Farewell New Zealand

In just a few hours we relinquish our car and head to the airport to leave New Zealand. To say we have mixed emotions about this move is an understatement. The Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa; it means long white cloud. Poignant because living in New Zealand has been like being cloaked under a warm hug. Lovely people, gorgeous food, nearly no crime, all in the setting of beautiful gems: we will miss the majestic, jagged, snow-covered mountains; we will miss the secret beaches and rocky coasts.

Every day we cross one-lane bridges, or hike across swing bridges, and the sheep. Right now the babies are arriving. This, we are trading for a science fiction set: rampant lethal virus mutating itself ahead of mankind’s ability to stop it; friction between people and countries at a boiling point; and outrageous conspiracy theories taking hold and spreading like a virus in contradiction of all reasoning. To this we head. It is surreal to us after being so sheltered. This will be our first day in a mask; we have to learn about dealing in this pandemic.

The Big Purge

For a week now we have been focused on our baggage weight limit. We have a combined allowance of 60 kg (about 132 lbs). To say we have acquired “stuff” being here 18 months is an understatement. Our Rav 4 Ute gets packed like a puzzle every time we move on. We have been paying a daily rental rate for that Ute for over a year. Stuff has been disposed of, one way or another, and still we are 5kg heavy. “Disposed” has included: eating as much of our food stuff as we can, drinking all that beautiful wine, giving what we can to friends or leaving it as a donation in Air B&B’s (this one is getting our coffee plunger), and donation bins all over the island. I have given away three pairs of shoes, plus our gum boots, two jackets and a lot of winter clothes, well worn t-shirts and every spare pair of socks. I am leaving behind all toiletries except an emergency amount. We had hiking poles, back packs, sleeping bags. We had a NZ extension cord and charging plugs; kindling wood and fire starters; frying pan, roasting pan, cutting board and some knives. Mark is leaving behind a half bottle of Scotch, I am leaving a bottle of my favorite Awatere Valley, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (Eradus if you can find it), and another botrytis Riesling from Lone Goat. We cannot figure out how we are still heavy. Turns out, when we came here we could have a 10kg carry-on, now it is 7kg. Plus I guarantee we were over that weight when we arrived; we will be this time too.

Travel Trials

Travel post covid is going to suck. We had to arrive in Christchurch three days early so we could get a covid test one day, and return for the results the next. Negative of course – there is zero covid here. Cost of nearly $400 NZD. Pre-flight covid tests are not easy to find here because, guess what, very few people are trying to leave this country. The flight keeps getting canceled. Because demand is low one time, because the flight went through Sydney, now a locked down destination, the second time. We now have a plane, a bus and a train lined up to get us to San Diego. If all goes right, about 28 hours of travel, plus travelers are now advised to get to airports four hours early. 

Last Moments

Previously we made the tour of the island saying goodbye to some of our new friends and favorite pets. For the past couple days we have kept to ourselves and our thoughts. As soon as we get to USA we will be overwhelmed with visiting friends and family. We have been watching a lot of the Olympics. It is another surreal experience. I keep finding myself routing for the NZ athletes; Mark remembers we are Americans. Constantly he says something about how “We “ are doing, i.e. we lost in rugby. I am shocked that NZ lost in rugby – of course he meant the USA. Truth is, New Zealand men 7’s got a silver, losing to Fiji. Women won. New Zealand is a tiny country, only 5 mil people, still they hold their own in some sports. It is probably not going to be a surprise what they excel in – the ocean sports. Sailing, rowing, and flat kayaking; the women are killing it. Also equestrian events, though they are not doing too well this year. And in rugby, New Zealand dominates worldwide.

Farewell for now to all our kiwi mates. We vow to be back. In the meantime we have picked up some kiwi sayings that we plan to keep. “Sweet as,” “good on you,” batteries are flat, not dead, and friends are mates. I am sure when we get to the US our American friends will notice some colloquialisms we have adopted that we do not even notice anymore.