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New Zealand Trip - Kari's Journal
Thrivent Builds Worldwide Team in Whangarei, New Zealand
Friday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday
Friday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Sunday | Wednesday
Friday Oct. 24
Team Members:
Becky A, Americus, GA
Terry B, Green Bay, WI
Debi B, DePere, WI
Sue H, River Fals, WI
Kathy K, Appleton, WI
Dave K, Maple Grove, MN
Kari K, St Louis, MO
Kris K, Brooklyn Park, MN
Erica L, Oshkosh, WI
Paul L, Vadnais Heights, MN
Bill R, North Oaks, MN
Joan R, North Oaks, MN
Rachal S, Neenah, WI
Jeff S, Roberts, IL
Beth V, Little Chute, WI
Roger V, Little Chute, WI
Sunday Oct. 19
Arriving in Auckland
We are 18 hours ahead of the CST zone. We crossed the International Date Line right before landing. For most of the team it was a 36 hour adventure from the time we left our homes to touching down in Auckland, New Zealand. The first obsevation was getting used to the drivers being on the wrong side of the road. Thank goodness we had a resident do the driving for us to our base of operations which will be at Top 10 Holiday Park which is a campground with cottages to stay in. It sure was uneasy sitting in the vehicle and the driver pulling up to the wrong side of the intersections. Well, at least strange for us, not the New Zealanders. Another observation was the scenery from Auckland to our build site in Whangarei. There were rolling hills covered with sheep or cows, or wooded with pines like Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota and a short distance away palm trees like being in the tropics. We were able to meet up with our Habitat build coordinators and they gave us a short orientation at our new home for the next two weeks. Some of us decided to shower right away and catch up on sleep, and others hiked a nearby mountain. This evening the Habitat affiliate hosted a barbecue for us with them in the evening.
Monday Oct. 20
Whew! What a fabulous day! We were up early today—most of us by 6 a.m. I think it was the excitement of heading to the job site and finding out what we were going to be doing.
We have had a very busy first day on the build. With the individual wall sections allready framed, we were able to get all of them moved into place. By the end of the day, we also had all the rafters set. We were happy to hear that the amount of progress we made has already put us ahead of schedule.
Just getting to the site was an adventure. It was a 26 kilometer treck up and down the countryside. The roads were narrow and steep. When we arrived, it was not like anything we expected. The site sits atop a mountain with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. The homeowner currently lives on the property in a series of makeshift structures. His name is Steve and he is quite handy. We will add more on his lifestyle in later posts.
We realize that many of you would like to see some pictures from our trip. Today the group took many fun photos. We will get some of them posted shortly. For now the hour is late and we are resting up for another busy day down under.
Tuesday Oct. 21
Good Evening, Friends and Family!! It's 9:15 pm New Zealand time, 3:15 am Wisconsin time.
It's the second day of our build. Totally unbelievable how far we have come in two days. The roof is almost half on. The goal is to get the rest done tomorrow morning.
The first four days have been great (except for the 12 hour flight from LA to Auckland)! The Thrivent build team from the US, our Build hosts, and our Build homeowner are getting along well, having lots of fun. The "Kiwis" are friendly people.
Everyone is a bit sore tonite—lots of overhead work today. Tomorrow we are only working in the morning—meeting with local families to experience the culture and sights in the afternoon.
We are so blessed to have met many new, wonderful people. Looking forward to each day to see how much we can accomplish.
We hope and pray all is well at home. Thank goodness for this technology. It is a great way to keep in touch with home.
Please add your own comments to the blog. We'd love to hear from you.
Missing all of lots—but know that you are with us everyday in our thoughts and prayers!!!
Rog and Beth
Wednesday Oct. 22
We've been very busy working and playing, but, at last, we have photos! We've only had three days of building, but you'll notice we've made great progress on Steve's house—from a simple platform to four walls and a roof. Steve, the new home owner, is a very kind, hard-working gentleman. It is a joy to work together with him and the on-site crew. The on-site crew has an excellent sense of humor, and we're learning some new terms. For example, if you're in need of a break, they may suggest a 'snore-off.'
Erica's face has turned a nice shade of red (radiance from the NZ sun) while Paul's shins and knees display a variety of red blotches (yes, he is that coordinated and is no longer allowed to wear shorts). It's been a group effort to keep Jeff in line, but so far, so good (he's been known to stop the van so he can take pictures of flowers and the south-end of north-going horses). The breakfast club—Joan, Bill, Sue, David, Roger, Beth to date—deliver a nutritious start to everyone's day...Rachel and Kris arriving just in time to scrape the pans. Debi has been seen doing cartwheels on the ocean beach (for a price, the group is willing to post a picture or two on the blog). Becky is a wee, little lassie, but can easily wield a shovel three times her size—honest! Kari shall remain nameless as she has received too many blog posts. Kathy, Kathy, Kathy. Yes, our dear Kathy. She is now down to wearing three patches a day to manage her motion sickness, as the hills and winding roads never end. And all Terry wants for Christmas is a digital watch, flip-flops, and a case of Sprite.
Friday Oct. 24
We thought we would give you a better idea of how we are spending our time off. One of our favorite things to do is tour the beautiful Whangarei sites. Hiking and shopping are the popular free time activities. Some are disappointed that many of the shops close by 5. The star gazing is incredible. Many of the constellations, such as the Southern Cross, can't be seen in the northern hemisphere.
Several of us have had the opportunity to spend some 'one-on-one' time with the locals. Their hospitality is second to none. They have taken us on several tours and treated us with their local cuisine. A few examples are sandwiches with interesting toppings [eggs, carrots and beets] and delicious ice cream [like Hokey Pokey and Orange Chocolate Chip].
We have been making great strides in helping Steve build his house. We are happy to report that we are ahead of schedule. Stay tuned for more details!!!
Tuesday Oct. 28
After almost eleven days now in NewZealand, our team is starting to get accustomed to what we call
"New Zealandisms" in the way they refer to things. More than once we had to ask them to repeat
what they said before we could understand what they are referring to.
Here is a list of the words or phrases we would like to share.
"Give Way" signs in lieu of our "Yield" sign at intersections.
"Ring em Up" in lieu of saying you are going to call someone on the phone.
"Smoko" is the term used to call for a work break or "Tea time" which they have at 10:00 and 3:00
"Lemonade" do not be suprised if you order a Sprite at a restraunt and the waiter asks who ordered Lemonade.
"Monday Week" is when you are going to meet someone a week from now.
"Collect Us" is when the local Habitat members pick us up in the morning.
"Hired a Car" term used to for car rental.
"Car Boot" term used for car trunk.
"Flatten the Battery" is used when the battery on the car is dead
"Flat Mate" in lieu of room mate.
"Trolley Return" was seen at the grocery store for shopping cart return
"My Shout" if someone says this at a restraunt, take them up on this that means "My Treat"
"Moi" is nap time
"Chuck it in the bin" is throw it in the garbage.
"Brekkie" has been used in lieu of breakfast
"Rubbish before the broom" as you let someone pass you, which is similar to age before beauty.
A few terms used on the construction site are:
"Barge Board" in lieu of fascia board at edge of roof line
"Noggin" is not your head but horizontally blocking for nailing material to.
"Stopping" is how they say plastering or mudding over drywall
So next week don't be surprised if one of us will,
"Ring you up at smoko for some lemonade, monday week, my shout"
Wednesday Oct. 29
Yes—we are still here in NZ, and doing well! We've had reports that people back home had become concerned about our welfare, given our 'absence' from the blog. Word has it that we may actually have several posts this evening, as we do have a little bit of downtime now, at the end of our first day of R&R. (In our view, nearly eight full days of fatigue and sore muscles from the Build deserve just a little tender care and recuperation!)
We finished our time on the Build yesterday—and allocated some time for Steve to proudly give us a tour of his land. As we got ready to leave for our hike, Steve described the upcoming adventure as a 'moderate 10 minute walk.' His definition of 'moderate' was considerably different than that of at least a few of the 'more mature' members of the group whose description would have been more like an hour's strenuous slide down a muddy (cow pies?), steep, slippery slope, followed by a rigorous climb up a mile long cliff. Our efforts were rewarded when we reached the bottom as we meandered along the crystal clear stream and paused to admire the beautiful waterfalls that we'd listened to during the week as we worked.
We all took just a few moments to inspect and enjoy our 'finished' product. Yes, while the interior of the house is not totally complete, our work is in fact finished. There was a bit of talk about wanting to stay longer, to truly finish the whole thing, but then we thought of our aching bodies, and loved ones at home, and decided maybe it would be OK for us to just give Steve, his sons, and our Affiliate team members that honor.
After a bit of time to do laundry and shower, we loaded our vans to drive to a local cafe for a farewell dinner hosted by our NZ team members. It was an evening filled with emotional highs and lows. Highs—as we reflected on our accomplishments , celebrated our new friendships, and met the spouses of the great people with whom we'd worked side-by-side (and sometimes even more closely) all week. Lows as we closed the evening with lots of hugs and a number of moist eyes, recognizing that we'd likely not see many of our new best friends ever again.
It was then back to camp to pack for an early departure this morning. The first van was to be on the road at 6 AM with the group who had signed up for a swim with the dolphins tour. A second van had an entire extra hour for final clean-up and loading luggage before we departed for our day's adventures in kayaking and sightseeing. A good time was had by all, and we are again back at our new digs—exhausted as usual, but with an even greater and renewed appreciation of the beautiful world around us.
As this is written tonight, laughter abounds as various groups share their experiences and stories from the day. We continue to be amazed by the beautiful views that await us at every turn, the friendliness of the people we encounter and the energy with which they work and play. As a personal observation, this writer cannot help but comment specifically on the intense greenery, beautiful flowers, and most amazing and efficient toilets that I've encountered. (Today, a number of us even had the opportunity to explore the 'world famous' toilets at KawaKawa. If you are lucky, the team members may even share a picture of them with you—complete with a live model!) Seriously though, the USA has a bit to learn about conservation and efficient use of water from our world neighbors here!
Now that you have this fodder for thought, we'll close, but not before saying, "God Bless, and Good Night!"
Sunday, Nov. 2
Our first non-build adventures. Many of us went sea kayaking which was supposed to be a guided adventure, however when we arrived the owner told us the guide had died that morning. It was shock to us and to the owner as well since he had been in supposedly good health. He was only 52 years old. We took the 'unguided' version of the trip and spent most of our time searching for the elusive waterfalls and getting carried out by the exiting tide. Wow, what a work out!
Some wanted to go parasailing. However the boat was out for regular scheduled maintenance. And others were going to go shopping in Russell only to find that many of shops are closed on Wednesday. Needless to say they found enough stores open to satisfy their retail therapy.
Others went on the 'swim with the dolphins' tour. They got a lot of good pictures but couldn't swim with the dolphins because some of the dolphins had babies. Apparently, protective mother dolphins don't appreciate the company.
Beth and Sue went on a nice boat tour to see the famous 'hole in the rock' and had a very nice time. These were the days adventures for Wednesday. Even though some tour activities didn't go as planned, all were happy to enjoy the recreation.
Thursday brought bright sunshine for our trip to the most northern part of North Island where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. The scenery was breathtaking as well as informative with our driver who was of the Maori Tribe and he gave us history and culture. One of the stops was Puketi Kauri forest. It contains the largest kauri trees in New Zealand and many live to be 1000's of years old. Other stops included Cape Reinga which is the final resting place of many Maori tribesmen. The next stop was the giant sand dunes where several members of the group went sand boarding. It was a rough climb up the sandy slope, but the slide down was well worth the effort. The Ninety Mile Beach was a real highlight too. It's only sixty some miles but it's really beautiful and we were able to drive right on the sand. The huge rollers coming in were an impressive sight and sound to experience. Along the way there were several opportunities to sample local treats and continue the retail therapy.
Friday was our return to Auckland. Our local Habitat friends escorted us into town. At this point Bill and Joan separated from the group for some adventures on the South Island. We'll add more about their trip when we meet back up in a couple days. We also said goodbye to Becky, who was the first of the group to return home.
The 13 remaining on the North Island continued on to more adventures. We hit the bay with a 'coffee cruise' sailing excursion and harbor museum tour. The nightlife in Auckland was much livelier than what we had been accustomed to in Whangarei.
Wednesday, Nov. 5
The remaining days of our trip were very memorable. We enjoyed each other's company as we engaged in all types of R-n-R activities that really gave us a well-rounded flavor of the New Zealand experience. Each of us has our own way of telling the stories and reliving the adventures. With very little coaxing, you can probably get an ear full from any one of us.
It really has been a wonderful experience for each of us to spend this time here. Our group of 16 came together in support of Habitat for Humanity to make a positive impact. As we each return to our normal ways of life, we have a strong sense of accomplishment and greater appreciation for this organization.
Finally, special thanks to all our friends and family members who have supported us in so many ways. We have grown with this experience, and our appreciation for those we care about has grown too.