The Long White Cloud

Dear friends,

I want to share a project that I’ve been working on for quite awhile with you.  When we lived in Bogota I had extra time on my hands.  As the rain drizzled down my windows I would curl up in front of the fireplace to write.  I began compiling the accounts of our time in New Zealand.  I studied cultural and historic information, threw in some touristy tips and wound my way down memory lane.  I fell in love with the research and process of writing and soon I realized I had the beginning of a book in my hands.  

Some months I had more time than others, but I kept returning to my project.  I poured more and more of myself into it and finally after a year I typed the last period.  I had no idea what to do next so I decided to give it to a friend who does a bit of writing and get their opinion.  That was hard, but I discovered that if I wanted anything to come about with this book then I needed to put myself on the line.  Chip came back with positive feedback and encouragement.  Looking back, I realize Chip was a fork in the road for me.  What I did next depended on his response.  It’s funny how we put all our eggs in one basket.  Positive feedback and I move forward, negative and all that hard work goes in the trashcan.

Then summer happened.  We left Bogota, spent some time in the states and moved to Moscow.  All that takes time and energy, so the book got stuffed in a box.  Then one day I had time.  I began to edit the manuscript and research traditional publishing versus self publishing.   I got the book as far as I could on my own, yet I knew it was not close to being ready.  I asked another writing friend to read it and she came back with excellent notes.  One thing she challenged me on was the order of events.  I understood, but how in the world does a visual, linear person take 60,000 words and change the order?  I printed the book out and taped it to the walls of our house.  For weeks my family lived with paper snaking through the rooms and down the halls.  I stood there for hours in front of the pages with scissors in one hand and tape in the other.  I literally cut pages in half, walked down the hall and taped them onto other pages.  

Then I sent out query letters.  While emailing the first one I began to cry.  I felt so vulnerable, so inadequate.  This was one of many moments when it would have been very easy to walk away, but I made a choice that I didn’t want this book to be like the quilt in my closet that comes with me from post to post.  Always the thought “I will finish it later.” is in the back of my head, I never do.  I would love to say that some great publisher picked up the book and decided to print it.  Although I got a few nibbles, that didn’t happen.  

Chad decided to do one last thorough edit.  I thought I would die waiting for it to be complete, but now I have the absolute best manuscript I can produce in my hands.  To me it is a treasure, a small piece of me goes out with this book.  I’ve learned a lot about myself in this process.  I’ve learned that I eat when I’m processing ideas.  I’ve found that it’s easier to put myself out there in front of strangers than in front of you, my friends.  Each step takes time and I am not a patient person.  I discovered that I love researching, learning and writing.  I enjoy the process of formatting and making sure every detail is correct for download.  I doubt I’m going to enjoy the marketing, but maybe I’ll surprise myself!  

So here is my book.  It’s a collection of tales and adventures, history and culture, recipes and travel information.  I guess you could call it a memoir/travel book of New Zealand.  Currently it is only available as an ebook through Amazon, but I hope to have the hard copy ready in about a month.  Please pass the word along, tweet it, write a review and email me ideas for marketing and feedback!  Enjoy!

The Long White Cloud

Love, Kris

Saying Goodbye

Wairoa has been a wonderful little town to spend the last 14 months of our lives in. As we look back we see that what we have experienced here is intricately intertwined with the people we have met. There is a tradition here in New Zealand, a public “Thank you” for someone for what they have shared with you. In sharing our experiences we would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who have made our year exceptional.

Ruth, Russell & Suzelle you have introduced us to the wilds of New Zealand, taking us tramping at Lake Waikeremoana being sure there was a shorter way back to the car if we went past these trees, through this field and into this river! You introduced us to Moko whom we visited over and over never tiring of the thrill of swimming with and touching a live, wild dolphin. You took us up in the helicopter experiencing the spectacular scenery from above. A New Year’s morning will never pass in which I will not remember sitting on the beach sharing a beautiful sunrise with you. You shared your family with us and have become ours. You mean the world to us.

Ian & Theresa, sharing communion with you met needs beyond imagination. Sitting and talking while drinking your fabulous mocacinos provided rest and intimate conversation.

Thank you Jill & Adrian for the opportunity to discover in the Yacht Club that sailing a boat is not as easy as it looks, and that being out there in a P Class boat faced with the challenge but also the freedom to move forward is rewarding.

Our fist bottle of wine was shared by Raffi after struggling to find a way to get the cork out of the bottle without a corkscrew! The year of working with you has been a blessing to Chad. He has enjoyed the camaraderie in and outside of work. Thank you for inspiring a group to take a tour of Hawke’s Bay cellars as well!

We discovered the art of raising two little lambs as Paul and Jossie walked us through each step of the way from bottles to recipes! Every time I sew I will have fond memories of the machine you gave us to borrow. Little did you know that it was something I had specifically prayed about before coming, as I wasn’t able to bring my own.

And speaking of sheep, thank you to Wendy and the spinning club who gave us the opportunity to sit in the evenings by the fire spinning our own yarn, then learning how to knit it into a hat.

The peacefulness of taking a jog around town, and getting motivated to do a “full body workout” at the Community Centre was much more enjoyable when joined by a friend. Thank you Stephanine. I am so glad we had the time to take our friendship beyond a jog to hanging out, going to Napier and lunch dates.

Brian and Christine, little do you know how a dream was fulfilled for me when you invited us to dance class. You happily shared your dance moves with us and every time we Cha, Cha Cha, we will remember you!

Gail, your love for rugby and the All Blacks spilled over into our experience of New Zealand. We so enjoyed getting to know you. Traveling to Wellington to see a live All Blacks game was the topping on the cake to finish the year.

Ron, Sue & Megan, thank you for sharing your batch in Mahia with us. Our first walk on the reef with you as you explained a wealth of knowledge on all the little critters left us exploring each time we returned. Chad loved the new adventure of diving for crayfish (lobster) and we all enjoyed eating it.

I could not believe after traveling so far from home that I was being invited to a Tupperware party, yet Val that bit of home was a reassurance I needed. I missed you when you passed on even though I only knew you for such a short time. Stew, despite Val’s illness and passing, you were a friend in addition to a neighbor. Thank you for sharing your pool with us. You taught me so much beyond gardening, but in serving as well.

Garafield and Rachel, our first exposure to you was hearing you preach in your little church. Your love for God was evident. I enjoyed tea with you Rachel and sharing promises of God. Garfield, I will never forget you and my Dad going back and forth between our houses as you shared yard tips with him! In such a short visit, a very meaningful bond was made. I was sorry to see you pass away shortly before we left. Rachel, you are in our prayers.

Lawrence and Marie I so enjoyed walking Joe to school. I watched Elena grow in compassion as she helped him each day. Your love for your Grandson is very beautiful.

We are better people because you have shared your lives with us and for that we thank you.

Field Hockey

Once again we all needed to try out a sport during the winter. My friends Anneke and Olivia both play field hockey so Maddie and I decided to try it out! In field hockey you need Shin Guards so Anneke's mom Jill Mayhead gave Maddie and I each a pair to use! You also need long back socks and a mouth guard so that if you get hit the mouth your teeth won’t fall out! Damon had an extra pair of socks that he did not need so he gave those to Maddie and Mom went out and bought me some new socks.

If you want an idea of field hockey it's a mix between ice hockey and soccer! In field hockey you use a little round ball and of course you use sticks. The difference between Field Hockey sticks and Ice Hockey sticks is that in Field Hockey you can't use both sides of your stick so it takes a bit to get use to that fact. The main thing in Field Hockey is to get the ball away from the other team and score.

I like field hockey a lot more than Net Ball because you’re a bit more active in hockey. If you’re a forward, like I normally play, there is a whole strip of the field going through the middle that you’re aloud to go on. When you play defense (that’s what Maddie normally plays) in hockey you don’t have as much of the field to cover but you have a big job of making sure the other team doesn’t score a goal and if they do they get the blame!

Every 3 weeks the Wairoa team goes to Gisborne and plays a game facing another team from somewhere around Hawke's Bay. The last 3 times we have been there we have won 1-0 and I hope it carries on like that at least until we leave!

- Elena

Art Deco Days

Art Deco Days in Napier was one of the most favorite things I have experienced here in New Zealand. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and although I know my words will be plentiful here, I hope the many photos and videos will help bring the day to life. It happened in the summer, in February, yet I have not written about it because I know there is no way I can do it justice.
We began the day with the sun shining during our 1 1/2 hr. drive to Napier. As I have said before, Napier was destroyed in an earthquake in the 1930's and rebuilt in the Art Deco style. Our first stop was the old Tobacco Co. building where we had a tour of the interior of the building. From there we headed downtown where we would spend the rest of the day.
We spent a bit of time walking around, soaking in the atmosphere. So many people had thrown themselves into the spirit of things by dressing to the style of the era. There was a women's choral group singing old war songs, a jazz street group, an organ grinder complete with a monkey. People strolling along, standing and listening and finding seats to enjoy the show.
We wandered along and found a good corner to enjoy the upcoming auto parade. Over 200 antique cars, shined to perfection rolled past. I was told 12 containers from America arrive each year with cars for the parade. The NZ Navy marched past as they do each year in commemoration of the Navy's response and aid during the 1930's disaster. Of course no auto show would be complete without the rebel bike group to stir things up!

After the auto parade it was time to lay back and relax a bit. A glass of freshly squeezed lemonade hit the spot. Chad and the kids found a shady spot under a tree to read a book. There was a tent set up with women getting their hair done for evening dancing and dinners.
I found my way over to the band shelter where a band was playing on stage while a time era fashion show was going on. People were swing dancing to the music while women were strutting their stuff on stage. I leaned back with one eye on the ocean, one eye on the stage, the music playing, and wind in my face. Out of nowhere a WWII plane came swooping down. What a show zig zagging across the sky! I was sad to see this day come to an end, but like all good things, it must. I am glad I was able to take a bit of time to step back into time and experience the days gone by.

Thoughts on our Enviornment

New Zealand is a beautiful country of rolling hills and mountains, fields and forests, rivers and waterfalls, lakes and oceans. It is an invaluable gem in a world that is loosing its precious wilderness to meet the needs of a growing population.

Some may wonder why we should be concerned with the environment. Past generations acted on a lack of knowledge thus disturbing the world we now live in. As we look to the future we need to decide what type of a world we wish to leave those generations after us.

It is easy to look to others to take responsibility for us. New Zealand has the Green Party in government, a political party focused on environmentalism, working towards a healthy environment to sustain healthy humanity. Yet government can’t fix all the problems in society. So it is up to the individual to claim responsibility and make changes.

In the past few years I have taken a closer look at how I live my daily life and how my actions are in turn affecting the world around me. In moving to New Zealand I have taken an even greater step in that direction. The first step in change is to realize the need for change. There is so much about our daily lives that we don’t think about. What will happen to this article after I am done using it? What is left in the air after a drive to town? How is heating my house affecting the air I breathe? A trip to the local dump was an experience that left me thinking. Where does my daily rubbish go? How many years until this dump is full and then where does the rubbish go? Is there a way I can reduce the amount that I am contributing to this each week?

New Zealand is miles ahead of America in the average person’s care of the environment. Here in Wairoa, prior to the recycling push several years ago, 6 tons of rubbish were collected per week. Now around ½ ton is collected each week with a large increase in the recycling. At home on rubbish collection day, each house would have a 96-gallon cart in front of their home overflowing with rubbish. Two additional large black bags of rubbish were allowed as well. Recycling is only collected every two weeks, and I only knew of only one other house on our street that went the extra mile to separate recycling. Here I have reduced my waste to one small bag a week with my recycling container overflowing. I have found that most packaging contains the recycling symbol. Yet there is still room for improvement. New Zealanders currently recycle 70% of their aluminium, 50% of their paper, 45% of their glass, 30% of their steel and only18 % of their plastics.

We have made it a practice to compost our vegetation scraps. Again, I knew of only one other family that composted back in America. Residents of Wairoa have shown me many ways to compost including worm farms and compost bins. The city dump now even has a compost system available that also produces a liquid fertilizer for your garden as well.

Conscious living can be fun and rewarding as well. I was recently at a party here in town and the host had 100% compostable plates and wooden silverware. Everyone had fun standing in line tasting their plates! The kids at school are often doing projects as well with the concept of reusing something old to create something new. I even know someone here who makes their own petrol for their car by recycling vegetable oil.On a business scale I have discovered that businesses displaying the black square with the white fern have achieved the “Qualmark”. This is New Zealand’s official mark of quality for tourism. Businesses are assessed on their environmental performance in areas of energy efficiency, conservation initiatives, waste management, community activities, and water conservation. I have seen these principles in practice as we have traveled: garbage separation and composting in hotels; light switches that are activated with room entrance keys; energy efficient light bulbs; and recycling containers at campgrounds.

To care about the future of the earth, one does not need to carry a picket sign in a demonstration march or wear a t-shirt proclaiming “save the whales”. Each person has the power to make a difference. I urge you to stop, think about, consider and evaluate. It is the small choices each of us makes on a daily basis. Through all of us making those conscious decisions, we will leave a gift to the future generations.

No Worries - Kris

The Sheepskin Factory

Mom and I went to Napier. While we were there we went to Classic Sheepskins and went on a tour. We got to see how they got the sheepskins ready to sell and everything. First the sheepskins were washed and tanned. They were put in big tubs with wheels that spun around to mix up the sheepskins. After washing for three days and tanning came drying. The skins were clipped to a board, two on each side. They were put in a line with dryers and heaters. It took them around six hours to dry. Ironing and polishing were next. The sheepskins were put through a big roller to fluff them up. They were really soft after that. Up next was cutting. They cut the sheepskins so they looked nicer. If they wanted a bigger sheepskin, two were sewed together. The skins were graded by size. To grade them they were put on a flat machine and a computer screen said how big they were. They had a sticker put on the back saying how big they were. Finally the skins were put up for sale in the shop or sent away somewhere. The whole process takes six to eight weeks.
-Maddie

Shocking

Shortly after arriving in New Zealand we were watching t.v. as a family. A commercial came on and we began to watch a story unfold. The room got quiet as we were watching a man in a family room playing with his kids. He then went out to the back yard where a party was going on and began having a few drinks. The day passed and he continued drinking. In the evening he went back into the house to play with the kids. He picked a kid up by one arm and one leg and began swinging her around like an airplane. He lost control and swung her head first into the entertainment center. Glass shattered and the little girl lay crumpled on the floor. The women in the room ran to her and screamed at the man to get out. He stumbled out into an alley where he passed out. We sat there stunned with our jaws hanging open. We have seen other such commercials but that is the most shocking.
In the short time we have seen the effects that binge drinking is having on society. Just before arriving a couple of men got drunk and decided to take their small plane up. It was a storm. Now one of Maddie's friends is living without her dad. Another day I heard sirens in the afternoon. A drunk man had come speeding around a corner in front of the grocery store and hit an elderly couple. A couple of weeks ago there was a fight in the streets here with 40 people involved. A police car was smash up with the drunk people throwing bricks at it. Chad is consistently sewing up people who have knife wounds from fighting while drunk. The stories are endless.
New Zealanders consume 15 % more alcohol than Americans do.

The Kentucky Derby?

All summer people consistently mentioned the horse races, claiming that they were THE social event in town at the end of summer. Not knowing a thing about horse races we decided to just go and see what all the hype was about.
I was a bit surprise when we got there at the number of cars. Yes, indeed, everyone in town had come out for the day. Many arrived quiet early to claim a front row seat and spot to set up their tents complete with a lace covered table, wicker picnic basket, wine and hors d'oeuvres. It was a bit of a fashion show as well. Some of us were in shorts and t-shirts while others were dressed to the hilt with a summer lawn dress, spiffy hair-do and arm linked with their spiffy partner.The announcer rattled off names and statistics, encouraging everyone to get in line and place their bets. Wairo did quiet well that day raking in a pleasing $1,000,000 plus in profits.
The races themselves were quite fun to watch. The jockeys warmed up in a ring and then filed out when it was their turn to race. They lined up at the gate and the gun went off. They thundered past while the announcer yelled the leaders. The cows grazing in the center didn't seem to be bothered by all the commotion.It was a great day of walking around and socializing while watching the races. We had fun guessing who would win. Looking at the grooming and uniforms of the jockeys. True to Wairoa tradition kids had their cardboard in tow and spent the afternoon sliding down the hill while their parents watched the races!

Gypses

Being a small, out of the way town, Wairoa seems to have an eclectic mix of people passing through. A small announcement in the paper stated that the Gypsy's would be here for the weekend. They were a diverse group of people ranging from hippies, to craft makers to spiritualists. People who had drifted together because they enjoyed living on the road, selling their wares and being individuals. Their creativity came through in their campers, personalized and made suitable for living in. They sat around playing an instrument while selling an odd array of items from painted old shoes, home-made clothing, boxes from China and belly-dancing outfits. You could get your nose pierced, a henna tattoo or balloon animal. They came and went with an eccentric air about them, hoping to make just enough money to make it to the next town, and then on to the next.

No worries - Kris

Polar Express

It was a beautiful day, the kids were in school and Chad rang up to tell me that as part of the Art Deco Days in Napier, an old steam train would be coming to town. We went down to the old train platform to watch the train arrive. The area was a buzz with stalls set up selling strawberry shortcakes, honey, sausages and tea sandwiches. We heard a cry of "here she comes!" We could hear the train blasting its whistle before we could see it. I felt the excitement in the air and believed I had stepped back into another time. As the train pulled up women with furs and hats, and men with suspenders leaned out of the windows and waved to us. We watched as they disembarked, so nostalgic looking with gloves on their hands and canes in tow. Some even had wicker picnic baskets packed with a lunch to be enjoyed under a tree. We mingled enjoying the atmosphere then went to take a look at the train.
My Grandfather used to work on a steam engine so I found it especially fascinating to watch the engineers check gauges and oil gears. Coal was shoveled into a fiery, hissing furnace. It took a full hour to be sure everything was in proper order before they could turn the engine around to head back.
The conductor came around yelling "all aboard" encouraging passengers to embark upon their journey back to Napier. The train began hissing and chugging as it gained speed, the wheels clacking on the tracks. People waved goodbye out the windows as the red caboose disappeared in the distance. Just as the smoke faded into sky, so my jaunt into the past faded away.

No worries - Kris

Under the Big Top

About one week ago, all of the sudden signs started to appear around town saying that the circus was coming to town! Dad decided that he would go alone with me so that we would some time together! We bought tickets for that night, we could have gone on Tuesday night but that was the night Mom and I got back from Rotorua- 8 hours away from Wairoa! So instead we booked it for Wednesday night! But when we were at young leaders in Rotorua we got bad news that Dad was sick. When mom and I returned Dad said that he was feeling a bit better but he was not up to going. Mom ended up going with me and all the same it was fantastic! When we got there that night it was pretty cold but I was really exited for it to start! I went up to the food stands and ordered some candy floss (cotton candy)! The place was giant and there were ropes everywhere! We sat for about 15 minutes, I spotted my friend Grace and went to talk to her. 2 minutes later they announced that it would be about 5 minutes till it started and we needed to get seated! My favorite act was the first one! Not just because it was the first and it was special, but because they did all the different kinds of gymnastics and it was just amazing! First a lady dropped down on ropes and she was wearing wings (it was supposed to look like she was flying but it really didn’t!) She untied a red knotted up ball and it fell draping on the floor. I wondered what they were going to be doing with the red strips but right then the lights dimmed, and just about 10 seconds later the lights got a bit brighter and I could make out some people wrapped up in it and I right away knew this show and just this one act in it’s self would all be great! Music started to play and they started swinging around and doing all these different kinds of tricks! There were about 6 or 7 people in that act and I think there were about 6 or 7 strips, one for each person to swing on! Normally some of them would stand off to the side and watch the other people but in the end all of them went on it! 4 people were on all of the sides swinging around a girl in the middle of all of them, she was hanging upside down with the fabric strips somehow wrapped around her legs so she was doing the middle splits, her hands were out stretched so that she could hold onto a man! That was my favorite of all the acts even though there were many more than just that, but I do not have the time to type up all of those different acts and crazy things like stacking up chairs and doing handstands on the tops of each one! Sorry I can’t tell you more about the Circus so if you have not gone to one yet than you need to go!

-Elena

The Monet Exhibit

When we were in Wellington we went to a museum called Te Papa. I do not know what that means but it is something in Maori. Te Papa is the only museum in the world to have a colossal squid on display and most of all one that was caught alive! Yes we did go to see that when we were there but that's not what I'm supposed to be writing about! I'm writing about the Monet exhibit! When we visited we got the wonderful experience of going to see Monet and the Impressionists! Impressionist paintings are a certain kind of painting - it's painted to really only look best from a farther distance, you would be surprised! When we were looking at them there was a line of tape on the floor so we knew where we could stand to look back from and on the wall next to some of the paintings (most of them) it said a little caption of about who painted it and when it was painted or finished! We had to wait in the beginning in a very, very long line, yet it was worth it because all the paintings from the group of about 7-10 impressionists were just truly amazing! Once we made it into the room with all the paintings we one by one got through all of the paintings while remembering our favourites out of them all! When we finally finished looking through them which took about an hr. and a half, Mom and Dad asked which ones were our favorites and we went around showing about 1-6 each! Almost all of them were by Monet except for one that I chose!

I think all of us ended up having a really good time in the end!

Sorry we have no photos we took ourselves but I think a lot of you know Monet paintings!

-Elena

Science Alive

In Christchurch we went to the Science Alive museum. First Damon, Elena and I went on a gyroscope where you sit in a seat and someone spins a wheel and you go upside down and around. They use this to train astronauts because it makes you feel like you are in space where you can't feel gravity. There was also a slide that went straight down then curved. It was scary when you first dropped straight down, but it was fun! There were also these chairs with a rope in front of them. You had to sit in the chair and pull yourself up with the rope. There were three chairs and one had one pulley, another had two pulleys, and the last had three. The one with 3 pulleys was easiest to pull myself up because the pulleys were doing much of the work. There was a beehive where you could see the bees going up a tube to get outside. There were lots of games to play like rolling a ball on a board around the pegs to get to the end or trying to balance on a board for as long as you could. We also did a climbing wall. It was a lot of fun!

-Maddie

The Cathedral in Christchurch

While Mom and Damon were on a bus tour, Maddie, Dad and I went into the Christchurch Cathedral. We oohed and ahhed at all the beautiful wood work, tiles, stained glass windows. We saw some pipes for an organ, but couldn't find it. We searched all over and finally found it! It was under a cover and we couldn't touch it. We also found that there was a bell tower! We did not want Mom and Damon to miss out so we thought that we would wait untill they were back. When we got to the cathedral Mom and Damon had not been there so we had a look around with them and then we went up in the Bell Tower. Damon went to the front and paid for 5 people. At last we were headed up! At first we were walking on cement steps and I did not feel like I was going to fall at all. Then we started walking on wooded steps and they were a bit wobbly! There were little labels on all the steps saying names of different people and the number of steps we were on! All the steps were going around and around, so that we kept on going in circles but we kept moving up! Every step I took upwards it just kept on getting scarier and scarier. Finally we got to the last step before a landing, and on the very last step it said: 134! We walked up 134 steps! When we all had stepped up onto the landing we found that there were 4 doors. Dad and I went into one, Maddie, Damon and Mom went into the one right next to us! On the outside it was really cool, we were fenced in and we could look right down at the Cathedral square in all directions around the tower! When we were all finally done, we started climbing down the steep ladder that we had climbed up to get to the very top of the tower! Now we just had to climb 134 steps down! Soon enough we were down and we could go relax or look around a bit in the market!
-Elena