Jennifer
After two weeks of adjustments here at Bayswater,completing Olivias Student visa,with chest x-rays and all,tea at the school, I began to really get excited about Jen coming and our next tramp! I felt confident with the idea of packing and relaxed into the anticipation.
Everything seems so so easy with three of us aboard. We all miss Joey and his provocative -pizazz ,but it is an interesting time. Change,oh the pontificating I could fill these pages with on that concept ,it's like the element of time,it is organic and happening always.To be present...oh,the cure!! I feel like this pause here in NZ is like an intense "retreat" in itself. We have no MISSION,it will soon be right in front of our noses but at the present moment and over the last few weeks,this abrupt change- one kid,no job,no destination...just us,our 27 year old marriage,our last high school age child,and... our ripening ages... Really has our patterns challenged. How do we move through this new atmosphere? Everything seems electrified and up for assessments. If you really are reading this and I'm not sure if anyone does,I'm sure you can read: too much time to think....Yes,unlike my Dad,my parents,they are in a vivacious city,with spunk and a very infectious and healthy upbeat energy....Well,our time will come but for now,I'm alone on the boat on a saturday and I am finally writing a few wee tidbits for blog
The MIlford!
Yes! Jennifer arrived,it was grand to see her,at the airport she arrived with jumbo planes filled with contaminated passengers,NewZealand is over the top in their inspections and customs is very strict.By the time she emerged,she was exhausted...over the next few days we walked to break in her world traveled hiking boots.We lunched at the charming Devonport,one of many many beachside towns all over NZ. She got blisters. WE nursed the blisters,planned our packing and food and had a little cocktail party the night before we flew out to Queenstown. We booked a backpackers that nite and on our way back. WE walked with the trepidation of wrong weather wrong bus fears and ate out at one of many outside touristy pretty inviting..expensive restaurants. Queenstown is a ski town and I had a deep memory resurrected from when we were there with Jeremy and Philippa in 1988down at the lake...We couldn't stop thinking about the rain,rain rain..it was the word associated with the Milford track,it's true,it rains ALOT....however,to me,in retrospect,that is IT,it is all about WATER.It is a force ,an energy from the earth and ski and sea,"it is life giving,elemental" , isn't that Buffy St Marie?? There are two main waterfalls both named after the two pals,MacKay and Sutherland. There is a route that the mauris used to use to come inlabpnd to collect greenstone. In 1880 the Europeans cut a pass to the falls.Now 14,000 people hike it every year. Think,Machu Picchu now must restrict visitors to 2500 people per day !
In 1908 a poet,Blanche Baughan said of the track,it's , " the finest walk in the world".
Jennifer and I really loved it.Jen kept saying,against all rules,"it's perfect". She is right.The otherworldly beauty,with this rushing water magic energy that juxtaposed the atmosphere of sweet peace was transcendent. We loved the forty people we meandered along with together we ;stayed in the huts ,cooked,listened to the Park Rangers nightly talks snored and stopped to feel the majesty of it all together..some took zillions of pictures,not me.I had Davids camera which I protected with rain proof care,to find out that it's so waterproof as to actual take pics fully submerged!!! Oh brother,just look on line and you can see,it looks- just like that!!!
More Later
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