A Walk through Whirinaki Forest

We spent a delightful day "walking on tracks" (i.e. hiking on trails) with our new friends through Whirinaki Forest. This is one of New Zealand's most famous conservation battlegrounds where people actively fought to save this magnificent native forest. Our companions proved to be terrific guides - well-versed in the beautiful vegetation and variety of tall, tall trees. We capped our 5-hour walk with champagne and goodies at Elsie and Etienne's - I think we should do this after ALL our adventures.

Boxing Day

Tom's partner Etienne and his wife Elsie invited us to celebrate Boxing Day the day after Christmas. We were pleased to be included even though we're not particularly big fans of boxing. We very quickly learned that Boxing Day is a national public holiday celebrated every year on December 26. Its name came from an old English tradition when employers boxed gifts for their workers the day after Christmas. The gifts may have been presents they received but didn't want, so they re-boxed the gifts and passed them on.

Today, as in the US, Boxing Day is the start of the post-Christmas bargain shopping season. It's also another excuse for Kiwis to gather for food and drink with family and friends. We had a terrific time at Etienne and Elsie's beautiful home - overlooking Lake Okareka. They organized a big group of friends who brought "plates" (pot luck) and wine and spirited conversation. We exchanged names and phone numbers and look forward to spending more time with our new group of friends.

Seven Swans A-Swimming

While family and friends in the US enjoy Christmas Eve, we are well into New Zealand's Christmas Day. Our beautiful summer day started for Tom with a ride on his new mountain bike while I went for a run around Kawaha Point. After church, we popped some English Christmas crackers, popped some champagne and made a few calls to remote family. We took advantage of temperatures in the 70's and headed for a nearby beach on Lake Rotorua where we saw Seven Swans A-Swimming. Merry Christmas!

Tackling the Mount

A one hour drive north took us to Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty. We were impressed with this lovely coastal city and vowed to return for further exploration. Our mission, however, was to see Mount Maunganui. "The Mount" - as New Zealanders call it - is the remnant of a volcanic cone. A beautiful walk around the base and then up 231 meters to its summit gave us spectacular 360º views of Tauranga Harbour, white beaches, the Bay of Plenty, and the South Pacific beyond.

Friday Night Lights!

We thoroughly enjoyed an annual holiday tradition in Rotorua - "Carols by Candlelight" - held at Kuirau Park just before Christmas. The evening began at 7:00 p.m. with music performed by the Rotorua Symphonic Band. Hundreds of local families brought lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the music of the night. The Lions Club sponsored the event, and a local television personality emceed the festivities. Proceeds from candle sales went to the Rotorua Hospital Chaplaincy department.

Entertainment included a choral performance by "Rhapsody & Rhythm" who sang a number of songs, including "Joy to the World," "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" and that seasonal favorite "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" (ala Neal Sedaka...). Area charities decorated and displayed Christmas trees, children recreated the Nativity scene and birth of Jesus, the crowd sang carols together, and we finally lit candles when it got dark enough on the warm summer evening. Delightful - all of it.

Hamurana Springs

Hamurana Springs - a quick 15-minute drive from Rotorua - is known for its beautiful, crystal-clear fresh water springs. Our walk to the head spring took us through a wildlife sanctuary and redwood trees, and gave us a great view of trout swimming in the shallow waters. The spring is the largest in the North Island! In 1957 more than 5000 pennies dating from 1860 were recovered by skin divers and distributed by the Rotorua Jaycees to children's charities.

Mistletoe - and Blue Lake

We haven't seen Mistletoe in the stores or used in holiday decorating anywhere, but we found a bit growing on trees during an easy walk around Blue Lake. The trail guide warned us that possums feed on Mistletoe, so we felt lucky to find any at all. Blue Lake is popular for canoe racing, and while we were there an amphibious vehicle drove off the boat ramp into the water with a load of sightseers.

First Dinner Invitation

Without a Lutheran Church in the area, we've been attending the Rotorua Methodist church. It was our good fortune to become acquainted with Ursula Prince who immediately took us under her wing. Ursula and husband Lindsay (a retired forester) live not far from us, except they live right on Lake Rotorua. We were treated to a wonderful dinner in their home culminating with a New Zealand holiday favorite - Pavlova. Pavlova is a meringue confection made of whipped egg whites and sugar - fabulous! Ursula sent us home with leftovers, the recipe for Pavlova, and invited me to join her Aqua-Aerobics group which I did the very next day.

NZ's Health Care System: Part 2 - My Story

In my role as surgical consultant - SMO (Senior Medical Officer), I am given respect not afforded all doctors (MD's). Non-surgeon physicians are referred to as Dr. Five registrars (resident doctors in the US) - with experience ranging from 3-9 years post medical school - report to my group of six staff surgeons. Two of these registrars are classified as "non-training" - trying to enter a 5-year surgical residency. In my first 2 days of orientation, it was made clear to me - in two private consultative meetings - that my job was to clear the wait list. Kiwis have tremendous patience in working through the medical system. I am currently holding clinics for patients referred 7-9 months ago for surgical conditions. Many patients come to clinic having forgotten what their surgical condition was! Others have acute conditions that should have been taken care of 7-9 months ago. The realities of socialized medicine!

Power to the People

A 30-minute drive took us halfway around Lake Rotorua and to the trailhead to Okere Falls. The easy walk took us past four waterfalls and the remains of the 4th hydro-electric power station built in New Zealand. Along the way we encountered the steps to Tutea's Caves - two large caves above Okere River. We enjoyed the wooded trail, checked overlooks of each waterfall, heard the shouts and screams of river rafters, and took a quick video of some boys jumping from trees into the river just below the final waterfall. We ended up in with a view of the Trout Pools and a nice conversation with a family from Auckland.

NZ's Health Care System: Part 1 - An Observer's Point of View

Tom's nearing the end of his 2nd week of practicing medicine in Rotorua, and I'd like to share a few of my observations before he weighs in. New Zealand's socialized health care system is alive and slow! Medical services are prioritized based on the urgency or seriousness of the sickness or injury. This sounds logical until you hear stories of patients who wait 13 months to be seen for a hernia or a growth on their neck - only to be told the system won't take care of them.

This is as close to a 9 to 5 job as Tom has had since becoming a doctor. So far he has only worked weekdays and has yet to be placed on the call rotation. Surgeons are called "Consultants," and Tom is called "Mr. Thilo" rather than Dr. Thilo to distinguish his higher level of training. Working under him are "Registrars" - doctors still in training which we call Residents in the US. He works among quite an international community of physicians, and frequently laments about the neglected care that has resulted from people waiting in line.

Since he's the expert, I've invited Mr. Thilo to be a future guest Blogger.

And Fitness for All

It didn't take long to see how important exercise is to Kiwi's. Opportunities abound for people of all ages, with access to squash clubs, rugby fields, extensive bike trails, and a variety of water sports, including kayaking and canoeing. Tom swims regularly at the Rotorua Aquatic Centre which has fabulous indoor and outdoor pools. I renewed my membership at Curves and was thrilled with my registration weigh-in of 59 kilograms - until I did the metric conversion. Blog readers will have to do their own math.

Home Away from Home

The Rotorua Hospital provides living arrangements during the six months we're in New Zealand. Our home is a very modest, 3-bedroom duplex in a quiet neighborhood not far from the hospital. It's convenient and generally well equipped, but we've since acquired a few things to make it more livable. The absolute first purchase? A French coffee press!!! To quote my Dad once again, "Coffee is the elixir of life."

Among my challenges: converting to Metric and figuring out the appliances (washer, dryer, oven, dishwasher) that use symbols I've never seen. Recycling is a high priority, and we're highly sensitive to minimizing waste. Empty yogurt containers have become my new Tupperware, and I'm using a clothesline for the first time since growing up in Iowa. The warm summer weather will be great for my newly-potted herbs!

Bigger Than Life

Our weekend also included a walk through the magnificent Redwood Forest. This beautiful spot is a favorite among walkers, runners, and mountain bicyclists. We were impressed with the network of trails and the variety of trees and plant life - this is a must-see for visitors who are coming our way!