Even in beautiful New Zealand the pace of a big city, or Big Smoke as they call it here, wears thin and wide stretches of uncrowded beaches or lush bush walks call.  Last weekend we drove down the coast to the town of Whangamata to enjoy an escape.  Opoutere Beach was spectacular with islands dotting the turquoise waters.  And Wentworth Falls became a spiritual place as we sat, feeling the city stress flow away in the stream.

I was looking through some more photos.  I took this one during a family Caribbean cruise just after Christmas.  Up some river in Guatemala, this darling child danced with the curtains that separated the family living quarters from an area where her parents sold sodas and tortillas.  The second picture is of her “front yard”.

How many times have you come upon a sight that caused you to say, “Oh my God,” out loud, even if you were alone?  This was one of those places and the photo does such little justice to it. I took this a few years ago at a state park north of the Kona airport on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Seeing it again today as I rifled through my pictures brought back that memory.

Kona Coast

Is this a trick question?

My feelings range from the high to the low.  I miss the familiarity of California, the closeness of friends who have known me deeply for years, and the nearness of family.

I would kill for a machaca burrito or an avocado delight omelette at my favourite breakfast place. Food is not one of the Kiwi’s virtues despite having vastly superior produce and meats to the US.

I do not miss the pollution, both in the air and in the thinking of people.  We have Fox “News” so I can remind myself of that foul mindset.  Mistakes are made daily by the ruling set of NZ, but nastiness is very mild compared to the vicious back-biting of US politics.  

All in all, this is a nice place that takes a little getting used to, but I greatly anticipate my Christmas trip to the States to see those I miss.  And to eat.