Our Walk to Davenport

This is Miriam. It looks like it is my turn to blog. After Christmas we came home and went to work for two days. Saturday morning we woke up to beautiful weather, no projects to do, nothing to fix, no snow to shovel, no pool cover to pump off, no service projects from the ward so it was a free day. I had walked to the volcano on Davenport on Thanksgiving day. Bob wanted to do it with me again. All of the pictures I took the first time were lost so I needed to try and replace them. Unfortunately we don't have as many flowers as we did 5 & a half weeks ago. It is now summer here and not spring. Today I woke up and thought it would be the first day of no clouds. New Zealand is called the land of the long white cloud for a reason. It has been an absolute gorgeous day complete with a few fluffy clouds that appeared this afternoon just above the horizon from our apt. on the 3rd floor. Yesterday started off very cloudy so we didn't feel a need for sunblock. Boy were we wrong. Five hours later when we returned from our walk we were so so sun burnt. The people at church told us it is because there is a whole in the ozone layer right over New Zealand. Bob thought that was bogus but when we came home and got on the Internet to check it out they were mostly right. So we must always wear sunblock even on the cloudy mornings. You will see from our pictures that we had a fun conversation about croquet with the umpire. He informed us that we do have professional croquet clubs in America and they play just like they do here in New Zealand. Then you will see lots of flowers. Very cool flowers here in New Zealand. The volcano is called Mt. Victoria. There is a 20 foot retracting cannon on the top of it. Around the turn of the century New Zealand was worried about Russian invasions so they had several positions on different volcanoes that were stocked with guns and cannons. This particular cannon was only shot one time. After their one practice shot the residents of Davenport complained because of the broken windows from the blast.
It was time for lunch. We love the little community of Davenport. It is very Victorian and so fun. We found the first Mexican restaurant on the island today. After realizing that a simple meal would be minimum $60 for the both of us we headed to subway and shared a wonderful foot long. It was a terrific day for a long walk. People on holiday from everywhere. People all over the beaches having a grand time. We came home by way of the beach road on the Pacific side of Davenport. We opted not to do the 360 foot staircase that I did last time. I think because I counted the stairs and there were so many, Bob thought we had had enough walking. The stairs take you down to a really sweet secluded beach straight across from Rangitoto Volcano Island. Well it was a fun day. Today Bob received a calling to teach the High Priests two days a month. I was set apart as the Nursery Leader. We are tickled about them both. Pictures are in the album titled Davenport Walk.

Christmas at the "Bay of Islands"

Dad here working on the Blog. That was a very different Christmas. But we enjoyed being with each other. We really missed our children and grandchildren, family and friends but we kept busy and had a good time. We drove about 4 hours to the North to a town called Paihia. We went to church in their little branch on Sunday, went kayaking, driving, hiking, snorkeling, dinner cruise, bus tour and a catamaran day of sailing. It was 5 days & 4 nights of fun in the sun and rain.

We watched on TV "Missing Christmas with the Cranks". In a way it felt like that because we were not in Utah and not with the kids and others. We had no tree or decorations, and for presents we bought a hat pin for our caps... We called the vacation our Christmas. So we were kind of like the Cranks...

We did try to feel the spirit of Christmas. We had a great telephone call with Elder Joey. We had our own little FHE and tried to remember what Christmas was all about. Then we went out and played!

For anyone thinking of coming to New Zealand, just a word of caution. It's expensive. All of these activities are not cheap! Its very easy to spend close to $100 per person per event you do. But it was fun. I heard one lady say she was spending her children's inheritance. Funny.

We saw beautiful views, met very interesting people from all over the world and ate great food. (Mir now loves muscles in the shell). The bus tour was very long but going on 90 mile beach and sand surfing and the forest were all very cool.

People can tell we are American because of our accent. ( I reminded them that we were the only ones without an accent). They ask where we are from and when we say Utah they usually are somewhat curious about us and sometimes ask questions about the Church. It's been fun to answer questions and give out pass a long cards to those we were impressed to.

We are glad to be home! We are starving for communication with our loved ones. Please write or call. We love you all. Enjoy the pics. Sorry for the volume of pics. (We actually deleted 2/3rds of them-yeah for digital) Work your way through them. Hope you had the Merriest of Christmas's.

Mir was in the car, not the pigs...

I was able to go to Tonga with Bob on this trip. I really loved it. It surprised me how much different Tonga is from Samoa. I guess that I thought all the Polynesian islands were just alike. It was really fun for us. We went to the main island of Tongatapu. This island is about as flat as a pancake. But there are 169 islands in Tonga and they are not all flat. Nuku' alofa is the capital. That is where the Mission home is and the some of the King's palaces. The Temple and church campus are south west in another area. Within the week we drove on about every road on the island. We found the beautiful white beaches, The Chief's Whistle (Mapu 'a Vaea) or the blow holes, a fairly good snorkeling beach(saw and eel first thing), the huge flying fox (gigantic bats), an ancient Stone Hedge type thing, Old Tonga and so many really truly sweet villages. Their motto is the friendly islands and they are very friendly. I just love to say hello to everyone and people smile and say hello back. The last walk I went on I came back with 6 children. The first boy (Melchizedeke) had an older boy ride him up to me and drop him off. He said he was chasing me and I was walking too fast. He asked if he could walk and talk with me. We had such a nice time. His friends joined us at the end. I found some food to give to them and a Children's Friend. His mom has died many years ago as many children's parents die young. Most women had families of 11 plus children. I think they just wear themselves out. They work so hard.

We were staying in the same home that they put Elder Nelson in at the re dedication of the Temple just a few weeks ago. They call it the Palace. In the front room there are 5 full size couches alone. We were very comfortable. Quite a contrast to the very humble homes that most everyone lives in. Just across from the Temple their are homes that have no indoor plumbing and have no electricity. I enjoyed attending the temple while Bob was working. Most everything was done in Tongan, unlike Samoa. I did 7 sessions in the 3 days. I enjoyed the sweet workers. I met a newly returned missionary there. We talked for over an hour. His mission will literally change the course of his life. He now speaks very good English and has many opportunities that he didn't have before. He had never left Tonga before his mission. He believes that many of the blessings that are upon the Kingdom now are here because the Temple is now working and has been rededicated. All the unrest in the Kingdom happened when the temple was not being used and under construction. He told me many wonderful stories. He lost both of his parents when he was quite young and has 10 brothers and sisters.

One morning I drove to the other side alone. I was on a small dirt road near the ocean, the bush was growing up close to the road. I always remember that people insist I not go alone so often. I passed a man on the side of the road that was just really watching me for a long time. He had a big rope. It kind of spooked me. As I was leaving I was probably driving faster than I should of. A large pig came out of the bush followed by her 5-6 very small piggies. I hit some of the last ones. As I put on the brakes my camera fell to the floor where I spotted the shells I had just gathered and they were walking around. That was a bit unnerving also. I went to the larger road and stopped, escorting the shells out of the car. I turned the car around to go check on the pigs. I couldn't find them but found a large wild horse that I think the man must have been after. (They eat horses) I am very sorry about the little pigs.

The part that was the hardest must have been the food. I had trouble with it. At a buffet I ate something that really gave me a bad time. I thought I might be allergic to it by the feeling in my throat and mouth but after 15 min it passed. The raw fish was actually the best thing on my plate. We did find some good food at the expensive restaurant that we ate at with the King's brother and guards. Some men brought a pig in and the restaurant did everything to get it ready and then brought it out on a plate with all the garnishing. They eat the WHOLE thing. The Best part of the week were the dear missionaries and employees that we met there. They surely give up a lot and absolutely love it so much even though it is quite hard. A sister told me about one of her days. In the shower she had a poisonous centipede on her brow and she knocked in down on her foot. Then at the employment center that she serves in, she had a large hairy gecko fall off of the door jam, right in front of her. In the afternoon she was pulling wash in and just about stepped on a rat. She was really shook up after that day. They told us some amazing success stories about the programs that are in place down there to help the people. It makes us want to give much more to help out these sweet humble people.

The Kingdom of Tonga

Tonga!! DONT FORGET TO GO TO PICTURES!!!
This is Bobs experience on Tonga. We had a great time. First a little about the job. The Church has what is called a Service Center. In Tonga the Church has a campus where there is a Church school (Liahona High), Mission Presidents home, senior missionaries houses, other buildings and shops for CES, Physical Facilities, Translation, Materiels Management, etc. All the temporal facility and departments for the Church in Tonga. Many of the managers have never had any training along the lines of recruiting, performance management, discipline, etc. So I put together 2 days worth of seminars to teach some basic principles and skills. For some it is a review and for others it is new stuff that they really need. We arrived on Monday and had the seminar on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday I met with managers and dealt with seperate HR issues. Thursday afternoon was the Christmas party for the Center. Friday morning I wrapped up with a HR file audit. Finally, Miriam and I played Friday afternoon and Saturday. We enjoyed Sunday and flew home on Monday. The senior missionaries took us under their wing and included us in all of their activities. We went out to eat with them, had a nice fireside with them, even went snorkeling with them. Yes, senior missionaries can snorkle in Tonga. We met a family of wood carvers. He has 12 children, four of them boys. He has taught all the boys how to carve and all of his son-in-laws how to carve. They all do very cool carvings. Some pictures are on the Tonga album for you to see. Tonga is still a Kingdom with a King. Church members number somewhere between 35-45% of the population. Like Samoa, they place chapels in every village. The chapels are very nice. We had a great time. Miriam was on her own while I worked but she managed to have great experiences. She will add her own Tonga story. The Church has a 99 year lease on all the property they have chapels on. The story goes that just recently the King liked some of the buildings and told the Church he wanted them. The Church initially said no because they were chapels but the King insisted. The Church conceded. Then he did it again and wanted another building. He insisted because he was the King and it was his property. The Church mowed down the chapel and turned over the land to the King. That made the King mad. Then some of the Kings family died in an accident in the USA. The funeral was a huge deal where all the local churches try to do something special. The LDS Church provided all the beef for the events (they last about a week). Then the church did a big presentation where thousands of members sang. The King was so moved that he signed the lease agreement for another 99 years. This just happened a couple of years ago. About a year ago their was a revolution of sorts down here where there were a bunch of riots and 85% of the businesses were burned. Its all settled down now and new businesses are moving in. The King is in power and when he dies his brother will be King.

BULA! BULA! AND VINAKA!

Wow! what a week. I got to Fiji just fine. The challenge is getting out of Fiji. Especially if there is a Cyclone or Hurricane. Which is exactly what happened.
Ok first night in Suva Fiji. I go out at night to get some munchies and before I get back home I have 3 hookers attempt to get some business from me. That made me a bit nervous. They called me sweetie and honey.

I had a great week training. Time to go home. I am informed I need to stay an extra night due to the cyclone. The next day, a 30 minute taxi drive to the Suva airport and then the problems began. The plane never came to pick us up so they stuffed us all in hot taxis and drove us for 3.5 hours to the Nadi airport. Okay, back in line in Nadi, after an hour or so they tell us the flights are full, so they put us up in a nice hotel for the night. I get a call at 3am telling me I am on the morning flight. I get to the airport in the morning to learn I am only on standby. After a crucial conversation I get a ticket to Christchurch (South Island of New Zealand). When I get to Christchurch I wait forever to get through customs and finally make my way to a ticket stand and get a ticket to Auckland. So in summary I had 3 cancellations in 2 days, but I finally got home. I bargained at a flea market and bought some really cool cannibal forks and a wooden mask. I was able to drive to the Temple and walk around it. It was a great trip. Next week is Tonga, and Miriam gets to come along. Thanks to all that took care of Miriam via the internet and phone.

Waterfalls, Fire Dancers and BUGS!

It is my turn now. Please notice that we put up a new album of pictures from Samoa in the N.Z. pictures. I think the best thing about Samoa are the wonderful, humble, generous and kind people. I loved them. Of course we met the expats, missionaries and employees. I wanted to meet some of the local people. Four of the days I was by myself so I took off walking and met some neat people. One woman asked me where I was going and we had a great conversation on the side of the road. Agnes invited me to come to her Fale and she would pick me some Mango's. We had a nice time together. She picked them with the longest wooden pole I have ever seen. Three sections held together with rubber strap & a bucket on the other end she would shove up and the mangoes fell into it. I loved the people in the temple where I did 4 ordinances that week. I loved the temple. WOW. It was so beautiful. Total strangers would come up to me and give me a hug (and sometimes a kiss) and tell me that they love me. Their attitude toward their temple is best put by what one brother told me. "We could hardly believe that our Heavenly Father could love us this much." The children and even teenagers were delightful. It was so fun to drive around in the evening and see everyone out playing in their front yards with each other. Lots of people playing in rivers, oceans, and big puddles after the huge rainstorms. We stood in back of a huge group of people at the stake center where they were holding a youth conference. We were the only palongies (white folk). The teenagers were even so welcoming and kind. People on the street would smile and greet you (even teens and youth). Family is everything here. Even church in may circumstances. We went to the CES graduation. It was for the high school that the church runs. 95 graduates with probably a huge pavilion full of people there supporting them. The kids broke out into there choreographed songs and dance at the conclusion. It was wonderful. Before I leave the people I need to always remember Albert Niuelua (the service center manager) and his fun wife Judith. They didn't need to host us but they absolutely were incredible hosts. Taking us all over and sharing their lives with us.

The thing I didn't care for was the bugs in the house. Bugs are okay outside. That is were they belong. But gecko, huge (did I say huge!) spiders, endless ants and very big cockroaches are not my idea of a indoor living environment. But I survived thanks to Bob's help in this area. We enjoyed the many beautiful fish we saw while snorkeling. Loved all the piggies everywhere. We stopped and feed the very large turtles. If you go you must do that. It is just by the side of the road and they are everywhere. Now they do have a dog problem. I stopped walking in the community because of it. I don't like to be surprised by a dog especially if they are in a pack of 6 or so. We saw several dogs actually get run over by cars. The next day we would see a new barbeque stand go up in that same spot.

Okay, you all know that I love waterfalls. There is a great one which people swim under in Sauniatu. We swam and slide down a smaller one called Pauasaea Sliding Rocks. (300 steps down to that one) The largest and coolest one is called Papapapatai Waterfall. It is 300 feet high. I bet there is a great trail to it but we didn't have time to look. You can see it from the Cross Island Road. As you continue on that road you find some really exclusive resorts. The beaches are white and such gorgeous sand. We ate at one of their buffets and saw the fire dancers there. We really loved that. I must say that I should have been more careful with the food. An expat that took us around claimed some things were safe that were not for my system. I did have to take the medicine that we brought with us for those problems. It worked very well.

When it rains it really floods things out. The last day as we were going to the airport it almost did not stop. They said it would last for a few days. I am sure that is one reason all the fales are up on stilts (also to keep out unwanted animals somewhat). We left for the airport at 10:30 pm. Our plane was to leave at 2 am. It did not leave until 4 am. We arrived in Auckland at 8 am. We hadn't slept hardly at all. It was 30 hours before we got some sleep. What a wonderful adventure.

Same Time, Different Day??

This blog will cover about a week of activities on the beautiful island of Samoa. I will do some and turn the controls over to Mir for her contribution. We had never driven to the airport and driving on the left side of the road is still a little weird. (In Samoa we were back driving like Utahan's). Well as we approached Auckland we ended up taking an exit that we did not want. That's a big no-no in New Zealand, because you don't just cross the street and get back on. We were really stressed because we didn't want to miss our plane. It was 5-am and we offered a prayer for help. As we were parked looking at a map a sweet lady out exercising walked right toward us. We asked her if she could help us and she gave us the directions to get back on the motorway. We made it and were grateful for the angel lady that got us back on the motorway.

We had the opportunity to drive around part of the island. It was amazing to drive through small villages, seeing small homes and fale's (places where family's meet together). Then all of a sudden you come across an LDS chapel. Because many of the people don't drive they build chapels in every village so people can get to them. In some places the saints were meeting in a wood and thatch fale and then the church would come in and build a beautiful building for them.

We visited Sauniatu. It is a village up in the mountains that is the crater of a volcano. The saints were sent there in the early 1900's to gather and avoid some persecution they were having. David O. McKay visited the place twice, once as an apostle and once as President of The Church. Many miracles took place here including President McKay raising a child from the dead. There were also many trials. At one point disease came through the whole island, including Sauniatu and every one got sick but two individuals one of which was a 12 year old boy. He ended up having to bury the dead including members of his own family. The Church currently has a school there and they also take 20 boys each year, they live there, work and prepare to serve missions. There is a grave yard there of all the early saints and missionaries also. It is a very cool place.

We went to church on Sunday to the English speaking ward. There were 25 of us in High Priests and 20 of them were wearing dresses (lava lava). I own one now. Yes I wear a dress around the house. Very comfortable.

One of our adventures included going on a tour of the Robert Louis Stevenson home. He lived his last 4 years in Samoa. He thought it was a good place for his disease TB, but it actually was bad for it because of the humidity. But in that 4 years he became loved by the people. He built a huge home and eventually he and most of his staff died of TB because it was infectious. When he died the people of Samoa cut a trail in the forest up to the top of a mountain and passed his coffin from person to person all the way to the top of the mountain where he was buried.

Miriam and I hiked up to the top to see his grave site. It was a tropical forest hike with a lizard every 5 feet (honest). It took about one hour to get up to the top. When we were almost to the top Miriam slipped on a narrow part of the trail and fell off of the trail down the mountain. Luckily she got tangled up in some vines and that is what stopped her from going too far. Scary but funny. She got a little bruised but mostly her pride was hurt.

Its a beautiful island. I conducted training for two days in the Service Center and it seemed to go well. Employees attended from American Samoa and CES. They look forward to any training they can get.