November 1, Monday, Fourth Week of Locum Tenens in New Zealand
It’s time to tell you little things about New Zealand…
There are very few strawberries or blueberries here, and they are very pricey despite their look. Apples are good, and kiwis are abundant! Those are my main fruits so far. The parsnips are sold like bags of carrots so I plan to roast mine. If it wasn’t weird I would photograph the grocery store’s interesting things. Meat and dairy are big here! More on food later…
On hikes you must always veer to the left when passing someone just like driving. I mess that up a lot. Seems so unnatural.
People often know more about the U.S. election than I do! Patients catch me up on news occasionally during the day. No one likes Trump, and they say it without me asking. Most patients are farmers- sheep, cattle, dairy. One lady told me she would never buy her meat in a store. “Eat only our own kill,” she said. Everyone is naturally cheerful and kind. Even if they are depressed, they just say it matter-of-factly. There’s a wonderful absence of unnecessary ego, shame or embarrassment all around. It makes things convenient and more fun. When in pain, either physical or emotional, I can’t quite tell if the feelings are stuffed or just not available for use to them. Lots of toughness here. And cleverness (which is the word they use for smart/intelligent). People are clever here.
There are no billboards here. It really helps maintain the beauty of the landscape. Even in town (Christchurch) there’s none.
The earthquake here in 2011 was devastating. After the big one, which destroyed much of Christchurch, there were earthquakes almost every other day. Families had to stay tightly together for 1–2 years for fear of losing one when they weren’t there. Schools stayed in close contact to the parents in case of quakes. Construction cleanup and rebuilding was everywhere you looked. The children’s normal lives were arrested (much like Covid has done to us). It was a traumatic time for this area. The mass shooting in Christchurch was also quite devasting to the area, as there are no guns around generally. As you recall, the next month, Jacinda banned all semi-automatic guns and many shotguns. After those things I can see why she “went hard and fast” with Covid. It worked.
For myself, being a woman who has been held up on a hike by outlaws waving machetes in Guatemala (remember when that happened?), I can say I feel a tremendous sense of safety on my “tramps” as they call hikes here. As you can see by my photos I am alone most of the time. (My biggest fear now is my little old blue Audi, which I am trying to have replaced -more on that later).
So here’s some more tramping photos- this hike is also above Christchurch. It’s called Godley Head Track. There were some really sketchy skinny roads getting up there with either cliffs on one side or sheep grazing on another. Once at the top, I hiked for 2 hours down on the coastline and then 2 hours back up a higher summit track. I found a beach in the middle to rest. As usual, I was full of awe and wonder the whole time! It’s a mixture of tropical Hawaii, Arizona desert, and Rocky Mountains all mixed together.
That’s it! FYI these pics are better on a laptop then a phone if one is near. Also don’t forget to clap.I asked the folks at Medium why followers don’t get notifications of new stories, and they said “because that’s not how it works”. OK. SO you have to remember to check if you want. Time to sleep!
Kia Ora~
Lynn
