foot high canopies. These amazing trees were used for Maori canoes. All over these magnificent trees are tropical bromeliads, orchids and epiphytes. It is hard not to stand in awe at these massive living things. 

Our time here in the Northland was enhanced by our connection to Wendy and Lily, who we met in Auckland and who grew up here in Kerikeri. Her parents John and Myrline Aish invited us over to their farm and took us kayaking in Whangaroa Harbor and sight seeing around the peninsula there. Myrline grew up in this area and told us some great stories of the past and Lily, the six year old kept us in the present. Spectacular day!

Cavelli islands out where the Rainbow Warrior was sunk in the 70's... remember that? 

We leave the Northland to navigate back through Auckland to the Coromandal Peninsula where we'll check in with our nieghbors from Vashon, Becky and Richard Jenke. Now it's starting to make sense why they travel here every year for the winter. It might be the longest snowbird migration that I know of but I can't think of many places where the summer is so spectacular.

The Backseat Drivers: Lily D, Claire and Myrlene

Whangaroa Bay 

The Auckland Report

"A week in Auckland, you'll be bored!" That was our Vashon neighbor Richard's response to our New Zealnd itinerary. "Two days, four max!" he declared. Richard has over 30 years of visiting this country, having taught at the University of Auckland in the 80's and the building a house on the nearby Coromandal Peninsula. He and dear wife, Becky visit ever January and February. Given our way of travel, we weren't too worried about one week in New Zealand's largest city. Here is our report:

Day One: Arrive at 8 AM from Korea. Despite my telling both the Airport Shuttle company and our

Airbnb host that we were arriving at 8PM, the shuttle is there and takes us to our apartment where our host meets us and shows us our new home. Easy. Find essentials like fresh seafood and wine, try not to fall asleep. Wander through Albert Park and marvel at the range of plants/trees here.

Our view over Albert Park across the U. of Auckland

Day Two: Meet Wendy and Lily (friends of our friends Chip and Tammy) over in the Kingsland neighborhood. Wind our way through the streets of several other hood's taking in some views and checking out how the good people of Auckland live. Discover the flat white Mac's brewery.

Day Three: Time to start learning about this country and starting with the nearby Auckland Art Museum, New Zealand wing. Fantastic show of kiwi artist Robert Ellis and historical watercolors and oils of Maori people from the last two centuries. Free! Find the best place for a flat white near our house.

Day Four: After a morning of taking care of business back home, we walk up to the Auckland Museum. Amazing exhibits about NZ natural history, war history, Maori and Polynesian. Deserves two days. The museum sits up on one of Auckland's many old volcano peaks and has a great view from the top. Walk home through Parnell neighborhood, grab a beer and watch happy people enjoying the beautiful sunny, summer day. Discover another local hard cider on tap.

Day Five: Really, already? Take the ferry on the Hauraki Gulf to Rangitoto Island, a Dept of

Heaps of sailing in the Hauraki Gulf offshore from Auckland

Conservation island with trails. Walk to the top, an old volcano, wander through native forest back to the black lava shore, and return home exhausted and happy.

Day Six: Take the ferry over to Devonport to visit the lovely Anne O'Callaghan (we met at a retreat in Seattle). Swim with the Bucket Club, have wine and nibbles on the beach return to her house where her son Ben has made dinner. Sweet as!

Day Seven: Back to the ferry terminal (a mere 4 blocks from our apt), take the longest ferry ride on the gulf yet, 45 minutes, to Waiheke Island. From the wharf, a short walk through a preserve leads us to Cable Bay Winery for lunch and a

Lunch at Cable Bay, Waiheke

fabulous view. From there, walk through town to pick up the coastal trail which winds through vineyards, rocky coves a beach or two back to the wharf. Hope to come back to explore the other 90% of this incredible island someday. Wish we had another week.

Time to pack up and head to Kerikeri. From there we hope to explore the Northland and Bay of Islands. From there we will travel over to the Coromandal and visit Richard and Becky on Hahai Beach and share with him how (not) bored we were during our week in Auckland.

Maitiatia Bay on Waiheke

Auckland skyline from the ferry

Home for the Holidays

Cookies! Both beautiful and tasty.

After an eight day drive across the country,we boarded the Vashon ferry on 12/16, completely awed to behome for the holidays.Dan and Matt welcomed us with cookies, a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, stories of their summer/fall at Santosa, and a great dinner. We whisked them off to the airport the next day and enjoyed 12 days at home. Its ironic that after traveling nearly every Christmas holiday to be with my parents in either Florida or Lake Tahoe, the year I plan to travel is the year I get to stay home. Go figure.
It was wonderful to be in the cold, grey skies of the Puget Sound region. We were even blessed with a few of those incredibly clear and cold days. Managed a few walks in the island forests and beaches with dear friends. Our feral cats, Tom & Jerry remembered us and joined us inside by the fire. Dan and Matt have taken wonderful care of them and it was a relief to see they hadn't abandoned ship during the seven months we were gone.
After our time on the island, we moved to a rental house in Redmond, one mile from Jeff's mom, Jo Ann. That made it easy and fun to spend lots of time with Jeff's family (thanks Tab for hosting Christmas!) and catching up with friends in Seattle. Now we are refueled and heading off to New Zealand this morning. We will be in New Zealand until March 4 when we fly to Brisbane and then then fly home April 27 from Sydney.  

Wishing you a wonderful 2015 filled with joy, friends and laughter. 

Winter sunset over Quartermaster Harbor, Vashon Island

Jeff's mom, Jo Ann modeling John's hat from Thailand

Lounging with Jerry

Bonaire 2: Breathing underwater

Our month of Bonaire has come to a close. It was so nice to be in one house, one neighborhood

and one island for this long. Bonaire is not a lush, tropical island, it's arid, mostly flat with a coral reef surrounding it. The water has been the reason to be here.

The diving has been sublime. So easy. So tranquil. It is difficult to describe the sensation of breathing underwater. Once buoyancy is figured out, gravity is mostly gone and you feel weightless. It's the closest thing to space travel I will ever need. The effortless movement, a flick of the fin, a wave of the hand, and your facing a new direction. Also, adding to the Bonaire ease is 82 degree water that doesn't require a wetsuit.

Breathing underwater means limited sensory input. Smell and taste are mostly gone. Underwater, you hear only the sound of your breathing through the regulator and your bubbles. There is the occasional scraping of a parrotfish on coral and the snaps of a mantis shrimp, but other than that, the teaming life of a coral reef happens without a lot of auditory stimulus available to our ears over the dominant sound of breathing.

Giant anemones always house an interesting find.
A cleaning shrimp in this case. A fish can pull up
and signal to be cleaned, parasites be gone! 

Visually, all the eye candy is outrageous. Where to look first? Poking along the reef and looking through cracks and crevices in the reef for surprises: maybe octopus, odd fish behavior, an eel, you just never know what might show. Then the constant swish out of the corner of the eye distracts you away and onto something else. Some of the outrageous colors and shapes move while others stand still and hope you won't see them. All the while remembering to look out from the reef to see the turtle, tarpon or ray that might happen to swim by. Everywhere so much to look at with millions and millions of living beings within my field of vision. They may be very simple life forms like a coral polyp but the additive factor is stupendous.

So 12/5, we dropped off our rental car at Bonaire's Flamingo Airport. This rather well-used island ride dutifully served as our dive boat as well, taking us to the twenty plus dive sites that we visited out of the over 100 around the island. We did the easy diving and returned to our favorites multiple times. Now we are in Atlanta visiting LuAnne, collecting our things and preparing for the cross country drive. We need to be on Vashon by 12/16 to take our wonderful house sitters, Dan &Matt to the airport and settling back into our house until 12/29, then we fly to Aukland, New Zealand on January 7th. The fish and flamingos seem a long way from here and such is the hard part of travel, when you have to leave those really sweet spots. Savor and move onward. In the meantime, there's always hotel swimming pools for breathing underwater.

Bonaire 1: Saltwater therapy

When I was young I noticed how well my cuts healed in saltwater. Now I notice it about my internal wounds. There is just something elemental about the chemistry and minerals in salt water. Or maybe it's just the buoyancy.

There are over 100 dive sites around Bonaire to choose from

We've been on the island of Bonaire for almost two weeks now and glad to report feeling happy. In case you have never heard of Bonaire, it's part of the Dutch Antilles, 50 miles north of Venezuela and on the same latitude as Nicaragua. The land is arid, native vegetation leans towards thorny. Lots of goats, iguanas and donkeys. About 17,000 people live here and like most quiet Caribbean islands, it suffers brain drain from local people leaving for better jobs in the states, Holland or nearby sister islands, Aruba and Curacao. People here speak Papiomento, a language that mixes Dutch, Spanish and a little of dis and dat. Lots of Dutch tourists and resident. The mix is very congenial, no one seems in a rush, most are quick with a joke. I think we all seem to agree that we are lucky to be here, despite the heat.

We ended up here by accident. Plan A would have us in SE Asia right now, likely Vietnam. So Plan B put us here with no dive gear, not even a snorkel. Luckily we managed to find some used dive gear and snorkeling equipment so we are up and running. 

Diving is the best reason to be here. The entire island is surrounded by reef and has been part of a marine park since about 1994. Normally we use dive boats to get to the reef. Here, however, our car is our dive boat. We have tanks in the back of the care most of the time and gather our gear to head out when we are ready. This is the "rainy" season so the past few days it's been between squalls. That has also decreased our visibility. Doesn't seem to disturb the reef denizens and that's who we come to see. Every dive is a mystery, anticipation about what will we be lucky enough to see? One day it's a eagle ray who swims by us, then stops, turns towards us and head by us within 10 feet. The next day it's beautiful school of squid, hovering nearby as we take our first look around. And there is so much we miss, to be sure, as it's alive with creatures covering nearly every square inch of sand and rock.

Here are a few of our favorite creatures to date:

Frogfish, looks like a sponge, right?

We did manage to find a frogfish, (with the help of our dive shop (shout out to the awesome dive folks at Dive Friends Bonaire) who told us about a resident fellow sitting regularly on top of a sponge. The photographers that were swimming around her were another great locator!

We are still on the lookout for seahorse, might need another assist from better eyes than ours, we look and look in their habitat and have yet to be graced by the sight of that lovely little shape.

We are here until 12/5. It's such a luxury to be in one house, one location for one whole month! We will try to post again before we leave with updates from the sea!

Staten Island time

Jeff with the new World Trade Center behind.
Lovely building 1776 feet tall. Just opened 11/3

We have had an improbable and delightful linking of islands in these last few weeks. It began on Long Island where we stayed with our friend Karen Allen and her lovely dog Lily. Fall colors at their best and we enjoyed time cooking, laughing, sailing and a quick trip into the City to see our friend Alessandra Levy (daughter of the fabulous Geri Levy) perform with her group.

From there it was a short drive to Staten Island. We wanted to visit NYC without paying more for parking then for our room. Staten Island was a perfect solution. With the free 25 minute ferry to the lower end of Manhattan only a half mile from our fire house apartment, hosted by Suzanne and Anthony, it was an easy jaunt into the city. The new bike share program was our friend and the incredible indian summer days provided a great four days of island experience on Manhattan. Our remarkable and talented nephew Byron lives in Harlem so we got to see him a few times. We walked the Brooklyn Bridge, rode the park, saw Motown and got a vip pass to the Empire State Building thanks to Byron. And MoMA. Oh my. No place like NYC.

The view up the Hudson from the Empire State Building

After Manhattan, we jumped on the NJ turnpike and headed for the eastern shore of Maryland, there Tilghman Island. Waterman, crab cakes, ducks, dogs, deer and the big skies around the Chesapeake River replaced the concrete and crowds of NYC.
we visited more with Karen, at her house on

With a quick two day drive to inland to Atlanta, we visited our sister in law LuAnne and left our car and warm clothes with her and caught a plane to the island of Bonaire. Flipflops, dive shops, fish and gin clear water for the next 30 days.

Karen's Simplicity Cottage on Harris Creek, Choptank

Standing on the dock of the bay.

Lily, the wonder dog.

Plan B - On the Road Again

Had we followed Plan A, we'd be in the UK heading for SE Asia. However, after Bill's departure, we felt it would be better to stay close to family and friends and devised Plan B. Jeff flew to Seattle and picked up the car while I finished up Bill's project of getting our family's house in the market in Florida. (Anyone need a nice little home in Florida, our dad built it so it has good bones.) Jeff drove across the country and we rendezvous-ed in beautiful Cleveland to see my sister.

Karen and Olive

Cleveland is a great little city. Karen lives on the westside in Avon Lake and works at American Greetings. It was "take your sister to work afternoon" when I flew in so I got to see the inner AG workings... fun for me!  During our visit, we got to see the fabulous (and free!) Cleveland Art Museum, the Westside Market (rivals Pike Place) and enjoy fall walks in a few gems of the emerald necklace. Mostly it was nice just to be with Karen and her wonder-cat Olive in her sweet, comfy home.

From there we traveled along Lake Erie by Buffalo and headed east into the Adirondacks. Neither of us had been there before and the fall leaves were breathtaking. We stayed near Friend's Lake and did some hiking and biking in the unseasonably warm weather.

Jan and John Stewart and our bonus day on Casco Bay

After a beautiful drive across southern Vermont and New Hampshire, with fall leaves in full glory, it was great to see the water again in Portland, Maine. We came here to visit John and Jan Stewart. John and Jeff went to SIU together "back in the day" and we'd visited them in Nicaragua in March. The Stewarts live along the bayside of Portland and can see their sailboat moored offshore, from their front porch. Sweet. It seems like a good life here in Portland, very walkable, bikeable city with friendly folks and a sense of quirkiness not unlike the other Portland (OR). We had a bonus fall day of 70 degree weather to sail with them on Casco Bay, incredibly beautiful day and another sunny bike ride down to the Cape Elizabeth lighthouse. Lots of laughs and good conversations, as always with them.

We cast again tomorrow for Long Island to visit my of 30 years, Karen Allen, and enjoy time with her. The rest of Plan B includes driving back to Atlanta to visit LuAnne and then flying to Bonaire, in the Netherlands Antilles 11/7-12/5. Once back in the US, we'll drive back to Seattle where we will get to housesit for our housesitters while they travel. Looking forward to visiting friends and family, bonus deal.  In the new year we will fly to Aukland, New Zealand on 1/7/15 and back from Sydney, Australia on 4/27/15. At least that's our plan, we will see what really happens this time!

Rich Lake in the central Adirondacks, photos don't seem to do fall colors justice! 

The real journey begins

I have been trying to write this post for over a month now. What would I say about my brother after his death? Not a post I want to write but here goes.
We traveled to Atlanta 8/25 to help Bill and Lu Anne fight this leukemia fight. I was found to be a bone marrow match so we were planning to come to Atlanta for the months it was going to take to get him well enough for the surgery. That wasn't to be and sadly he left the planet on 9/3, surrounded by people who loved him. He is no longer suffering and I am happy for that. It was so hard to see my vibrant, strong brother reduced to a shell of a body.

Easter 1964-ish

Now a new journey begins, how do I move forward without my brother? One step at a time beginning with this post.
Bill, Billiam, Billy Bob. Born as William Monroe Rowlett III. I knew him as my big brother. As kids, I was enough of a tomboy that I wanted to follow him everywhere (You know how that arrangement usually works out!). Bill never yelled at me, or was cruel to me to get me to leave him alone, not his style. He simply found other ways to elude me. Smart boy.
He was an impish little kid and loved to tease and prank both his little sister and our oldest sister Karen. Every summer as kids we were piled into the back of the family car and were driven to Alabama, North Carolina and several times to New England and eastern Canada. I can remember one family summer vacation where he tickled me from Florida to New Hampshire. I wasn't ticklish after that. He toughened me up. I remember learning to ski with him, he'd take me up a lift and once at the top, I'd find out it was a double black diamond. I had to find a way down. He helped me learn I could get down anything. Thank you Bill.

As adults, I really saw what Bill was capable of when we started that inevitable journey of aging parents and eldercare. Bill was right there, taking on what needed done and never failing to show up. He brought himself, even when he didn't want to or didn't think he needed too. He gave me courage to do the same.
Bill was an amazing husband, father, friend, employee, and whatever else he was. Mentor. He touched many people. His good friend/brother Jim Crumbley posted this beautiful tribute to Billness on his blog, he says it way better than I can. Patient, kind, always looking to lighten things up with a joke. Very slow to anger. These are the traits of inner Billness.
At Emory Hospital, in Bill's final hours I looked around the 9 other people that were there, surrounding his bed, and felt such gratitude for how Bill lived his life and how he was deeply loved. His last breath seemed very peaceful. Now the journey begins to live from my inner Billness and be grateful for the 55 years that I was lucky enough to have him as my bro.

Bill and LuAnne in their happy place. 

Paris: Merci, au revoir & à bientôt!

Paris was our last stop in France and our first big city since Lisbon. We’d gotten used to the peace and quiet of Burgundy, Provence, the Lot-Garrone and Prades earlier in August and felt a bit of apprehension about driving into the Big City. Luckily our house was in Ivry-sur-Siene and an easy entrance off the highway. Our friend Ellen from DC flew in to Charles de Gaulle and navigated the Paris metro system to meet us there. Before we knew it, we were settled and ready to get our Paris exploration going.

Our first job was to return our car to the Renault dealer which put us on the west side of Paris and walking distance to the old city. We explored the city by the water taxi system along the Seine and got a feel for where we were, since so much is built around the river. We knew there would be too much to do for one week and that compromises would need to be made. This initial lay of the land helped us get more comfortable, as did relieving ourselves of the burden of our faithful steed, Bridgette. Merci et au revior!

Day two we discovered how to use the bike share system (called the Velib). Since our house was on the east side along the Seine, this allowed us to pick up a bike by our house, ride along the river and access all parts of the city. Paris is amazingly bike friendly and the locals are used to these huge Velib bikes making erratic movements through traffic. Also it was August many Parisians are gone creating a little less traffic. With the Velib we biked to Notre Dame, art museums, Pere Lechaise cemetery and up to Montmartre and through all neighborhoods in between.

Ellen cruising across the Seine on her Velib bike

One of our favorite finds was an outdoor photo exhibit which was 100 photos to mark 100 years since the start of WW1. Remarkable photos that helped us see a glimpse into some of the human side of this brutal war that played out on this soil. Photos of men from all around the world who came to fight and mostly die. The exhibit of black and white photography lined the Champs-Élysées; getting great exposure for all the tens of thousands of families and tourists that were walking that street. The photos made me think about both my grandfathers who served and survived but especially my mother's father who stayed on after the war and studied at the Sorbonne before returning home.

Our neighborhood was just beyond the Peripherique (perimeter freeway) in a former industrial area. We enjoyed seeing how real people live in Paris and croissants and desserts from our fabulous local boulangerie. When we needed packing material to get the folding bike packed for shipping, our neighborhood had the perfect hardware store. Paris through the back door. We saw a lot of the Siene, the houseboats and restaurant boats, neighborhood places, many closed during August since their clients were vacationing. We enjoyed seeing the African men and women in traditional dress and people from all over the world in our neighborhood. 

The rest of the week flew. We all decided when we come back, we’ll spend more time just walking around neighborhoods and lingering in cafes. Personally, I'll do more art history with all the treasures that Paris holds, many we saw and others will have to wait. Merci Paris et à bientôt!

Notre Dame 

The Louvre from Bonapart's Apartments