14 January 2021, Week 14 of Locum Tenens in New Zealand

8 min readJan 14, 2021

(Reminder- please try to look at this from a laptop instead of phone as the pics are ridiculously better…)

Only 2 weeks have passed since I’ve written a story but it feels like an eternity!

Where to start…..oh yeah….Wellington! On New Year’s Day I took a flight to Wellington. My hotel was the InterContinental near the main wharf. I quickly grabbed a taxi after finessing my way onto a tour of Zealandia. This is a well-known nature preserve nearby. As is my luck, no one else showed up, so it was a personal tour with Rory. We wandered around for over an hour looking at birds and even prehistoric lizards. He knew a lot of facts that I pretended were fascinating! Got cool pics though!

greenstick bug and Tuatara prehistoric reptile

The “koru” unfurling silver fernfrond shape is integral to Maori Art. The bird is a Tui Bird.

I had dinner back in town in a lovely restaurant, wandered the wharf a bit, and crashed.

The next day after breakfast in bed and phone calls, I walked to the nearby Te Papa, New Zealand’s Nation Museum. This place is amazing! Luckily I arrived 2 hours early before my scheduled tour because the information lady said your tour is right NOW- get over there!- (never book with Trip Advisor). The history of the Maori People and Pacific Islanders is so beautiful. The World’s largest squid is preserved at Te Papa as well. I spent several hours there.

And as a bonus there was also a “World Of Wearable Art” Exhibit so I had to do that!

Then back to the hotel to grab my bags and taxi to the InterIslander Ferry to Picton. Luckily it was a smooth uneventful ride.

At the ferry station I found the secret locked compartment with my new rental car key and zipped south from Picton to Blenheim to a so-so hotel. The next morning I headed down the coast to Kaikoura through the Marlborough wine region.. A benefit of traveling alone is that the quick-decision conversations happen fast within my own skull. I love seeing a road sign that points to “scenic drive” (or something like that) and just turning off. “What the heck?” my “self” says to myself- we are in agreement! This time I spontaneously turned for the most beautiful drive through a virtual sea of vineyards (Yealands Estate Winery) for miles that led to the ocean’s edge on a cliff. Two hours later and a bag full of wine I was back on my way south to Kaikoura, feeling lucky.

I stopped at the famous Nin’s Bin for a crayfish just because I could. $75 each but who’s counting?

Kaikoura is on a peninsula jutting out into the Pacific. My hotel room looked out into the bay. The desk lady READ ME THE RIOT ACT for booking with Booking.com, as clearly I had been ripped off by them! I wish I had taped her lively New Zealand accent as she cleaned my clock. Just awesome! Yes ma’am!

I found my way to the Point Restaurant and Bar, made quick friends, and after more fish&chips and wine, this nice couple had me follow them in their car to a “must-do” hike on the other side of the peninsula. Then they sped away and there I was. A gorgeous night.

I was videoing and walking at the same time-damn it

The next day was also gorgeous and it was very painful to leave this idealic town to drive home. But I did, as work called. More winding roads!

I worked all week, spending last weekend at home finally. I am so lucky to have new NZ friends (to make up for me missing all my US friends!) that filled my weekend with dinner and a movie (“The Dry”) with Doctor Susan and her son, dinner the next night at Nurse Annie’s home with her sons, and my first Cricket game the next night in Christchurch. Whew!

Now I am sitting here after working four days in a row. I’m knackered!

I am lucky to have had distractions to what I must now document here for historical purposes. On January 6, 2021, the Nation’s Capitol in Washington, D.C. was attacked by terrorists. Five people so far have died, several hospitalized. Our President incited a takeover of our democracy. Today he was impeached by the House (for the second time). Over 4,000 people a day are dying from Covid-19 in the United States. A DAY. Numbers are climbing. Bodies are stacked in freezers. Funerals are in parking lots. It is a terrible, terrible time in US history.

Never forget that evil lurks within us all. Goodness and truth always win out! I hope to always stay grateful (even when I get yelled at by the hotel desk lady).