February and 6 months along

One of the guys that Steve works with went fishing last week and caught 8 Snapper, and gave one to us! We put butter and garlic on the top and baked it whole - it was really delicious. Fishing is really popular here - at the nearby Hutt River, there are almost always people standing on the bridge with fishing poles, and on every wharf there are groups of people casting poles. I think a lot of people also have boats to head out into deeper waters too.

Here is a picture of me last week, at 26 weeks along. I'm still feeling really good, and except for not sleeping well after my night shifts, I really can't complain. The baby moves a lot and seems to react a bit more to noises around me. For example, at work, I've noticed that if I'm standing right next to a screaming baby, my baby will often give some really big kicks.

Wainuiomata Views

Every month, when the moon is rising late or in new moon phase, Steve watches the weather and evening sky very closely to see if it will be clear for observing. If it looks like it might be a clear night sky, he packs up the car with all his observing gear - telescope, folding chair, table, books, and a thermos of tea - and sets out. He has found a site to set up about 25 minutes away from our house, near the town of Wainuiomata. It is in a valley and the mountains block most of the light pollution from Wellington. The part of the sky with the least light pollution is to the south, which is the richest part of the sky for finding nebulas, the southern milky way, and countless fuzzy galaxies. He sets up at the end of a long dirt laneway, owned by a man named Nigel. When Nigel first met Steve, parked at the side of the road near his laneway, he quickly told Steve the combination to the locked gate so that Steve could drive right in and set up. Steve has shown him a few of the more impressive night sky objects, and Nigel is always interested to have a peek. A couple weeks ago, we decided to walk up the long laneway to take in the view from the other side of the valley.

Most of the hillsides have been or are still used for logging, so we followed a logging road and ate our lunch at the top.

This little bird was posing for us, against the beautiful steep mountainsides to the southeast.

One of Steve's latest projects was to make a wheelbarrow for moving his telescope base. Usually we both lift it together to take it to the car, but he often has to unload it by himself, and it weighs about 50lbs. So he made arms and wheels that attach to the box base and he can wheel it around. He also made that little ramp to help with the stairs in/out of the house and getting into/out of the car; the whole system works very well.

Last but not least, here is a more recent picture of me and my growing belly at 23 weeks. I've started wearing a few more maternity clothes, and I'm thankful that I can wear uniforms to work each day. I continue to feel really good and enjoy this time a lot. I've taken up swimming and have been going to one of the outdoor pools a few times a week to do lengths. The outdoor pools close at the end of summer (mid-March) so then I guess I might have to make do with an indoor pool, but I love being outside while exercising.

Steve is in a really busy phase of his PhD project right now - finishing off designing parts, getting them made, assembling the spectrograph, and testing it in the lab. This all needs to be completed before April when he will be taking the instrument to the Mt John Observatory on the South Island. They have two weeks booked on the large telescope down there to do some "real star" tests with the spectrograph. Hopefully the baby does not come while he is away!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Day was a beautiful, sunny day here. We cooked a turkey dinner and then carried it all outside to make the most of the weather. We skyped with our families, opened a few presents from overseas, and enjoyed a relaxing day - the last as just the two of us!

I am 21 weeks along now and still feeling pretty good. I love feeling the little kicks, although based on how much the baby was moving during our recent ultrasound, I don't feel even half of the movements. The ultrasound was lots of fun and everything looks good so far. We're very happy we stuck with our decision not to find out whether it's a boy or girl - just seeing the baby was exciting enough!

Happy New Year!

Stewart Island

We recently spent a week on Stewart Island - a Christmas vacation for us since I will be working over the holidays this year. The island is off the very southernmost point of NZ, and is reached by either ferry across the Foveaux Strait, or plane. Steve graciously agreed to let me maximize my adventure by taking the ferry one way and the plane the other. He gets motion sick very easily, and despite taking "Sealegs" (some anti-motion sickness tablets recommended to us), he felt sick before the boat had even left the dock. About halfway through the hour-long journey, which really was like a non-stop roller coaster, I gently put my hand on his shoulder to ask if he wanted to come stand outside with me. Remaining totally focussed on the island off in the distance, he quickly said "Umm... please don't talk to me right now." With that, I took in the views from the deck, held on tight, and made small-talk with some birders from British Columbia who were on a 3 week tour around NZ.

Here is a slideshow of our pictures. You may need to click the play arrow to start it, and if you want to see captions, or larger versions, just click on the pictures and you will be taken to our online album.


The ferry docked in Oban, the only village on the Island, with a permanent population of roughly 400 people. During the summer months, there are more people there to support the tourism and conservation efforts. We stayed at the South Seas Hotel, in a room that was more like a hostel room with no toilet, only beds and a wardrobe, but still very comfortable and a treat for us. We enjoyed a yummy meal at the South Seas Restaurant (the only one on the island), and packed up to start the Rakiura Track the next day.

The Rakiura Track is the shortest trail on the island, and takes 3 days. There are two other trails which likely would have offered much more exciting scenery, but they both take 7-10 days and we didn't have that long. We also weren't sure how comfortable my backpack would be with my little baby belly starting to push out a bit more... but in the end it was okay, and we ended just as the rainy weather was moving in. The track followed the road and shoreline for the first day, crossed through forest the second, and rejoined the shoreline on the third. We were hoping to spot some Kiwi birds on our journey, since they are well-protected on Stewart Island. The first night, the campsite had been freshly weed-wacked and we guessed that noise would have driven all resident Kiwis into hiding. We still got up in the middle of the night to take a walk and look for them (they are most active at night), but no luck. The second day we were serenaded by a helicopter overhead and the loud buzzing would also have been a deterrent to Kiwis foraging near the trail. The last day, was rainy and muddy, and we were more focused on not losing boots in the mud than spotting Kiwis in the bush. Overall though, it was beautiful, and enjoyable, and we only wish we'd been able to do some of the longer trails.

We had two more days on Stewart Island after finishing the hike. We spent one day walking out to a lighthouse on the outskirts of town. We explored sandy bays along the way and ate a picnic lunch at the lighthouse. That evening, after dinner, while admiring the harbour view, Steve got very excited and started going on about "anticrepuscular rays" and pointing to the horizon. After he'd run to get the camera, he explained that we (well, he) was seeing the opposite of sunrays on the horizon. We were 180 degrees away from the sunset, and it was twilight, and the sunbeams from sunset were converging at a point opposite the sun in the sky. They're somewhat rare and Steve's only seen them a few times, hence his excitement and countless photos. I've included one in our slideshow.

The other day we took a little ferry to Ulva Island, which is a 5 min trip from Oban. The island has no residents and is a bird sanctuary, with trails throughout it and several sandy beaches. We saw at least six species of birds we had never seen before, but weren't able to get any good pictures of them. It was a peaceful, calm day and the forests, birds, and beaches were beautiful. The morning of our departure, we got a ride to the airstrip on the island, and boarded our 6-seater plane for the 15 minute flight back to the mainland. This was definitely a highlight of the trip for AK, whose grandparents once flew a similar plane from the US to the Philippines. Steve felt it was definitely better than the ferry and we were fortunate to have a calm day for flying.

So now we are back in Lower Hutt, hearing about Christmas back home, but it really doesn't feel like Christmas here. The past few days have been muggy and humid, but mostly we've had beautiful weather, and the days are light until nearly 10pm. We are enjoying the summer here much more than the winter.

December in Waiwhetu

It's hard to believe December is here, especially since it is starting to feel more and more like summer and yet people keep talking about Christmas. Summer and Christmas just don't go together in my head. But the summer weather is lovely, and the birds are constantly singing, the sun is shining, the days are longer, and it's actually warm enough in the house to wear short sleeves!

I am 17 weeks along now, and continue to feel pretty good. I am starting to feel a bit more energy and have been making the most of the sunny weather. I think I've gained at least 5-6lbs already, and definitely feel my tummy growing. My clothes are still fitting, although some pants are getting uncomfortable. I'm looking forward to feeling the baby move and having a bit more of a belly, but I know these things will come soon enough. On another note, it turns out that our baby won't be a Kiwi afterall! In 2006, NZ changed the citizenship laws so that being born in NZ does not grant automatic citizenship. Now, at least one parent has to be either a citizen or permanent resident at the time of the baby's birth. Getting PR here is a long and expensive process, and neither of us feel it is worthwhile right now. If the child is anything like me, in 20 years, they will be quite angry I didn't do this for them!

I haven't been able to keep up my running very much - the first couple months I was just too uncomfortable. I've been walking a lot more and one of the perks is that I can take the camera with me. Here are some shots from our neighbourhood, which is called Waiwhetu (pronounced why-fe-too).

Below are the first of the Pohutakawa flowers starting to bloom - summer in NZ is marked by the bright red blossoms on these trees. The trees are everywhere, often lining streets or just at the side of the road. They are one of my favourite things about NZ.

This is the local Marae, or sacred space for the local Maori community. It is a few blocks from our house and is often used for religious and social events. I got to visit it earlier in the year while attending a "Maori Culture Day" that the hospital put on for a small group of staff. You must take your shoes off prior to entering, and one of the community's Maori elders meets you at the door to welcome each person. The inside is a large open space with wooden floors and ceilings. The walls are decorated with weavings and carvings, each with unique meanings. It was really interesting to get a glimpse of this part of the Maori culture, and it is wonderful to see the building used so much for social gatherings.

The Marae is surrounded by a spear-like carved fence and carved wooden figures. Predictably, carving is traditionally done by Maori men, and weaving is done by Maori women.

Next week we will be heading to Stewart Island for a week, in lieu of any real Christmas vacation. I will be working over Christmas and New Year's and while Steve does technically have time off, he is planning to make some headway on his project. Stewart Island is a small island off the southern tip of NZ, and home to a few hundred permanent residents. It is mostly conserved land and well-known for large Kiwi bird populations... hopefully we'll get to see one!

Kiwi Baby!

Well, there isn't much to see just yet, but we're having a baby! The little one will join us sometime around May 12th, so I am about 3.5 months along right now. I've felt pretty good, although have just had a few weeks of feeling extremely tired, despite sleeping 10 hours some nights! I am eligible for the public health care that all pregnant New Zealanders get, so I am signed up with a midwife, who seems really nice. Steve and I are both really excited for this new adventure, and we'll keep you posted!

Rotorua

We saw some new sections of NZ this past weekend when we drove 6.5hrs north to Rotorua. Steve was participating in the Single Speed World Championships - a 42km mountain bike race where your bike has only one gear. The race is held in a different location every year, and this year just happened to be here in NZ. One of Steve's good friends from home, who builds True North bicycles, attends the race every year, and so we were excited to meet up with him.

This is a view of the Otaki coastline - on the drive north, about an hour after leaving our home.

The race had 900 participants, and is more of a 'fun race' than a serious race. Of course there are always a few professional riders who come to win (winners are forced to get a tattoo at the finish line), but most come to flaunt creative costumes, drink beer, and enjoy the beautiful trails.

Above is an example of a few of the costumes we saw...

Steve went traditional, and wore his normal riding kit.

One of the best viewpoints was this stream crossing (Steve is the rider about to cross); nearly 75% of the riders fell in due to a deep, invisible pit under the water that caught the front wheel. No one was seriously injured, everyone came out with a grin, and it made for some good laughs.

Steve was no exception!

A post-race shot of Steve, friend Hugh, and two other Canadians who came over to do the race.

Steve took another spill where he scraped his leg on gravel and had some impressive blood and scabs to show for it. No bruising though, so it's healing pretty quickly.

We spent the rest of the weekend walking around Rotorua with our friends - the gardens were beautiful and we had sunny weather all weekend. I took along my road bike and rode the circumference of Lake Rotorua, which was lots of fun.

We drove to some of the other nearby lakes to see the surrounding region.

This was taken at a Redwood Forest, with trees that were planted in 1901.

Steve's friend Hugh and his girlfriend Christine took us up on the offer to return south to Wellington with us, so Steve and Hugh went to work fitting four bikes, 8 wheels, and all our luggage into our station wagon. It worked! We did, however, have to put one bag of 3 wheels on the roof, and pile luggage around us all.

On the drive home, stretching our legs and enjoying the views.

Mt Ngauruhoe, aka Mt Doom in Lord of the Rings, which Steve and I hiked around in April this year. It looked so different with snow still covering it.

Back home, on the beachfront looking towards Wellington. We enjoyed Hugh and Christine's company for a couple more days, and showed them a few of our favourite nearby spots. They have gone back up north for the rest of the week before heading back to Toronto.