When I was a kid we nearly emigrated to New Zealand. I was about 14 years old when the video and the forms arrived, and my mother (a sudden divorcee-again-and eager to start over) was gung ho. I think I watched the video one hundred times, always in secret. I didn't understand this country whose geography seemed unable to make up its own mind, but something about it astounded me. Ultimately, we obviously never moved to New Zealand, but it was somewhere that was so stunningly far away and so unbelievable that when I reach out, I can taste the video on the tip of my tongue.

My father had been there in the military once. He brought back a sheepskin rug and a box full of New Zealand butter. In my memory, that remains the best tasting butter I have ever tried.

Maybe you're tired of holiday posts, and heck I'm tired of writing them and even had another post I wrote on the train yesterday that was going to go up, but I have to say this-it's almost impossible for me to write up a post about New Zealand anyway. It's a huge haze of memories, most of them sticking me in the heart. It seems a million years since I was there and yet it was less than a week ago. I expected to like New Zealand. I didn't expect to feel the way I do.

I feel absolutely and completely in love with New Zealand.

It was without question the greatest holiday I have ever had, in a place that I love unreservedly. I want to move there, and maybe someday (years down the line) we will. I felt completely comfortable there, in a land where the mountains fall into the sea, in the land where we swim with dolphins and seals, in the land where even the immigrations and customs staff are kind and friendly.

I didn't want to come home, but there you have it. We are already talking about next year's holiday, and hot on the tip of my tongue is New Zealand.

So this post isn't going to be a play-by-play of the holiday. It's a collection of memories, all of which taste sweeter than the one before it. Here it is.

We only had 7 days in New Zealand and we decided not to be stupid about that time, so we focused only on the northern tip of the South Island. We landed in Christchurch and drove to Kaikoura in our rental care, a 4wd Mitsubishi something or other, and stayed in amazement at our hotel, which lingered with a view that made my eyes burn with delight.

The next morning we got onto a boat wearing wet suits 5 mm thick and swam with seals in water so cold it took your breath away for a damn long time. This is only one of four spots in the world where you can swim with them, and the only one that you can swim Great White Shark-free. The seals dove off the rocks and swam beneath and around us, their enormous puppy dog eyes peering up at us, their mouths barking with laughter. The little fuckers are cute, fast, and unbelievably huge.

The next day we woke up at 5 am to swim with the dolphins. Kaikoura is placed right off of a huge shelf in the ocean, a trench teeming with rich life. They have whales, orcas seals, and above all the dusky dolphin, which is known as the Acrobat of the Sea. Jeff decided the water was too cold for him so he watched from the boat, but Melissa, Angus and I decided to go for it and thus at 6 am with the dawn breaking above us we were thrown into the water and into a pod of around 50-100 dusky dolphins leaping and bouncing around the boat.

When I got into the water it was so cold I went numb. I gasped in pure shock as the team on the boat shouted to me to remember to hum-dolphins love the sound of it and swim closer to investigate. My mind was absolutely and completely blank and I raced to think of a song, any song, I just needed to hum through my snorkel. My mind latched onto one and for the next freezing cold hour it was all I sang.

My choice? Deck the Halls. No, I don't know why either.

I hummed it, and you know? The team on the boat were right. Dolphins dove around me, circled me, checked me out. I kept humming and stared them right in the eyes as their bodies curved around me, their mouths open with laughter. It was so surreal, so unbelievable, so completely fantastic that I never wanted to get out of the water. I forgot the cold, Melissa and Angus forgot the cold, and we snorkled with the most remarkable creatures I have ever seen. From time to time I would raise my head above the water and just laugh, and I didn't know why.

When I dream sometimes I still feel like I am turning in circles in the water, the dolphin bodies just at my fingertips.

We bought a few things in Kaikoura-T-shirts, a few prints. I bought two amazing and kooky vases that I love completely, one of which Angus has agreed to turn into a light for our new hallway. I hand-carried those vases all the way home just to make sure they'd be ok. They make me think of Dr. Seuss, and they will always smell of Kaikoura to me.

The next day we drove to Nelson. We stopped at an antique store on the way, where Angus saw a 1920's Art Deco lamp that stopped his heart (he would eventually come home with two Art Deco lamps for our new home). We bought it, along with a 1930's clock that I adored. The cost of the two of them were a fraction of what we would pay in England for the same things. We checked into our guest house in the old area of Nelson, and it was hands-down the best place we have ever stayed in, ever. It beat every five star hotel, every hotel with service up to the eyeballs. It was the single greatest place in the world.

The view from the balcony was stunning.

It had retained all of the early 1900's features, including a massive bathtub whose window opened out onto a view of the water. I couldn't resist, and had a bath every night with the window open, blowing cool sea air onto my back.

We were so happy.

The next day we took a SkyWire ride, which is the equivalent of a ski lift whizzing you at top speeds way above the valley. It was an exhiliarating blast, and since we were the last family of the day the operator was a sweetie and let us do it twice.

There were of course a lot of sheep as per the stereotype (that said there were many deer farms, cattle farms, and others so the distribution of farm animals was pretty much even), which we thought were very cute (black sheep are my favorite. Naturally.)

We walked through a market and bought a few things, we ate a fabulous Asian meal. We took it easy and relaxed, and we took time to note the sunsets.

There were always amazing sunsets.

The last day we drove into the hills and had lunch in the sun at a vineyard called Moutere Hills, which will reign in my heart forever. I didn't want to leave, I was so content to sit in the sun, the sound of a folk group playing live music in the background, and nurse my one glass of wine.

When we left it was to sadness. We didn't want to go, we wanted at least one more week there. The flights home were long and arduous and I watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy again just for the backdrop. When we arrived at Heathrow the real world caught up with us-one of Angus' beloved antique lamps had been crushed to bits, and with sorrow we have to claim the money as the beautiful piece is no more (it was quite large and thus was checked. It was packed many times over and labelled "fragile" so of course it was probably treated like a football).

I was so happy in New Zealand.

The 35 hours in transit were worth every single moment just so I can hold those memories sacred.

So now I'm home and the slide show comes to an end. Thank you, and the exits are to the left and the rear.

-H.

PS-more on Flickr as a set of pics has been uploaded.

Posted by: Everydaystranger at 06:19 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
Post contains 1476 words, total size 9 kb.

1 Ah New Zealand, glad you loved it. For me it was an amazing place also. I really think I left a sliver of my heart there when I had to leave. But can I also say as a huge lover of sunsets that is one beautiful photo.

Posted by: Mia at March 17, 2006 08:05 AM (3WAax)

2 I loved the pictures, H. And I'm not tired of the holiday posts at all. Indeed, you could write about grocery shopping and I would be just as happy to read whatever you chose to write about. Still, a wonderful trip and I am feeling quite housebound with my 8 month or so pregnant wife so a little vicarious travel is perfect.

Posted by: rp at March 17, 2006 09:26 AM (fWrQ6)

3 You look so healthy and happy, it feels wrong for me to be this jealous! I'm so glad you had such a fabulous time sweetie. With everything that you've been through you desereved it! But next time, don't go away for so long huh? We missed you!!!

Posted by: Lemurgirl at March 17, 2006 11:05 AM (YcruH)

4 As a lurker of your blog for several months, I've never posted until now. But your description of swimming with the dolphins brought to mind a glorious movie, The Big Blue. If you've never seen it, by all means rent a copy. It's well worth it for it's underwater scenes alone, as well as the mystical connection one of the characters has with dolphins. And though you didn't know it, thanks for being there for me. I found your blog by Googling "suicide attempt" and it's help me after my own attempt last December.

Posted by: Catherine at March 17, 2006 12:07 PM (caMh7)

5 Catherine-the picture I posted yesterday of me in the dress on the Greek Island of Amorgos? "The Big Blue" is the whole reason I went to that island. I loved the film and I loved the island, which was shown in the opening sequence of the movie. They had a cafe on the island that showed the film there everynight, projected onto a sheet with the water behind it. It was heaven.

Posted by: Helen at March 17, 2006 12:36 PM (W41oA)

6 Helen, These holiday posts are wonderful. The joy you experienced comes right through your words. I feel compelled to say that I have never seen anything like that sunset picture. I can't believe that such a sunset actually occurred, much less that you captured it on film.

Posted by: Emily at March 17, 2006 03:54 PM (xWFCX)

7 It sounds wonderful. I am more determined than ever to go now.

Posted by: caltechgirl at March 17, 2006 08:32 PM (/vgMZ)

8 Breathtaking.

Posted by: Lisa at March 17, 2006 09:51 PM (ELUjU)

9 Oh, I do love hearing of people who love my homeland!! You made me all kinds of homesick!!! Thanks

Posted by: deeleea at March 18, 2006 12:12 AM (BDZRO)

10 I have heard from people who have been there that it is the most beautiful place on earth. I love the Lord of the Rings movies for many reasons, and chief is the scenery. Just gorgeous. Your photos are wonderful.

Posted by: Judy Carrino at March 18, 2006 04:37 AM (2+7OT)

11 I felt relaxed after reading about YOUR vacation!

Posted by: Sara at March 18, 2006 04:56 PM (gEmHe)

12 So glad you had such a fabulous time!

Posted by: sophie at March 19, 2006 03:07 AM (CkQss)

13 If you LOVE New Zealand then come try Australia! After all you have people like me who are dying to take you both out!! Fx

Posted by: Flikka at March 20, 2006 05:01 AM (puvdD)

14 Made me homesick too! I have friends who live in both Kaikoura and Nelson, funnily enough (since we're all from the North Island and not the South). And you got good weather too! Bonus! Your holiday sounded wonderful

Posted by: jac at March 21, 2006 10:20 AM (a/0tn)

15 Wow, those pictures were incredible. It looks so beautiful there. Is it paradise or do you get used to it after a while? Bill http://billscott1974.blogspot.com/

Posted by: Bill Scott at March 21, 2006 07:31 PM (sSy0R)

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