The Brotzman Adventures -Day 2

And we drove on...

An early morning breakfast at Drexel's proved to be just the start to our long haul across the Banks Peninsula. The same restuarant that we would have had to wait three hours to eat at yesterday, we were treated like special at guests today. And it was delicious. The most American breakfast that I've tasted since being in this southern hemisphere country that cooks their bacon only until it's hot, leaving it at a nice, floppy consistency. And not only is it usually floppy, but it's big and round and it folds over itself reminding me of the actualy fat little piggies it came from. Yum. But today was not such bacon. Today was long, thin strips, crisp and crunchy and filled with that oh so amazing greasey sensation as your teeth grind down upon it. We laughed at the fact that real Canadian maple syrup costs $2.50 extra for a 25mL drop....and how we still ordered it after coming from a state which has a high stock of maple syrup year round.

After breakfast we set off for Akaroa, the french fishing settlement on the tip of the Banks Peninsula. Although it was a cold day, we weathered the "storm" and it made me think about the many decades in which the fishermen endured the same cold weather and worse out on the open seas. We visited the local museum, watched a film on the natural development of the peninsula and found that Akaroa actually started out as three volcanos and then kind of morphed into part of the mainland once they became inactive (and once the ice age took part in pushing the mainland out). We were told how the french came to settle in Akaroa just a bit too late, only to find that the English had already signed treaties with all the Maori chiefs all over the country. In reality, had the french been just a few weeks ealier New Zealanders would probably be speaking french right now. After the museum and film we walked around the tiny town, ate some soup in a little harbor cafe, bought some fudge at the local gift shop, and just kind of played the tourist role.

On a side note, Karen has offered to teach me how to knit and with all the free time I have I figured "why not?" So we talked about getting knitting needles but realized that since most places would be closed Sunday it would be hard to find them. And we joked about how Akaroa may have knitting needles in their local supermarket. Well, going with the theme of the trip we decided to ask and see if we could find some and sure enough, with all the luck that we have been having already, there was a shop that sold all sorts of knitting supplies. So we bought some needles and yarn and are setting out to get good at this new little thing. It definitely is a very different sort of thing and I'm not that good at it yet, but Karen seemed to be pretty impressed with the speed at which I caught on. Who knows, maybe I'll go from being this hard-core athlete to some super knitting champion of the world instead. I will say that knitting just ten little rows a few times has really made me respect the woman with the 7000 sheep who not only can knit a sweater in just under a week, but actually makes the yarn herself right from the shearing of the sheep and all the way through the rest of the process.

Whew, run on sentences. I'm getting ahead of myself.

So we decided to start heading home, but wanted to drive up this little road to go to a pottery shop only a kilometre out of town. Well, after going and looking around, seeing that the artist wasn't actually spinning his pottery or even firing it, we (well more I) got kind of bored. So instead, with Karen leading the way we took a little detour on foot up the hill. It grew rather steep and it was a tad cold, but despite the negatives we saw some pretty neat-o stuff. It was kind of cute seeing my Dad and her get all excited at something that, in my opinion, wasn't really all that big of a deal. I mean come on people, after seeing what I've seen in this amazing place, walking up a little back country road is really peanuts to me. But I was happy to see them so happy so I tried not to dampen their spirits, but I didn't hesitate to inform them that this was just the little pre-show to the actual game. Kind of like foreplay. Did I really just say that? !!!

As we neared the end of our walk it got colder and started to spit a bit, telling me it was time to leave. So leave we did. At home we had a few brews, talked over leftover chinese, made plans for the rest of the week and began the knitting process (soo hard). Everyone was pretty tired tonight so we called it an early night. I can say one thing for sure...I am sick of driving these damn back roads in that tiny little car. Despite the beauty of this place I do miss the ease of highway transportation back in the states. One can barely go over 30 on some of these roads...I'd even say 25 at times. I know this because my speedometer now reads both kilometers per hour and mph. Ha. Way to be Honda, helping out a Yankee in desperate times.

I'm off to bed soon, to sleep beneath the plush blanket of down my mother sent me. Atop the soft flannel sheets that smell of home and our laundry detergent and her. To snuggle up warm and cozy in the new bed my kiwi family has so kindly given me. It's funny...if one really wanted to overanalyze my life right now, and I mean right down to the very bed that I'm sleeping in, it is a lot like being given a new nest from two very caring people from this new place. But I'm still using the bits of straw and grass from my old nest to keep me warm and happy...the bits from two people who have always cared and loved me very much. The end product being this huge bed of warm, happy, loving, caring...stuff...ok that's enough. It's bad enough I even took this entry there, but my GOD--It's bedding. I'm such a dork. But still, I am one very loved dork. Blah! :-)

Tomorrow we leave very early for the Tranzalpine train ride, a five hour adventure to take us to the West Coast. We will come into Greymouth where a rental car awaits us. Then it's off to explore, until Friday, the great expanse of nature that exists on the West Coast of the Southern Island. I cannot wait....Pancake Rocks, Glaciers, New Zealand jade mines, the list goes on. So I will be signing off until then. Have a GREAT week you people out there. I'll be back with news and pictures GALORE!!!

-NMK

ps we miss you mom!!!! xoxo