Epilogue - Blackfoot, Idaho

EPILOGUE

We didn’t have much opportunity to readjust to the Eastern Time Zone before we had to start traveling again.

On the morning of Friday 28 February, while we were standing on the curb at LAX waiting for the rental car shuttle, Nancy saw Michael’s jaw drop as he checked messages on the phone he had just turned back on. Two hours earlier, while we were still en route from Australia, his sister Julia had sent a text: “Sorry. You’re in the air so I can’t call. Grammie died during the night.”

Saturday - Cincinnati

Back at Thrifty Car Rental, we returned the car and then waited and waited and waited and waited for the shuttle to take us to the airport. Thrifty obviously has some real problem at LAX. When we and other disgruntled customers complained about the extremely slow service, the staff was equally slow to explain or apologize.

Friday - Fullerton

Not all days have 24 hours in them. Today, for example, had 39 hours. Night came in the middle of the afternoon, and we arrived in Los Angeles six hours before we left Sydney.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Thursday - Sydney and Mosman

When we pulled our blackout shades open this morning, we couldn’t see much sunshine filtering through the heavy clouds above the airshaft outside our window—but we couldn’t see any raindrops, either. In other words, it looked like a perfect day to visit the zoo.

Wednesday - Sydney and Manly

Last night as we were getting ready for bed, it was a relief to know that this morning we wouldn’t have to get up until we felt like it, and that we could look forward to a more or less unscheduled day. So we got up about 7:30, put our swimsuits and towels back in our daypacks, and got on a bus to Circular Quay.

Tuesday - Sydney

BEHIND THE SCENES AT A MAJOR LANDMARK

Today’s action-packed day started early—again—with a tour of the Sydney Opera House. We wondered why the only backstage tour available started at 7 a.m., but soon learned that the SOH is a very busy place, so in order to go behind the scenes without getting in the way, we had to start early. There were ten other people on the tour and we had a very enthusiastic guide.

Monday - Sydney

We decided that in order to make our 8 a.m. flight from Auckland to Sydney, and to avoid rush-hour traffic on the way to the airport, we had better leave the apartment at 6 a.m. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time to spend our last fifteen dollars in New Zealand currency on breakfast.

Sunday - Auckland

Although Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, it’s not always the most restful day of the week for Mormons because, in addition to simply attending church for three hours, most of us have Sunday assignments to fulfill: we speak in the worship service, we administer the sacrament, we lead the singing, we play the organ, we teach adult lessons, we teach youth lessons, we take care of the children in the nursery, we organize service projects for the coming week, and so on. And if, like Michael, you preside over a whole congregation, you also conduct administrative meetings and hold individual counseling sessions for several hours.

Saturday - Doubtful Sound

Nancy—uncharacteristically--was the first one to rise on the bunk-room deck this morning, and thus got into the shower room before anyone else had left puddles on the floor.

The breakfast buffet included all the usual choices, plus the flakiest and butteriest croissants we have had on our trip.

Friday - Manapouri and Doubtful Sound

Breakfast on our private patio

We had purchased today’s breakfast last night from a Starbucks we passed on the way back to the hotel—the default choice for people who were too tired to look for anything better—but eating on the pleasant patio outside our room made the day-old scones seem a little fresher.

Thursday - Fiordland National Park

Making lunch

Tomeo's super sandwich

The morning drill for our third day on the Routeburn Track was very similar to that of the previous day: make our lunches, eat breakfast, load our packs, and start hiking by 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday - Fiordland National Park

BACK ON TRACK

Making and packing our lunch

The generators were turned back on at 7 a.m., but by then the sun had already awakened most of us. It was like waking up in heaven: peaceful, fresh, and well-rested, even though we were still a little sore from hiking nine miles yesterday.

Tuesday - Fiordland National Park

The day we went kayaking, we had thought that having to meet a bus at 7 a.m. was brutal, but this morning we left our room at 6:00, deposited our luggage (containing everything that we would not need on the Routeburn Track) with the hotel porter, shouldered our backpacks, and headed down the hill into the dark.

Monday - Lake Tekapo and Queenstown

Mackenzie basin cloud cover

This morning the skies over the Mackenzie Basin were covered with clouds, proving that the weather in New Zealand can change just as drastically as that in Cincinnati.  Fortunately, today was a transit day for us: nothing on the schedule that might be hampered by a little wind and rain.

Sunday - Lake Tekapo

Today we woke up to ominous gray clouds; no sunshine or blue sky at all. We were relieved that it was not raining, because we had to haul our bags all the way across the Botanical Gardens to a bus stop next to the Canterbury Museum.

Saturday - Christchurch

We said goodbye to Accents on the Park about 8:30 this morning when our shuttle arrived to take us to the airport. Our check-in and boarding experience in Nelson was very much like it had been the second time in Auckland: no ID checking, no security scanning, no TSA. The only difference was that the agent actually weighed our checked bags. Go figure.

Friday - Tasman Bay

Pick up time: 7 a.m. 7 a.m.?! Since ours was only the second stop on the AquaTaxi route, we got to see most of Nelson’s hotels and hostels as the full-size bus rounded up more tourists headed for a day of adventures in Abel Tasman National Park. Apparently, all the outfitters that operate in the park hire AquaTaxi to transport their clients from Nelson to their bases, and then take clients back to their various lodgings at the end of the day. It's an efficient, incredibly cooperative way to do business.

Thursday - Nelson

Sadly, our time with DeEtte as our traveling companion has come to a close. She has been a real trooper, spending untold hours behind the wheel--and a few more at the kitchen counter—to make sure we had many memorable experiences on the North Island. We’ve enjoyed sharing stories with her along the way as much as we’ve enjoyed sightseeing.

Wednesday - Tiritiri Matangi

Until the 1980s, the island of Tiritiri Matangi was used primarily for farming and sheepherding, but after a few centuries of such use the land was worn out. Some conservation-minded New Zealanders (and there are many) decided to buy the entire island and turn it into a bird refuge.

Tuesday - Paihia and Bay of Islands

Cruising

When we woke up this morning and looked out the window, we could see two gigantic cruise ships at anchor far out in the bay. By the time we had eaten breakfast and walked to the wharf, cruise passengers had started to invade Paihia. The local artisans were ready for them, having set up booths of handcrafted jewelry, leather work, paintings, and other wares on the village green. DeEtte had been looking for a jade pendant for some time, but although we saw some very nice ones, she decided that none of them was "calling to her."