Art Peekel

Yesterday I took the ferry from Wellington, the Capitol of New Zealand, to Picton, which is located on the north coast of the south island. The trip lasted less than four hours, and the scenery was nothing less than spectacular. Someday I'll post my photographs and then you'll see what I mean. Impressive how the giant ship squeezed between the land masses rising so dramatically out of the sea along the narrow waterway which leads to the harbor. The "Magic Bus" was waiting for us. Filled to capacity with adventurous travelers eager to experience all that the south island has to offer, the bus rolled out of the station toward Nelson, our destination. We passed through wine country and stopped briefly for a tasting. The region is known for its whites. At the hostel the desk clerk assigned me to a room with three others. This I expected because my agent Carol back in Wanganui had discussed with me the various options and the costs. In an effort to save some money, I had agreed to share accommodations, something I did regularly during my earliest travels. The surprise came when one of my roommates turned out to be a female. Didn't seem to matter to her. The other two guys appeared to take it as no big deal. Made me think of the difference between college housing from when I attended Knox to today's coed dorms. "Get with it, Art," I said to myself. She was from England, as was one of the guys. The other fellow was from Denmark. All quite pleasant. I went out to dinner with the two fellows and different woman, who was from Brazil. We had a delightful meal, followed by a stroll around the city looking for a place to buy some food for the next day. The streets and sidewalks were empty. I commented that it looked like a movie set after all the actors had left for the day. Today I took it easy. First went to the cathedral to see the stained glass windows. Quite impressive. Also walked through the oldest section of town where there are very quaint cottages dating back to the earliest days of the city. The most delightful part of the day was spent at historic Melrose House, where I had Devonshire tea and the most delicious scone ever! Reminded me of experiences many years ago with friends David, Gail, Laura and Linda in Stratford, Ontario, when we would attend the Shakespeare Festival there. Well, I must close and prepare for tomorrow. Very exciting to be on the south island. My experiences here will be so different from those I had on the north island. Not better or worse, to be sure, but certainly different. My intention is to write and post some blogs looking back on my experiences in Wanganui. I have such fond memories. And I'd like to share then with you. So, please check in from time to time. As my colleagues back at Rolling Meadows High School used to hear me say, "Life is so interesting, don't you know!" Considering what I have done the past month and what lies ahead for me, truer words were never spoken. And I consider myself truly blessed.

I had the best intention! Really! Thought I'd post a blog every other day or so while here in New Zealand. Well, at least a couple times a week. Now it's nearly a month since my arrival, and I'm just getting around to posting my first blog. UGH! My problem, if you ask me, is thinking too big. While in Buenos Aires and especially Costa Rica I wrote very long blogs. As anyone, my guess is, who has ever written a serious, thoughtful blog can tell you, it takes considerable time. I'd often write a draft, then rewrite it several times before the final edit. In a recent conversation over Skype, a friend suggested I write shorter blogs. That seemed so simple, but really struck me as a brilliant idea. She went on to say that once I got into the swing of things I just might find myself writing more often. Hey, sounds like a plan to me. So, I'm giving it a go! Slight hitch in the plan. Helen and Henry, the couple who own the place where I am house sitting, arrived home from their two-month holiday in Europe yesterday afternoon--as I was typing the previous paragraphs. And so I had to stop. Now it's Thursday morning. Couldn't get back to this blog before now because the three of us talked constantly until we went to bed last night. More about that some other time. But soon I will be invited to join them for breakfast. That means I'll have to stop again. Probably won't write much more. If I wait to post this, who knows how long it will be. Before closing, let me just say how grateful I am to Helen and Henry for permitting me to stay in their home and to Diana, my new friend back in Palatine, who introduced me to them and several other friends of hers here in New Zealand. As I have written in emails I have sent out over the past four weeks, I keep pinching myself. This country and it's people are wonderful. My experiences have been more memorableo than I ever dreamed. Please stay tuned. G'day, mates!