February just seems so wrong

It's summer here and it's February, and that just seems wrong. Our plans today, well, we had to change them because of a tsunami warning. And that seems wrong too.

Two weeks ago we took a break from the Residency Application and wedding pre-planning to get away to Raglan, NZ, for a weekend. Finally, we found where all the American immigrants are hiding. It reminded us more of Ocean Beach California, where Dan and Alisha live, than other areas of NZ. Half the people we met seemed to be from the West Coast of North America, all drawn for the waves, or as one young waitress confided in us, for the guys that ride the waves.

The small green covered mountains nearby are a bit reminiscent of Hawaii, or at least how I picture it. Claire and I made a day of climbing to the top and loved the route through old farmland (pictured) and the views from the peak (pictured).

The following weekend, we celebrated the completion of our application for NZ residency (pictured - yes, it really is that thick) with a bottle of champagne provided by Claire's parents (we're one celebratory event behind). And then took a quick trip out to Muriwai Beach (pictured) - black soft sands, great surf, and the best place in New Zealand to see the Australian Gannet colonies (a gold crowned bird that flies from Australia to breed in New Zealand, and then flies back to Australia).

And now, we begin another marathon of sorts, no weekend is left unplanned for six weeks. My aunt Bonnie and uncle Phil flew in on Thursday. On Friday we had a nice dinner out in the city and walked to see the Chinese lantern festival in Albert Park (pictured). It was packed with people - a feeling we haven't had since a Friday night on the Piccadilly line. But worth it. Here are Bonnie and Phil are with Claire in the Domain - Auckland's biggest park (pictured).

Today we drove out west of Auckland in hopes of reaching Muriwai beach - but were thwarted by Tsunami warnings. We made the most of it though - there is a small mountain range west of Auckland called the Waitakere (Why-tack-er-ee) and we managed to find some great vistas (pictured) and a hike through 1000 year old kauri trees and a secluded mostly hidden waterfall.

Friday will find us in Wellington - my first time - where we will stay the weekend checking out the arts festival. And then not long after, off we fly back home to London. ;-) Can't wait to see you all!

The long stretch

So, our longest no-blog stretch yet. Let's play a bit of catch up. Starting just before Christmas...

With our great friend Joe Rice and my parents visiting, we ventured to the far north to celebrate the longest day of the year, and my dad's birthday, in Russell, NZ (pictured on the beach). Russell has deep roots in NZ history: as the Waitangi Treaty was signed between the throne of England and the Maori in 1840, just a stones throw away, Russell's bars and brothels were thriving. Now it's a quaint little town with NZ oldest standing church where Charles Darwin once gave money - we'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was in Russell for the church.

The region is appropriately named the Bay of Islands, and on the longest day of the year we went on "The Cream Trip" - the historic boat trip to deliver milk and mail to the island dwellers which now serves the dual purpose of being a great tourist day tour. To our great delight, we saw pods of dolphin and orca (despite my great dolphin pics, we'll share Joe's more impressive video).

Joe treated Claire and I to a kayak / wine tour (pictured) in the evening where we met two characters - one the wine maker, the other our kayak tour guide who shared with us he has gone a decade without owning a pair of shoes.

The next day we drove up to the most Northern part of NZ to Cape Reinga (pictured with lighthouse) - where the Maori souls depart this world from the roots of an ancient Pohutukawa tree for the afterlife. Afterwards, Claire and I boogie boarded down some 100+ foot high sand dunes... as one does.

For Christmas we returned to Auckland, and Joe set off for a South Island tour on Boxing Day, my parents headed back to the U.S. a couple of days later, and then Claire and I flew to the South Island ourselves. We spent two days driving from Christchurch to Queenstown - seeing stunning turquoise lakes (pictured) - and up to Mt Cook - one of the few places on earth where icebergs exist in mountain lakes (pictured).

In Queenstown we met up with Joe, Chad and his girlfriend Divya, and stayed in a bach - rather luxury apartment with floor to ceiling walls of windows with stunning lake and mountain views. No one wanted to leave.

On New Years Eve, we went on the Central Otago Wine Trail and after a few vinyards I decided to make Claire my wife the old fashioned way (pictured).

On New Years Day we climbed Mount Iron near Lake Wanaka with Evan and Amanda - our friends from London whose family has a bach near Queenstown as well (pictured).

On our last evening - just down to Joe, Claire and me, we took the gondola up the mountain and had a couple of rides on the luge (pictured going up the chair lift - don't miss Joe in the background)

Now we're back to work and spending our weekends trying to complete the laborious NZ residence application while also trying to figure out where we can have a wedding in Oxford.

An engaging Saturday on Waiheke

On the morning of the day I would ask Claire to marry me, we woke up to rain.

My disappointment in the weather was obvious, and Claire, reassuringly and lovingly said:

"Oh, Tim, the weather doesn't matter; as long as we have..."

Here is the point where I thought Claire was going to say "each other," but in fact, she said:

"Oh, Tim, the weather doesn't matter; as long as we have appropriate clothing."

I melted. :-) We laughed.

In Claire's defense, that line stems from a childhood of annual family holidays on the coast of wales - where I'm told the Pullingers would go sit on the beach - even if it was raining - where they would settle themselves in under umbrellas and eat soggy sandwiches.

As it turned out, the weather was good enough and it didn't ruin my proposal surprise, and Claire said yes. The full story is best told with pictures - so please follow the link and read the captions. Be warned though, it may be a bit sappy, but I've always been a hopeful romantic. Thanks for reading!

http://picasaweb.google.com/timothydenison/TheStoryOfOurEngagement12122009?authkey=Gv1sRgCLPx--m_qYHsiQE&feat=directlink

While you were having Thanksgiving...

New evidence strongly suggests we may have a criminal in the family.

As an American, I suppose I grew up thinking Australia and New Zealand were pretty much the same. Not true. Aside from the differences in size - both land mass and population with NZ much smaller for both - and of course the fact that in Australia nearly everything in nature can kill you, whereas in NZ the most dangerous beast may be the defenseless kiwi, there are some interesting cultural differences. I suspected the two countries shared a similar brotherly love as the U.S. and Canada - full of banter but deep down quite friendly. As such, I was surprised to discover the genuine superiority the New Zealanders feel - as unlike NZ where civilized Europeans immigrated, Australia was settled by a "heep of convicts". When I proudly proclaimed we would be visiting Fort Denison and the Denison Lighthouse in Sydney, named after the former governor of New South Wales, my Kiwi colleagues looked at me with a mixture of pity and disgust. Apparently having an Aussie in the family is even worse than being an American. (Pictured - Fort Denison life preserver, Dad taking a shot of Fort Denison from the ferry)

But, we have to hand it to the convicts, they've built a pretty great city.

While everyone in the U.S. was fighting the tryptophan coma yesterday, mom and dad were fighting to stay awake after a 14 hour red-eye flight as we made our way on a ferry into Sydney Harbour to see the quaint little island on which Fort Denison has sat guard some 150 years. We baked in the sun and enjoyed spectacular views of Sydney, and Dad took picture after picture. (Sydney pictured from the fort)

In the evening we wandered around 'The Rocks', a fun area in Sydney with a bunch of shops, and stumbled upon a tiny pizza place, Zia Pina (pictured), which had been highly recommended - in great length apparently - by my dad's long time friend Larry. And admittedly, it was excellent pizza, and we dined under signed menus from some of the most famous athletes of our time (I was most impressed by Joe Montana). Dad wanted a picture to send to Larry, but was slightly embarrassed by the rocket which made the pizza look entirely too healthy (pictured). Rest assured, gobs of cheese and parma ham are hiding beneath the salad.

Today we'll make our way to the Opera House for a tour, and then off to Watson's Bay for a sit down meal at Doyle's, a relatively famous seafood restaurant right on the coast with great views.

A smelly birthday

After a month long photographic drought, we're back to having too much to share again.

Claire spent the worst two weeks of auckland's weather 'pottering around' between jobs, then we got our first taste of Kiwi weddings seeing our close friends Johannah and Fergus get married (pictured), and after Claire's first week of work at Telecom we drove down to spend the weekend celebrating her birthday in Rotorua.

Hoping to make the birthday girl's bday a good one, the surprise (for Claire) of rolling into Hamurana Lodge (pictured) had the desired effect. It's an impressive Tudor style 35 year old mansion converted into a lodge complete with a classic Rolls in the drive. We were hosted by a couple of attentive and courteous native French speaking men who arranged for champagne and cheese cake to be brought to our room for Claire's birthday the evening we arrived (pictured).

On Saturday, for the second part of Claire's birthday present, we went sailing on a 53 foot catamaran. It was just the two of us and the skipper, a nice Kiwi bloke named Matt who recently sailed the boat we were on from the Carribean to its new home in NZ. Claire got to help out sailing (pictured pulling up the main sail), and I just enjoyed the ride.

Rotorua and the surround area is the most active volcanic region in NZ. Part of our sailing trip included docking at a series of pools of varying temperatures fed by hot water springs only accessible by boat. It was a brisk day, with good winds, and a soak in the hot water pools - one too hot to stay in - made for a perfect day.

On Sunday we went to visit one of the three main volcanic parks - Wai-o-tapu "Thermal Wonderland". I loved it, although it does smell more than a bit of rotten eggs. The park has a series of natural pools (pictured the 'champagne pool') coloured by variety of elements prevalent in the hot water springs and volcanic vents. Nearby was a surprisingly entertaining set of mud pools constantly 'exploding' with bubbles of gas venting from fumaroles under the surface (pictured).

We ventured back in to Rotorua for a late lunch and stumbled onto a festival of sorts. Truly a surreal Kiwi experience, complete with wood chopping and boar hunting competitions (pictured). The crowds gathered to see two men race to chop through 50cm thick logs adjacent to where the boars were weighed and measured. Neither of us had witnessed a wood chopping competition before (let alone a boar hunting one), but it was hard to not be fascinated, and with a couple of Speight's draught beers we cheered along with everyone else.

The end of Winter

Its been a while since our last blog post, so I thought I'd better remedy the situation and provide an update on our latest adventures. The last few weeks have seen a range of events...Tim's played in a couple more concerts, I attended Johannah's hen's lunch party, we visited the Coromandel Pennisula and I got a new job!

Tim's latest concerts included an arguably more fitting repertoire than his previous Proms performance....this time it was music from the Americas. A great selection of popular classics, including the theme tune to the West Wing! (this was particularly appreciated by

Kineret, the wife of Tim's colleague, who I think may be the show's greatest fan!) They joined me for the performance at the Auckland Town Hall, a beautiful building that was packed out with families anticipating the show. The playlist included a special guest appearance from an American accordion player, who was in town for the World Accordion competition, whic h Tim (and the rest of the orchestra) also accompanied. We feel proud to live in a city that hosts such world class competitive events...

The weekend before last was Johannah's hen's lunch party. Her good friend Issy organised a fantastic afternoon at a lovely restaurant called Andiamos, complete with bubbles, games and fun accessories for the bride-to-be. I was so pleased I could join Johannah and a huge crowd of her lovely girlfriends, in the lead up to her & Fergus's special day.

Over the last few weeks I've also been interviewing for a strategy job at Telecom (the NZ version of BT). I'm pleased to say that they offered me the position, and I'm looking forward to starting on the 5th October. Thanks to Mum & Dad for the celebratory bubbles and Granny & Grandpa for the lovely card!

Last weekend Tim and I became Jaffas again as we headed to the Coromandel Pennisula. The weather was perfect and we had a very relaxing couple of days. Tim had found us a great holiday apartment in Whitianga (pronounced Fitianga), with views of the bay. On Saturday, we visited Hot Water Beach, aptly named given the nearby volcanic fault which creates a layer of hot water just under the sand. Its a strange sight, resembling something rather like an archeological dig, as visitors use their rented spades to locate the hot water and quickly dig paddling pools before a wave comes and destroys all their hard work! The water was surprisingly hot in some places, causing Tim and I to hop in and very quickly out of various steaming pools. We also visited Cathedral Cove, a little further up the coast, named after a spectacular limestone arch! The cove is reached by walking along a stunning cliff top path, which winds through groves of native trees, before reaching the fabulous arched rock and beautiful secluded bay. I would definitely like to visit again.

On Sunday we drove up the coast a little further and found another couple of wonderfully secluded bays, where we enjoyed planning a return visit in the summer, equipped with Kayaks and snorkels. We then drove over to the West coast of the Pennisula, stopping off to enjoy a distant view of Auckland city, before heading into Coromandel town for lunch. Its a quaint little spot which enjoyed a short-lived gold rush in the late 1800s. Its now home to a selection of cafes, art shops and the popular 'smoke house', where Tim tried a selection of smoked mussels. We spent the rest of the afternoon taking a leisurely drive down the coastal road, before joining the other Jaffas on the motorway back to Auckland.

Tim's musical schedule is kicked up a notch over the next week or so as he joins a second orchestra (St Matthews Chamber Orchestra) in rehearsals for a concert on the 20th September. This one is slightly more serious, playing Handel and Mendelssohn, rather than the theme to the West Wing.

What's wrong with Whangarei?

We've decided we like being jafas. The endearing term has nothing to do with the little cakes you can buy in the UK. A 'jafa' is what those who live in the beautiful places and small towns around New Zealand affectionately call the frequent holiday seekers, or weekend travellers, from Auckland, who will often more than triple a town's population during nice weather, weekends, and holidays. It stands for Just Another F#@!ing Aucklander.

So last weekend, wearing the badge of jafa proudly, Claire and I were more than happy to visit Whangarei.

Actually, it's pronounced Fongaray (well as near as I can understand anyway) - so my little alliteration in the title is lost. 'Wh' in Maori is pronounced like an 'f'. So in Maori, jafa is spelled jawha.

Well, what is wrong with Whangarei? When Claire and I were choosing a destination, the Bay of Islands - the well known highlight of the North Island - was top of Claire's list, but I was a bit worried it was too focused on water sports (snorkling, sailing, kayaking, etc), and it is winter after all, and the water is cold, so I persuaded Claire to save that paradise for a warmer weekend and instead stay in Whangarei where tramping (hiking) could be found - according to our Lonely Planet anyway.

How little Claire trusted my judgement on Whangarei was apparent when we hiked to Whangarei falls Saturday morning (pictured). Claire radiated shocked disbelief that there was something nice there to behold. I tried not to be offended - trust in a relationship is overrated after all.

The shock continued through the afternoon when we went for another hike out at Ocean Beach. We have more beautiful pictures than we can share along the coastline, but here are two, one of Claire in front of the beach, and one looking back at Ocean Beach from where we hiked.

Sunday we were a bit more ambitious and tallied up a few hundred miles driving to the West coast and down through Waipoua forest where some ancient Kauri trees can be found. Here's a picture of me in front of a young Kauri tree planted in 1979, and then in front of Tane Mahuta (meaning Lord of the Forest), one of the oldest Kauri trees suspected to be around 2000 years old. I'm standing in front of that one too... have a close look. Spectacular.

The next two weekends we'll be in Auckland, and I'll be playing in three concerts with the Auckland Symphony featuring 'American' music. (The real odd piece we're playing is an accordion concerto - but it's not what I expected. It's very dark and brooding.) But that should get us through August, and as the days pass, we'll be looking forward to once again being jafas.