Choosing to Love

6:27 PM ispeakitboldly 0 Comments


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Recently there have been various issues or events triggering differing thoughts amongst my friends and associates on how to respond. These may be issues from my personal life and network, or stories on the news from around the world. Many of these have resulted in heated debates over meals, online, and in other forums. I have spent a lot of time thinking about these circumstances and how I should react to them. Through books, movies, prayer, and reflection I have come to the conclusion that I will discuss in the next few paragraphs. To begin with I will start with a part of my life that relates to how I reached my conclusion. 
Not very many people know this, but there was a point in my life when, through many poor choices, I pretty much hit rock bottom - think the Prodigal Son. I cannot begin to describe the personal agony I suffered - and in some ways still do - as a result of those choices. It took many years of struggling, failing and picking myself back up again, to get back on track. Through this journey I personally came to know what godly sorrow really meant and how powerful the Atonement of Jesus Christ is if you allow it into your life to act upon your heart.
The reason I share this is because one of the things that really helped me through that time, and make it back, was the love of those around me. I had so much support, so many kind words, from family, friends, and church leaders. There were many reasons for people to be angry at me, to judge me, to make fun of me behind my back, or to demand the strictest punishment against me. Yet no one did, and I still remember how much that meant to me. All of us are children of a loving Heavenly Father and thus we are all brothers and sisters. None of us are perfect - at times all of us will stumble. I truly believe one of the greatest acts we can do in this life is to show charity towards those we may believe do not deserve it.
Most of us are familiar with the story of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. There is a turning point for Valjean that allows for his transformation from embittered convict to the great man who blesses the lives of so many he encounters. One morning, after stealing from a bishop who had been the only person in the town willing to take him in, Valjean is arrested. The bishop has a choice: he can demand justice and have Valjean sent back to the gallows or show mercy and let him start a new life. He decides to choose mercy. “The Bishop drew near to him, and said in a low voice:— ‘Do not forget, never forget, that you have promised to use this money in becoming an honest man.’ Jean Valjean, who had no recollection of ever having promised anything, remained speechless. The Bishop had emphasized the words when he uttered them. He resumed with solemnity:—‘Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.’” 
I suppose by showing mercy the bishop could have unleashed a violent criminal on the French countryside. It is possible Valjean would have never repented or changed his ways. However, the only certainty is that if the bishop had demanded justice Valjean would have never changed. The bishop’s decision to choose love is what provided Valjean with a new path. And as Marius points out towards the end of the novel, “the convict was transfigured into Christ”.
One of my favorite set of verses in scripture is how Christ dealt with the adulteress brought to him as a test by those who did not believe he was the Messiah. John 8:7-11 says,  “So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” 
What does this mean to all of us? We can choose to condemn, to judge, to point fingers, to make snide comments on social media and like them, or in many other ways continuously reminding each other of someone else’s mistake, or….we can choose love. We can choose mercy. We can choose forgiveness. We can choose to move on. We can extend a helping hand, say a kind word, share a smile, and just show love toward those who have made mistakes. Forgiveness is a powerful gift that each one of us has the ability to share every single day. 
There are so many reasons to be angry. So many injustices are committed every day throughout the world. Many of these will be done against us. Yes, those who commit crimes or sins need to be punished appropriately and judged by those with the proper authority. Mercy and forgiveness is not meant to excuse people of their actions. At the same time I believe how we decide to handle these individual cases may be a defining moment in each of our lives. It is up to each of you what you will decide. But as for me, today and going forward, I have decided that I will choose love. 


note: I took this from a post I made in a group I belong to on Facebook. 

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Melbourne - The City I Love (Part 2)

5:22 PM ispeakitboldly 0 Comments



Traveling really does force you to live a lot differently from how you do at home. Sleeping on air mattresses at friend’s places and eating cold pizza for breakfast is just an example of this. I decided that I hadn’t had enough torture from yoga the other day so I decided to go again. This time was pretty much the same as the other day, but I think it was a little longer. The instructor has a very thick Spanish accent. On top of me not being able to do many of the poses I could barely understand what she was saying. I kept having to look around to figure out what I was supposed to do next. After that we walked to one of my favorite restaurants in Melbourne - Top Paddock. It’s always busy and very loud inside. They have really good breakfasts though. Especially the pancakes. My friend Cassie is a lot of fun to spend time with and she’s one of the people it’s easy for me to have long, serious conversations with. I needed to pick up some dress clothes for the wedding the next day so we made our way to a shopping center to buy a couple of things. My friend also wanted me to pretend to be a hipster so I tried on some super tight jeans with ripped knees, a fancy button up shirt, and a silly hat. It went very well with my beard. She had work and I had some more school to do. 
I made my way back into the city. I wanted to walk around the area by the Australian Open. It’s a large sports complex right next to the Yarra River. Lots of outdoor tennis courts, a couple of indoor arenas, all right next to the MCG and rugby stadium. Unfortunately I was one week too early to watch the tennis. I was able to catch up with the person I rented from while here last time. She’s a little younger than I am and also a lot of fun to spend time with. We caught up and then she took me to a couple of unique ice cream places around town. It gave me some ideas for opening up my own dessert place back in Utah. 
The last day. I went to do one last yoga session with my friend. This was a really tough class with a lot of balancing acts and some crazy stances. I was doing all I could to not kick someone or fall over on someone else’s mat. At least the woman leading the class was a lot easier to understand. We followed it up with some smoothies and a little more conversation before I said goodbye. I then had lunch with another friend who had helped out when I lived here last time. Him and his wife are such nice people. We talked a little about his son who’s on a mission in England as well as what it’s like being a university professor in Australia. There are definitely some differences between there and the States. And they have some unique issues with some of the students. 
It was finally time for the main event. My friends’ wedding was in the Yarra Valley about an hour away. It’s gorgeous countryside with acres of vineyards. The weather was perfect - sunny and cool. We sat outside and just enjoyed the beauty of Australia while the ceremony was conducted. The couple looked wonderful, the vows were tinder and full of love, and everyone was happy. Weddings are always amazing and when it’s friends it’s just that much more special. We had a nice break before dinner and spent it playing sports: cricket, croquet, footie, and bocce. Dinner was also lovely. Met some new people and heard everyone say nice words about the couple and their families. I was glad to be there for this special occasion and to share in this moment. However, It’s always tough to say goodbye when the time has come and passed. 
I headed straight to the airport (it was around 1 am) and slept in the domestic terminal. I was worried they were going to charge me $100 for my little bag, but I was able to sneak it on with no questions. I arrived in Sydney and went to the international terminal. The line to check in was ridiculously long. You can’t use kiosks there as a non-rev so I sat in line for over an hour to just let them know I was there. I was a little worried about getting a seat, but got some of the best news of the trip when they told me I had a business elite seat (one of the seats that lies down flat…they are amazing especially on these long flights). 
This was an amazing three weeks. I love traveling. I love reconnecting with friends. I love experiencing all that life has to offer. There’s still so much to see. I can’t wait to go exploring again soon. 

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Melbourne - The City I Love (Part 1)

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After two wonderful weeks in NZ it was time to pop over to Melbourne to say hi to some of my friends and also go to a wedding. I arrived at the airport and while checking in discovered JetStar doesn’t allow more than 7 kg total for carryon luggage (I thought it was 7 kg per bag). Fortunately I was allowed a free checked bag. After a smooth flight - but not so smooth landing - I was back in one of my favorite cities. It’s weird being back in a place you think you might never see again. Seeing the same sights with different eyes as, like everyone else, I have changed in the time since I was last here. The one thing that you can be guaranteed though is that in the summer Melbourne will be hot…very hot. I got off a bus at Southern Cross Station and wanted to walk to the other side of the CBD to a barber that had gotten good reviews. After a couple of blocks I realized walking may not have been the best idea. I was sweating profusely by the time I got there after what actually was a thirty minute walk. The barber asked what I was doing there, I told him I wanted a haircut, he politely told me it was by appointment only. After making the decision to not get upset I walked a couple of streets down and found a barber that didn’t require appointments. I felt a little bad for him as by that point I was really pouring some sweat. 
I hopped on the train and switched at Richmond. While trying to figure out what train to board I saw the right one just pull out and so had to hang out for another ten minutes for the next one. I walk from Windsor to my friend’s place only to find he wasn’t home. No phone means no way to communicate. I wait for about half an hour and then, because Melbourne is bipolar when it comes to weather, it started pouring down rain. Fortunately there was a hospital across the way and I was able to hang out in the lobby like a homeless person with all my bags for a few minutes. I soon realized that my friend wasn’t coming home anytime soon so I used the hospital phone, after nicely asking the receptionist, to call my other friend. 
I walk back to the train station and get off at South Yarra. I drop off my bags, change clothes, and head over to try our yoga for the first time in my life. It was supposedly “Slow Flow”. For those who have never gone yoga - supposedly relaxing - is actually an hour long haze fest of holding positions and trying to bend the body in ways that don’t seem possible. At the end I was dying. At the same time it was quite refreshing and my body did feel great. We walked down the street and had our fill with some amazing Thai food. Then another friend came and picked me up and I stayed at him and his wife’s place for the night watching the cricket and drinking GBs. 
One of my favorite things is re-connecting with friends. It’s great having friends all over the world, but it’s really hard to stay in touch with them sometimes. I love just stopping by and even though it’s been a couple of years or more talking and laughing and having a good time like we had seen each other just yesterday. 
The next morning my friend who hadn’t been at home came and picked me up. It was great seeing him and his soon to be wife again. They are such a great couple and it always makes me happy to see friends get married. I immediately set out to meet up with Cassie for a day at the beach. We took a nice little tram ride through the city, piled into one of her friend’s Ford station wagons and headed southwest for Torquay. It was cloudy at first and we were a little worried about the weather for the day. By the time we got down to the beach outside of Torquay (Bells Beach) it was a beautiful, sunny day. We decided to pop down to Lorne and lay out on that beach instead. This was a wonderful strip of sand and where we ate lunch and set up camp there were really no other people. The water was freezing cold, but felt great after laying on the sand for a few minutes. Mostly we played some football, threw around the frisbee, and worked on all of our yoga skills. I didn’t ever do much more than dip my toes in the water because of how cold it was. 
I knew the sun was especially bad here if out for an extended period of time - especially considering I have little sun recently. Yet I was still lazy about sunscreen and may or may not have regretted that later that night. We finished off the day with burgers and ice cream (we are all American and that’s how we wrap up a long day at the beach). It was a long day, but a great one of making new friends, cruising down the Great Ocean Road, and just enjoying a lazy day of soaking up the sun. These types of days are some of my favorite memories.
Today was another scorcher. By the time I was out and about walking around it was already close to ninety degrees. By lunchtime it supposed to be above a hundred. I took advantage of the slightly cooler morning to see some of my favorite places. I walked by Flinders Street Station and Federation Square, across the river - where I saw the MCG not too far off and teams of rowers paddling - where I also saw a photo shoot of a man in a suit wearing thigh-high red leather boots (don’t ask). I never tire of walking through the gardens and parks of Melbourne. They are escapes from the noise and chaos of the city life. My real destination was the Shrine of Remembrance. It is possibly my favorite war memorial. It’s a large pyramid like structure at the end of a long parade deck not too far from the city center. There is a large ANZAC Day dawn ceremony each year with thousands attending. 
At each half hour they do a simulated Ray of Light ceremony (the real one is November 11th at 11 am). It’s a short discussion of why there is a shrine and who we are remembering. The ray of light passes over a stone that have the words: “Greater Love Hath No Man” inscribed on it. There is a power, a spirit of sacrifice, of endurance, that permeates the building. It’s hard to hold back the tears as I think of all those brave men who left dreams, who left loved ones, who left their lives behind to go to unknown lands and not come back. If there is one way we can give back we can always remember them and live lives worth of their sacrifice. 
I spent most of the rest of the day in the cool State Library of Victoria catching up on schoolwork and email. Even at 6 pm when I headed home it was amazingly hot outside. I was hanging up my laundry on the rack and doing my best to not sweat all over my clean clothes. It is amazing the difference between NZ weather and Melbourne. 
I do want to also say that as much as I don’t like public transportation, it is amazingly easy to use and very enjoyable in Melbourne. The buses and trams and trains are all under the same system. It is so simple to get anywhere in the city and not worry about having a car. I still prefer the freedom of having my own vehicle, but this public transportation more than makes it bearable to not have one. 






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Day 12: End of an Adventure

1:17 PM ispeakitboldly 0 Comments


This will not be a very long post as yesterday was more of a relaxing day, especially due to the weather being less than ideal. I had to do one more switch with a rental car early in the morning on a day I would have rather slept in. No love from the rental car company to go drop off one white Yaris for another white Yaris. There was an LDS congregation meeting less than five minutes away at 9:30. We spent our morning there hearing some inspired messages and lessons. Sometimes the world is a very small place. Sitting right behind us during Sunday School was a senior missionary couple. After talking to them for a few minutes about where we were from, I found out that they were the parents of one of my church leaders as a teenager and their daughter-in-law was my neighbor growing up in Brooks. Of all the places I would think to run into someone I know the other side of the world in Christchurch was not one of them. 
We had planned a day spent in Akaroa. This is a small seaside town about an hour south of Christchurch. The idea was to enjoy the water and walk around. The day had turned quite cold and cloudy while we were at church though. We decided to go forward with the plan anyway. The drive was another typical lovely trip through the countryside. The town itself is situated in a bay. It was settled by French colonists in the 1800s and still has some of the feel of it in the names, buildings, and food, Unfortunately it was just too cold and windy to enjoy walking around so after lunch we drove back to Christchurch. 
I wanted to see the rugby stadium that the Crusaders play at. We were staying right next to it. However, as soon as we parked outside one of the gates it quickly became apparent this stadium had not been used in years. There were weeds covering the pitch and it looked like something that belonged in a deserted city. It was a corpse of a building left to rot in the open air. It was actually kind of depressing to see it. I was surprised after it was damaged from the earthquakes that it wasn’t either rebuilt or torn down. I found out where the other stadium is they now play at. It’s much smaller - more like a US soccer stadium than the home of one of the great clubs. 
We drove around and found a place to eat dinner. Other than that we relaxed, read, and got ready to leave. It’s never easy to leave a country after visiting for a few days. New Zealand is a beautiful, wide open country with so much to explore. As far away as it is I’m not sure when, or if, I’ll be back. I have loved the time spent here. I met some great people, reconnected with a friend, saw landscapes that I wouldn’t have believed possible. There is so much to gain from traveling. This experience was definitely once in a lifetime. If I have any advice - travel now and travel often. Don’t get stuck living out your whole life in one city and never exploring the world around you. It will enrich your life and help you appreciate it so much more. 






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Day 11: Arthur's Pass, Edoras, Return to Christchurch

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The hostel we stayed at was a decent place and actually had unlimited free wifi. The building we stayed in was called the stable, and I’m pretty sure it once was used as such. The toilet was in a little closet that when you sat down could barely fit because of the wall maybe two or three inches in front. Brekkie was also free, but it was basically toast and cereal on milk that was slightly suspect. We saw the guy just add water after we were done. So I’m not sure what I really put on my Wheetabix. We knew it was a long drive back so we pushed on through the morning not making too many stops. There were some spectacular views as we made our way up into the mountains and went through Arthur’s Pass. If there is one thing that New Zealand does exceptionally well it is valleys with rivers running through bordered by majestic mountains. It was another clear, blue sky day. The air was crisp and fresh. It’s always difficult to say goodbye to the mountains. 
There was a foot bridge we stopped at that crossed a river towards a couple of long walks. I have seen a few of these on paths here and these bridges are not like many ones I have seen before. They are cable ones with wooden planks that are quite springy and shaky when walked on. They also don’t allow more than a few people at any one time. I’m not sure why they didn’t build more stable and stronger ones at the time. 
One of the big stops we had was at Castle Hill. About half a mile from the main road there are a couple of hills with massive stones poking out of the ground. As the name says it looks like a castle or a crown of stones on the top of the hills. Many are quite large, and all of them are rounded with no sharp edges. The whole place is like a playground for bouldering or hiding. There are small caves, an arch, some shaped like a giant’s head, others like a dinosaur bone. We could have spent the whole afternoon exploring the different stones. 
We had one more stop we wanted to make before heading back into Christchurch. Down the inland scenic route there is a small hill that was a filming location for The Lord of the Rings. Edoras, the seat for the king of Rohan, was situated on the top of Mt. Sunday. We knew it was a long drive into the interior of the island. We decided to not take any chances and fuel up prior to heading over. The place we stopped at had one fuel pump randomly placed right by the street. You park on the street to fill up and I’m pretty sure the pump was older than I am. 
The inland scenic route was another gorgeous drive through the countryside. You are often surprised coming around a turn at a view that looks down from a high elevation onto valleys, gorges, rivers, and lakes. It never gets old or boring seeing this. We didn’t know this ahead of time but the last twenty-four kilometers or so are a dirt road. The poor little Yaris did not appreciate this. It also took us a lot longer to get there as a result. Arriving at Mt Sunday made up for the detour immediately. This is another one of the huge flat areas with rivers running through as mountains keep watch. In the middle of the plain was Mt Sunday rising up a solitary stone hill. One of the rivers was giving off a hazy mist almost like steam. It is an easy walk along a well defined path. At the top you get an amazing panoramic view of the countryside. It was also probably one of the windiest places we had been making it a short stay on the summit. 
We finished what may be our last little adventure and drove back to Canterbury. For dinner we went to the town center and ate at Cafe One. It felt kind of like a hipster coffee shop. The food was very good though and it had a fun atmosphere. We were amazed walking around how much of the devastation from the hurricanes is still visible. Cranes all over rebuilding, many ruins yet to be torn down, and more than a few buildings covered with scaffolding as they are repaired. Only one day left here. Sleep now so we can enjoy what’s left of our time. 





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Day 10: West Coast and Glacier Country

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After a two hour nap yesterday we both still ended sleeping almost eight hours last night. Which means we didn’t hit the road quite as early as I would have liked. The drive along Lake Wanaka was very nice. The lakes we have seen are definitely not small as many of the lakes I have been to are. All of them take thirty minutes to an hour to drive one length. Access to the West Coast is limited by two roads separated by almost two hundred miles. We took the southern pass at the town of Haast and began heading north. Not a lot of people live in this part of the South Island, which means not a lot of towns. This will be important information to know later in the day. We found a beach access road right by Haast and got out to see the beach on this side of the island. It went on for miles in both directions with no people on it. This wasn’t too surprising as the wind was fierce and the water freezing. We took a look around and continued the drive. The scenery was beautiful as always and it definitely was much greener on this side of the mountains. It was a much more tropical area than the rolling hills and farmlands around Queenstown and Wanaka. 
Our first stop was an hour walk to Monro Beach. This is a very nice trail through the forest. It was amazing how wet everything was. There was also green vegetation everywhere. This is obviously a very rainy area. We came out on a small beach area that is supposedly a refuge for penguins although we did not see any. There were some rock formations off the coast in either direction, the water was a light blue but quite rough. It would not be a bad spot to spend the afternoon relaxing away from people as no one else was there. There was also a very fun bridge at the beginning of the walk. It was extremely bouncy and could easily be swayed back and forth. 
The drive continued along the coast with more windy roads. I thought I was going pretty fast, but a large motor van that was keeping up with my little Yaris disagreed. Some of the people like to go slow and enjoy the sights, others are more focused on quickly getting to the next destination. About fifty kilometers away from Fox Glacier I began to notice we were pretty low on fuel. As mentioned earlier, there are not a lot of places to fuel up along this route. After thirty minutes the gas light came on and there was still no sight of a town. Fifteen minutes of driving with the light on, and maybe a few prayers, we rolled into Fox Glacier and its one gas station. It took thirty-five liters to fill up the car…and I’m pretty sure that’s the size of the tank. 
We were now in Glacier Country. The first one was Fox Glacier. The valley it is situated in is very large with imposing stone cliffs and multiple waterfalls. A rapidly moving river of gray mud flowed through the center. In many ways this place looked like some kind of rock quarry. The glacier itself was not exactly easy to see as most of it was covered in the gray dirt we saw all around us. We drove on to the Franz Josef Glacier about twenty kilometers down the road. This could be seen from the parking lot and was much more impressive. This is a good hour and a half walk there and back. The first part is through some woods. Then you are out in another massive valley with the glacier on the far end. This is also bordered by large hills and cliffs on either side. There are also many impressive waterfalls throughout. It is a beautiful place and there is so much to see in addition to the equally amazing glacier. Both of these are retreating at the present time so are much smaller than a few years ago. They were still quite the spectacle. 
We are staying in Franz Josef town tonight at another hostel. It’s a small town with not a lot going besides tourist activities a few restaurants. The bed is comfy and after another day of a lot of walking it’s time for bed. 





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Day 9: Lake Wanaka and Roy's Peak

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Our little lodge was infested with bugs last night. We had left the window open to keep it cool. The house is by a lake kind of in the middle of nowhere. Because of this bugs are everywhere - especially nasty sand flies and mosquitoes. We closed the window but there were already dozens of bugs flying around buzzing in our ears and biting me when they gathered enough courage. Fortunately they didn’t keep me awake. In fact I fell asleep and slept the whole night through, which doesn’t happen very often. 
We got up, had our fresh made toast, said goodbye to those we had met in the lodge and made our way up to Wanaka. About a hundred kilometers north of Queenstown, it is another tourist spot with ski resorts, hikes, and a massive lake. It is also a base for venturing farther out for whitewater rafting, skydiving, and other activities. We picked out a hike to Roy’s Peak - the highest point in the area at about 1,500 meters. It was described as hard and I remember laughing to my brother saying we would show them how hard it wasn’t. I was proved wrong and the mountain very nearly won. Driving about ten minutes outside of town the small parking lot was full. I was surprised as we went up the trail how popular this hike was. Within a few minutes I realized this would not be an easy walk. I’m not sure if it’s all the driving I have done, lack of real exercise or food, or something else. But I was extremely weak and had to make many stops on the way up. Sheep dotted the lower part of the climb and there were still some young lambs in sight as lambing season was only a couple of months earlier. 
The hike consisted of many switchbacks of various angles. Some were not too bad - others were extremely steep and caused me to wonder how much I wanted to reach the top. I even tried to run up one and all that did was make me take a break for about ten minutes. We made it up at a good pace though, as we passed many people on the way and no one passed us. I bought a jacket and hoodie, but we were working hard enough that the t-shirt was easily enough. In about two and a half hours we reached the top. There is a short cut to the peak that cuts off the last ridge by going straight up the face of the mountain. We chose this way. After being exhausted and out of breath with tight muscles this may have not been the best decision. I was crawling by the time we reached the top - not just because of the steep incline. Once I reached the ridge line I just sat there on my knees trying to breath and gather the strength to continue to the summit. 
The views at the top were more than worth the effort. It was a cloudy day, but we were still able to get a 360 degree view of the town, lake, and various mountains surrounding the peak. We could see for miles in all directions. I love hiking and the reward of spectacular views. Before we headed down we found a nice little spot of grass to lie down in. I used my hoodie as a pillow and easily could have spent the whole afternoon without moving. The climb down was not short and by the time we got back to the car it had been about four and a half hours. We drove back into town, checked into our hostel and proceeded to take a two hour nap. Dinner - once we had woken up - was a taco truck a couple of blocks down the road. It was filling and pretty good, although for some reason they put cabbage on their burritos. 
Shower and sleep followed.  

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Day 8: Kingston to Milford Sound

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Before we went to bed last night my brother and I walked down to the lake to get some stargazing in. There is almost no light pollution where we are staying and as the sun set thousands of stars - like small pinpricks in the sky - filled our vision. Some of the constellations are different in the Southern Hemisphere and it is always amazing to just sit and look at celestial objects impossibly far away, watching as meteors streak through the sky, or satellites pass overhead and imagine the impossible. We went down at 10:30 forgetting it’s summer and we are pretty far south. The sun was still setting well after 11. 
We got up early for the long drive down to Milford Sound. It’s a little over three hours each way. Of course there is so much to see that we knew there would be many stops along the way. Each day this country finds new ways to surprise and inspire me with its beauty. The Eglinton Valley was the first of many breathtaking landscapes along the road. It is a huge valleys stretching on for miles at the based of majestic mountains. The ground is a golden color due to the brush covering the ground. The breeze flows through the valley causing the vegetation to turn into a sea. Driving on we began to enter the mountain ranges. These are almost impossible for me to describe. There was one stop we made where a small stream cut through the valley as mountains imperiously rose some covered with green and others capped with snow. The cool, fresh air made it an experience that touched all the senses. At one point along the drive we crossed the 45th south parallel which is basically the halfway point between the equator and the South Pole. Not much except for a small sign along the road marks this point. We passed huge cliffs off in the distance with many waterfalls, large and small, cascading down the slopes. Passing through a large tunnel in the mountain we came out high above the valley below and various mountains rising around us. 
I will say that as much as we enjoyed the beauty around us, at times we would get stuck behind people driving about half the speed limit in their campers or RVs. The roads were pretty steep so I understand why. Yet there are also plenty of turn off points that were too often ignored. Fortunately I never get frustrated with other drivers and find joy in the journey instead. We had to park fairly far away from the harbor as there were quite a few people there today and not a lot of close parking. This did give us a chance to walk around and get more amazing views of the fiord. The boat was fairly full, but not many chose to get on the top deck, and even fewer stayed throughout the ride. It was quite windy out on the water and at points the sun would wander behind clouds making it fairly cold. Getting out on the water though presented us with even more spectacular views. I have never seen such tall mountains or cliffs that go right to the water. This went on for miles as we made our way out to the Tasman Sea. I can’t say enough how amazing it was and that any who can should make their way to Milford Sound. 
We stopped at some falls we had seen on the way in and decided to hike out to them. It looked much closer and easier from the parking lot than it ended up being. There wasn’t much of a path. Instead there were various sized rocks that we had to walk across. Some were as big as houses while others were small pebbles that slid under you on the hills. Crossing a stream we made our way up and were rewarded with a view that made up for the hard work and at times dangerous jumps from rock to rock. We finished up the day in Te Anau at a country burger joint. They definitely make good burgers here. That tends to be my go to when out and they have yet to disappoint. All in all this was one of the best days of the trip







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Day 7: The Long Drive South

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After we woke up and showered it was time to say goodbye to Baxta. I love dogs - probably too much. We quickly became friends as he would curl up beside me while I would read or do some writing. It’s interesting that a bond can so quickly be formed between an animal and a man. We switched out cars at the airport and began the journey south. 
Words cannot describe or photographs convey the beauty of the South Island. It’s a good six hour drive from Christchurch to Queenstown. The first couple of hours is mostly flat farmland with the occasional small town interrupting the journey. There is a point when the mountains that run along the western part of the island come into view and you have to stop and look on in awe at the majesty of this impressive range. This would be the first of many breaks along the way as every so often a new and different natural wonder would spread itself before us. The first after the mountain ranges was Lake Tekapo. I have never seen water in a lake like this before. It was a pure green color that almost looked like a painting. It is similar to some of the waters I have seen around the islands of Hawaii. The contrast between the pine forests and mountains still thick with snow and this seemingly untouched water is indescribable and made me pause with the desire to just sit by the lake all day and do nothing. We lazily skipped some stones across the water and then proceeded to our next stop. 
Lake Pukaki was even more impressive. You see it coming down a winding road and are immediately inspired by the size of this lake and once again the unreal color and stillness of the water. Pine trees line much of the shoreline and where we stopped there is almost a gateway between the trees down the length of the lake towards the mountains. Included in this view is Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand at over 12,000 feet. The beach is made up of small stones and as you get closer to the water it is obvious how clear it actually is. Until it gets too deep you can easily see to the bottom of the lake. I was amazed how no one was enjoying the wonderful weather and boating on the lake. I was glad though to enjoy the serenity of an undisturbed view. I suppose the closest any place resembles this area would be Lake Tahoe, but this is so much better in so many ways. 
The drive continued to surprise us with a variety of terrain and vegetation. We had steep mountains, endless valleys of vineyards, gorges with flowing rivers, green grass or golden brush stretching off into the distance, small towns and bustling lakeside cities. We were recommended to go to Fergburger in Queenstown at some point. We decided to have dinner there before heading to Kingston. Queenstown is obviously a big tourist town both in summer and winter. This was the first really crowded place we had seen in New Zealand. The roads were busy, parking was hard to find, and the sidewalks were teaming with shoppers. We were fortunate to catch a spot right where we were going to eat. The line for the burger joint was also extremely long. Between ordering and cooking we waited almost an hour for our food. It did not disappoint. I had a venison burger and my brother had a Bombay chicken one. We enjoyed a ginger beer with our meal that was much stronger than other ones I have had. All in all it was very satisfying. 
The drive to Kingston ran along Lake Wakatipu and the sun was slowly setting across the water. The mountains changed colors from bright greens to dark shadows while the lake turned into fire as the sun seemed to get bigger as it sank into the west. Our accommodations are a lodge with a wide variety of people - backpackers from the US, an elderly couple visiting their daughter, a young couple on their honeymoon. There is definitely not an end to the unique travelers you can come across on these trips. 











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Day 6: Christchurch, Kaikoura, Seal Pups

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We had an early start today to catch a flight to Christchurch. The car rental place was by the international terminal and the walk to the domestic terminal was probably a mile. Even though it was in the morning and still cool I was sweating by the time we got there because we were running a little late. Something we have been lucky with is the weight of baggage. Supposedly you aren't supposed to have bags that weigh more than 7 kgs. Ours definitely do…both of them. However, they never measure or weigh them, and the flights haven’t filled up so it hasn’t been a worry for us. 
We landed, picked up the car, and immediately began the drive up to Kaikoura. We were told that this is a great place to go watch dolphins and whales. The drive is about two hours, but it is one of the prettiest drives I have ever taken. There is a huge variety of natural beauty from golden fields, rows of vineyards alongside the road, rolling hills turn into mountains capped with snow even during the summer months, and finally the beaches of Kaikoura. The water is a magnificent turquoise at the shoreline turning into a deep blue farther out. It is not a sand beach, but rather one made up of smooth stones varying in size from almost the size of sand to small rocks. It was amazing standing on this beach looking out over the water and then turning to see the mountains with snow off in the distance. 
Unfortunately we were too late for the boat tours out to see the dolphins. At $90 per person I’m not sure we would have done it anyway. So we continued on up the coast for a few more miles until we came to Ohau stream and waterfall. There is a short walk from the road to the falls. It was very cold especially with the wind blowing mist off the falls. The water was raging down a drop of maybe fifty feet. The most interesting part of these falls is that seals have pups here. We only saw one mother and a pup upstream, but apparently at certain times they make their way all the way up to the falls. We did see quite a few on the shore though. Walking along the coast there were new mothers lazing around on the rocks while the little ones bothered them for food. Like all babies seal pups are ridiculously cute. 
We drove back to Kaikoura and I decided it would be a good idea to take a short nap on the beach. I quickly passed out and woke up maybe thirty minutes later already feeling like I was getting burned. Sure enough, between laying on the beach and the sun shining through the window, I had a nice burn on both arms by the time we got back to Christchurch. Once again the drive back was amazing. Particularly right outside of Kaikoura the road winds up the mountain and at the top there is a place to pull off and you are rewarded with an amazing view of green mountains and valleys that stretch off, pure and untouched by humanity, into the distance. It is one of those places in the world where I want to just walk in a random direction and get lost for a few days. 
Back in Christchurch we stopped in at our home for the night. Danielle and Baxta the jack russell terrier were very welcoming. We were also finally able to wash our clothes. The sun has still not set completely at 9 pm. 

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Day 5: Return to Auckland

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We woke up and unsurprisingly there was more rain. We checked out and made the drive up to Cambridge for church. There is a nice little branch there with maybe about 50 people today. I sometimes prefer the smaller gatherings of Saints as there is a closeness there not always present in larger congregations. Today there were two baby blessings and it was also a testimony meeting (on this Sunday members of the congregation come up with unprepared remarks about spiritual experiences and state their beliefs to the rest of those in attendance). Today was one of those meetings where the Spirit was exceptionally strong. The simple statements of faiths from those who believe the same thing as I believe is so powerful. The arrival of little ones onto this earth, so recently in the presence of God and Jesus Christ, breathes fresh hope into life. 
After church we made our way back to Auckland stopping at a few scenic places along the way. This included the Hobbiton movie set. It was still raining, and combined with an expensive price tag of $80, we decided to continue our drive. I will say that even though it was raining the area around the movie set was some of the prettiest we had seen yet. It is rolling farmland as far as the eye can see. Like something out of a postcard or how I imagine the English countryside in a Jane Austen novel. We checked into the place we are staying tonight and then made the short drive over to Maraetai Beach. The sun was finally starting to peak out between the clouds. It wasn’t quite warm enough to take a dip into the water, but perfect for just sitting on the grass or taking a little walk. It was nice to see so many families enjoying a Sunday afternoon together relaxing and talking. Looking around I didn’t see any bickering or use of electronics distracting parents from loved ones. I enjoy moments like this. 








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Day 4: Mt Maunganui, Rotorua, More Rain

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We woke up this morning and the rain had not stopped. I have lived in many places where it rains a lot. But I have not very often seen twenty-four hours of non-stop rain. And this wasn’t a sprinkle or light rain. This was heavy rain with a wind continuously pushing it sideways to make sure it got right in your face. We had a very nice continental breakfast with Lois. She provided New Zealand clover creamed honey for the toast. I love honey anyway and creamed honey is one of the best things this world has ever produced. We had an itinerary so we gave her a hug, she gave us a blessing, and we made our way to Mt Maunganui. This is a great coastal area that in better weather would have been teeming with people on the beach, boardwalk, and hike. There were still many people walking around the various shops, but the beach was empty and the hike had a few people crazy enough like we were to be out on the trail. I will say that throughout the day I saw way more runners than I expected for the weather. Apparently cold rain doesn’t faze Kiwis from staying in shape. 
There were sheep dotting the lower reaches of the hill who seemed bored with all the people walking around their “home”. The hike was short, but not easy. I was sweating - possibly because I’m old and out of shape - by the time we reached the top. I’m sure, as yesterday, the views are amazing in good weather. Ours on the other hand were severely limited by cloud cover. We could barely see the 800 ft down to the water, much less the surrounding town and beaches. Nevertheless Mt Maunganui had been summited and we made our way back down. There are naturally heated pools at the base of the trail. We decided to give them a try. I feel most of the tourists and residents also decided this was a good idea as it was fairly crowded. They are like normal swimming pools except the water is heated to a nice warm temperature. Sitting outside with the cold air and raindrops falling on your head while your body soaks in warm water is quite a wonderful feeling. Getting out to dry off and walk back to the car was not something I really wanted to do. 
We made the short drive down to Rotorua following our bath. It’s a nice town and the hostel we selected is much nicer than the one in Auckland. This is the type of hostel I wouldn’t mind spending multiple days at. There is a lot to do around Rotorua. Unfortunately the second flood continues and we spent the afternoon and evening relaxing and reading on our beds. The rain is supposed to abate tomorrow and hopefully not rain on the South Island all next week.


A side note: Wifi is not very good here to say the least. Most places I have travelled in the world it is not especially difficult to find free, unlimited internet. New Zealand hostels, restaurants, service stations, etc either do not have it or charge you for it or it is impossible to stay connected to it. It’s not that I need 24/7 access to e-mail or news. In many ways it’s refreshing to disconnect. More than anything I am surprised this is an issue. 



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Day 3: Coromandel, Tauranga, and Rain

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We are venturing out of Auckland. The first two days were spent in and around the city. Today we made our way to the east shore. It was obviously much cloudier/less sunny than in the past few days. We stopped at a McDonald’s for breakfast (the “English brekkie” was terrible) and it was raining by the time we were done. Unbeknownst to us this would be the start of over 36 hours of rain. The road across the Coromandel Peninsula was very windy - back and forth, up and down. With the adverse weather this made for slow progress. By the time we were close to our first destination it was very obvious we would not do a lot of outdoors stuff today. Hot Water Beach is a large beach on the eastern shore called Hot Water because of the natural hot springs underneath the surface. It is somewhat easy to dig up the sand and create pools of warm water to sit in. The pelting rain, cold, and strong wind kept everyone - including us - off the beach today. 
Cathedral Cove was the next stop. Apparently this was a filming location for part of The Chronicles of Narnia. In better weather parking within any distance of the trail is impossible. For us we found a spot right away. It’s a nice walk through the woods and between fields. It’s not far from the sea cliffs and there were many nice lookouts to various islands not far off from the coast. After about 30 minutes we descended some steps to a small hidden beach and to the left was the arch. It was probably the biggest one I have ever seen close up. More than 30 feet high and 50 feet long it was impressive and even more so with the crashing of the waves right outside the other entrance. There were other stone formations within sight although it was high tide so those were inaccessible at the time. There was even a small waterfall that had formed due to the rain that was almost a shower of 20 or more feet on the beach. I suppose in nicer weather it would be a wonderful place to spend the afternoon, but for us we took our photos and began the return trip. We made a slight detour into an open field to get another look from a cliff over the water. Going off the path we found out how much water there really was. The grass was like a sponge and we quickly had shoes that had soaked up more water than they could hold. By the end of the walk my very non-waterproof hoodie was soaking wet as well and providing neither protection from the rain nor warmth. 
The drive down to Tauranga was even slower as people forget to drive when the sun goes away. We made it to our place around dinner time. We stayed with Lois, an elderly woman who paints for a living. She was very talkative and an interesting character. She travels around New Zealand and lives out of a car for three months at a time painting the landscape around her. She does not overly concern herself with wealth or material possessions. I feel that the people you meet and the stories they tell are one of the great gifts of traveling. This especially becomes true when hostels or bed and breakfasts are chosen over hotels. We had a long talk that night about her childhood, life, and family. Eventually sleep called and I found a soft bed with clean sheets more than inviting enough to quickly drift off into slumberland. 

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Day 2: Hamilton, Waitomo, New Year's Eve

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After a great night’s sleep we decided to head down to Hamilton to visit the LDS temple. I could drive around this country all day and probably never get tired of it. The rolling hills, the fields that stretch on into the distance, and so much green. This morning it was cool and crisp, a fog stretched along much of the drive, and the sun was big and bright rising from the east. In many ways it reminds me of drives through Ireland or parts of Queensland. The temple is outside of Hamilton surrounded by farmland. It sits on top of a hill and can be seen driving down the road from not too far away. It’s a different design from what I have seen in other temples, taller with a simple spire. It is a beautiful building and the inside is even more beautiful. I was able to meet the famous All Black, Sid Going, as well. He is currently the temple president and was there the morning we were. As we were walking around the temple I asked someone to take a photo of my brother and I. He did, but I forgot to check and we ended up with a picture that is missing the top half of the temple. It probably would be a good idea to double check important photos before it’s too late. 
We had lunch at a little place in town. Apparently it’s a big chain in Australia. The burgers were decent. We then drove down to Waitomo to visit the glowworm caves. These are large limestone caves with magnificent stalactites, stalagmites, and columns throughout. The main attraction though, as implied by the name, are the glowworms. They develop on the rooftop of the caves and, similar to fireflies, emit a light from their bodies. It is a soft, blue light as opposed to a green one from the fireflies. They cling to ceilings and in parts of the cave there may be a one or a few. The last part of the tour is a short boat ride through an underground river. It is pitch black in the cave and as you go around the first bend you are immediately presented with what looks like the night sky. Thousands of glowworms form constellations on the cavern ceiling. The tour guides do not allow lights or noise while on the boat ride so it seems to be just you in an infinity of blackness and small lights. Our tour guide was quite the character. We had a lot of Japanese tourists in our group, who had a translator. He still thought it would be a good idea to talk extremely slowly, using simple words and phrases, with a lot of hand signals. It was hard not to laugh at him the entire time. The cost is a little much for the cave tour. I definitely enjoyed it, but $50 seems about twice as much as what it probably should be. The place was packed though so the price doesn’t seem to deter too many people. 
We made our way back to Auckland, continuing to enjoy the North Island countryside. I was able to meet up with a friend on his church mission for dinner. I haven’t seen him for more than a year and a half, but it was like we had just seen each other yesterday and felt like old times in Hawaii. I think relationships are one of the most important things we have in this life. Family and friends are often neglected or not prioritized as they should be. Sometimes life happens and it does become difficult to keep in touch or meet up with people. The older I get, and the more those I love and care about spread out around the world, I realize how important it is to find time to do something as simple as grab lunch or make a short call. 
New Year’s Eve in Auckland was not as crazy as I expected it to be. We walked around a bit and ended up by the Sky Tower. There was plenty of room to sit on the sidewalk and no one was loud or boisterous. The tower had a laser/firework show that lasted for about 5 minutes after midnight. It was fun to be one of the first groups to celebrate 2016 due to our location in the world. Afterwards we walked back to our hostel and called it another day. 

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Day 1: Piha, Buck Taylor, Auckland

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Finally made it to NZ! It’s been a long time planning and not even sure this day would  come. We got in after midnight and since I am cheap didn’t feel like spending money on a hotel for the first night. For those who haven’t slept in an airport yet you’re missing out on one of the great experiences of life. There were actually quite a few backpackers strewn around the airport on chairs and in various corners. I wake up a little sore - even the “carpet” in airports isn’t very comfortable. We pick up the car, grab a map and some snacks (which always includes tim tams and digestives) before heading out to our first stop. Piha Beach is on the western shore about an hour outside of Auckland. It’s a large, black sand beach popular among surfers. There is a large rock formation in the middle of it called Lion Rock - an obvious name as it rests majestically looking out. There is a great lookout from the road that gives a view of the entire beach and surrounding valley. Piha is one of the places that takes the breath away on first view. It is unique and magnificent. The sand is fine and wonderful between the toes as you walk barefoot along the beach. The water is cold at first but cooling to the feet as the day begins to warm up. We were able to climb up Lion Rock, but unfortunately they closed off the top portion due to safety issues. I didn’t bring my slippers because it was cool at first, but walking back to the car the sand had become extremely hot and I was forced to skip/run as fast as possible to get off the beach that had turned into a stovetop. 
Out next stop were a couple of walks; one long, one short. We first went to Karekare Falls. This is right off the road and is a nice falls with a small pool at the bottom to wade in. There was a family of locals skipping rocks from the shore to the falls. A little up the trail there is another pool that my brother and I ventured into. It was cold…very cold. Almost immediately I began breathing quickly as if I was hyperventilating. Standing under the water only made it worse. It always amazes me how cold water gets in these springs even on hot summer days. The Buck Taylor track was our next stop. I had come across this in a list of 10 top walks in New Zealand. This one did not disappoint. It was maybe an hour and a half round trip up a hill and then down into a valley towards a beach. The woods were beautiful. I never tire of walking through forests and enjoying the smells and sounds of the outdoors. Speaking of smells - I have not smelled such freshness, such “green-ness”, in a very long time. There were surprisingly not that many people on the hike besides us. The valley we ended up in - Pararaha - was pretty much a swamp that if you pass through leads to another beach. The view is wonderful, but it is hot and stifling especially with the sun out. Climbing out of the valley was a little tough for me. At times like this I tell myself I should do more cardio and especially stairs. Then I forget when I get home. The toughness made it that much more rewarding though to do it. And it doesn’t take away from the beauty of the world around me. 
We made our way back to Auckland stopping for lunch at a Turkish restaurant. I had beetroot hummus for the first time ever. It was probably the best hummus I have ever had. In Auckland we stopped by Eden Park home of the All Blacks and walked around the stadium a bit. Then we made our way to the War Memorial and Museum. I never get tired of looking at the war memorials. Unfortunately the museum was less than an hour from closing and cost $25 so we passed. We then proceeded to the extremely fancy hostel we would make our home for the next couple of nights. Hostels - especially in big cities - are amazing at bringing in some of the most interesting young people from around the world. Those who are looking to discover themselves, or escape from home and responsibility for a few months. It was wonderful to finally have a shower and a real bed after more than 48 hours of planes, airports, walk and driving around. Sleep was good.

A side note - driving a manual transmission is not difficult for me as my truck is a stick shift. However…my old Ranger is not a Yaris and shifting with my left hand while trying to drive on the left side of the road is not as easy as it probably should be. Basically I have stalled out more this trip than I have since I was 16. Also, for some reason in addition to putting the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car, the turn signal is also switched. Every time I go to turn I end up turning on my windshield wipers, which may or may not get me frustrated. Especially after the fiftieth time. 













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