the new zealand project

"Snow" at NZMFF

2011-06-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

This year, Thom and I are staying in sunny Colorado to enjoy our first ever summer together (in 3 years of togetherness!) But to keep the kiwi connection, I'm sending a sweet little short film to our friends at the New Zealand Mountain Film Festival. You can see "Snow" on opening night of the festival, July 1st at 7pm in Wanaka! If you are nearby, don't miss it!

Roadtrip Revisited in Reverse

2010-10-26T16:08:00.001-07:00

The ski season ended right on schedule in New Zealand, despite a flurry of late September snowstorms. What to do but get in the car and go in search of more skiing. But first we took a left turn and ended up at our favorite campsite on Gillespie’s Beach. We spent a beautiful night here last year at the end of our roadtrip. This time, we kicked off our South Island tour, watching the sun set into the Tasman Sea and then turning around to watch the alpenglow on the Southern Alps just a few kms away.

Thom got a little excited about the waves and ended up with wet feet!

The following morning, after a hearty breakfast at the Hobnail Cafe in Fox Glacier, we continued driving north on the coastal highway. We could tell that winds were hitting gale force in the mountains so we decided to spend another day on the coast. The winding road was a familiar drive, but unfamiliar because we were going in the opposite direction as last year. For some reason that just felt balanced.We continued until we reached Hokitika, the self-declared hub of the West Coast. We really like this quirky little town, which seems to be growing into a cultural center for Westies. Amongst the touristy Jade factories and trinket shops are second-hand bookshops, a sock machine museum, artsy cinema and a tasty cafe, the Hokitika Cheese and Deli, complete with a special cheese room filled with giant wheels of gruyere, cheddar and other tasty varieties. Then we walked along the beach and looped around to the river mouth to watch the whitebaiters wading in the flowing tide. In the gold-mining and timber milling days, the river harbour was one of the most treacherous ports for sailing ships and steamers. At one point Hokitika was averaging one wreck every 10 weeks, due to tides and tricky winds.

That afternoon, we drove out to Lake Kaniere to explore and camp. The West Coast bush is fascinating to walk in. There are growing things everywhere. Every tree is its own eco-system, sprouting with ferny parasites and mossy coverings. We pitched our tent and took our pasta down to the lake for sunset dining. It was a still night and Thom wanted to try his hand at some timelapse. I got bored and jumped in front of the camera, turning it into a stop-motion project which was a delightful way to enjoy the fading glow. It’s amazing how we don’t notice the minute changes in the sky and water until we see them sped up! I wonder if rocks and trees see the world like this and we are just little blips in their slower frame of reference.

Last Snow for Mt. Aspiring

2010-10-20T03:06:00.000-07:00

The last week has brought a chilly southerly to the southern alps. Winter is trying to hold on! My grandmother requested a snowy painting for her annual calendar and I thought I would post my contribution here since you probably aren't on her Christmas list! Thom took the photo and I transformed it with my artistic flair. It captures some of my favorite things about New Zealand: tussock, braided rivers, amazing clouds and peaky peaks.

A Kaniere animation

2010-10-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

Last week, on our fun little trip around the South Island of New Zealand, we found a peaceful campground with access to a beautiful sunset. We ate our pasta on the porch of the Lake Kaniere yacht club and Thom started taking timelapse of the sunset. then I had to jump in and ruin it all!

10/10/10 Animating away the climate crisis

2010-10-06T16:38:00.001-07:00

In a few days, people in 187 countries will gather at 6,391 individual events to make the world a better place. 10/10/10 has been designated a Global Work Party towards climate solutions. The event is spearheaded by the growing 350.org movement. Read this to find out why 350 is the most important number on the planet.

Thom and I will be travelling somewhere undetermined in New Zealand on 10/10/10, so we got a head start on our own little project – some plein air (i.e. out in the fresh air) animation right in our backyard. Here is the result of a pleasant afternoon on the banks of the mighty Clutha River, which flows from Lake Wanaka and holds the largest catchment in New Zealand. We decided to bring the sea to the mountains, by using shells we collected on our trip to Port Chalmers and combining them with natural elements we found on the river bank at spring flood. As the sea rises to the river, so the river will bring our material back to the sea.

A challenge to all musicians and sound artists out there: Join the party on 10/10/10 by recording a soundtrack for this little film! Send us your 54 second sound clip and we’ll match it to the video and repost.

Rainy Day Excursion

2010-09-10T21:48:00.001-07:00

A rainy day and the mountain is closed. What better excuse for a flatmate field trip Queenstown.

First Stop: VuDu Cafe for a bit of breakfast.

Then a little wandering around town. The high winds were whipping up Lake Wakatipu with ocean-sized waves! The town was pretty quiet compared to the last few times we’ve been there. And the density of restraunts and shops always amazed. Cassie took Ben and I to a great Japanese restraunt whild John and thom fueled up on the famous Fergburgers. They have a new menu this year. Pretty impressive!

After a stop at a cozy pub and a visit to the British lollie shop, we had successfully wasted the entire day and it was time to fall asleep on the way home. Thanks Jo, for driving us home safely!

2010-09-05T01:59:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect day at Snow Farm on Saturday! The first week of spring has brought a fresh coat of snow to the hills and some stunning days. it was the perfect time for a little staff fun up at the Snow Farm. Above is instructor Jessica from Ottawa enjoying the Hanging Valley Loop. More photos on Facebook.

What do you do with a monster carrot?

2010-08-25T23:01:00.001-07:00

Carrot muffins of course!

Blokus Blog

2010-08-15T17:22:00.001-07:00

If you have spent any leisure time with Thom recently, you will undoubtedly have been introduced to his new favorite game: BLOKUS! We discovered this game online last year and it quickly replaced Wordscrapper and ATTACK! as a favorite way to while away time on the internet. Upon our return to the US, we found an actual physical version of the game in a toy shop in Berkeley and from there is was a slippery slope. We have bought several copies of the original game because we tend to take them wherever we go and ‘donate’ it to our hosts: Thom’s parents, Thom’s grandmother, the house at Tahoe are all places you can now find this elusive French game. We have a 2 person travel version, given to us by Thom’s brother and sister-in-law last Christmas, which has migrated to New Zealand and become a favorite among the game aficionados of the ski industry. But the gem of gems was when I wandered into a toy shop in Invercargill this weekend and saw right in front of me, on display Blokus: Trigon! An incredible rare version of the game, this version has triangle based pieces rather than the traditional square ones and is purported to be much more challenging. In fact the display copy was the last one the store had and they didn’t intend to order any more. So I convinced the lady to sell me the display copy, at a discount even, and sent Thom a text that he would have a big surprise when he came home. Sure enough, I am the most beloved wife in the world at the moment!

We immediately organized a pizza night and Blokus tournament for the neighborhood, which was a grand success. It even trumped quiz nite at the local pub. Of course, we took more pictures of the pizzas than of us playing the game. Someone needs to get us a little point-and-shoot and maybe we’ll have some pictures of our friends someday!

Mexican style: avocado, black bean, capsicum and kumera
Vive la France: apricot, brie, smoked chicken, red onion and almonds

Chicago style: mushroom and salami.

Cheese-stuffed crust and tasty pepperoni (thanks Ben!)

How to cook a cray

2010-08-13T02:15:00.001-07:00

This is quickly turning into a food blog. We can’t help it. We love taking pictures of the wonderful things that come out of our kitchen! A weekend visit to Invercargill returned many benefits, not the least of which was a box of organic veggies and a big, beautiful crayfish tail.

Take note, this is Thom’s hand, not mine, which will give you a sense of just how big these creatures are! New Zealand crayfish are similar to our lobsters, minus the big claws. They do have a healthy amount of spiny thorns on their shell and a nasty habit of swinging them at any tormentor so catching them isn’t a lovely stroll on the seabed. It is illegal to use traps to catch these crustaceans so only the brave cold-water divers (like my friend Diana) who are willing to make the long trip out to the remote corners of Doubtful Sound can come back with the goodies. Luckily, I’m a really good friend, and Diana was leaving for a 6 week trip to Europe, so I got to take one home! Diana pointed out the shape of the fins on the underside of the tail means this one is a male. The females have longer, more feathery fins.

We dropped the beauty in a rolling boil for exactly 10 minutes.

Then we chopped up some of the best-looking, organic broccoli from the veggie box.

Such pretty colors!

And he tasted as good as he looked!

Upcoming Photography Lecture!

2010-08-05T13:51:00.001-07:00

If you are in Wanaka, take note! I’ll be presenting some of my work to the Wanaka Photography Club this Monday, August 9 at 7:30pm. My background as an animator has a huge influence on my photography. I strive to create images that keep your mind in motion. I’ll be explaining some of the in-camera and post-processing techniques I use to create these images. Browse through some of my recent work on my website. If your curiosity is piqued, come by St. John’s rooms on Link Way at 7:30 pm this Monday!

Scones!

2010-08-02T02:49:00.001-07:00

They say the test of a true kiwi lass is her scone. I don't pretend to have made it there yet, but I am certainly giving it a go. Any as Thom says, one of the best feelings in the world is unfolding a basket of steaming scones and slathering them with butter and jam!

If you want a lesson from the masters, check out this little video on the Edmonds website. Your scones will be sure to rise to the top.

Pomparkour – is this for real?

2010-07-30T02:01:00.001-07:00

New Zealand is know for it’s high adrenaline sports. After all it is the birthplace of the bungy jump and that was just the beginning. From abseiling to zorbing, you can get your thrills here. Most of these sports take place in New Zealand’s great outdoors, utilizing the natural features – cliffs, rivers, rolling green hills. But now, something new is on the horizon. In the depths of the urban jungle, a new form of movement is rising above the mundane steps of the city-dwellers.

I present to you Pomparkour, a new form of hardcore urban traverse combining parkour (the art of movement through any environment) and pompier (firemen ladder races) into, well, a pretty awesome movement. It was featured for 10 minutes on the evening news tonight. Clearly the world is not ending anywhere.

The innovative promotors of Pomparkour are sponsored by V Isokinetic, an energy drink. Go figure! But they have a pretty awesome website with lots of videos. Check it out.

View From the Kitchen Window

2010-07-26T01:22:00.001-07:00

A Night at Snow Farm’s Meadow Hut

2010-07-20T02:49:00.001-07:00

I’ve been spending my Saturdays up at the Snow Farm, New Zealand’s only Nordic ski area. The adventures of the day include mustering the mini-merinos, enthusiastic if not entirely coordinated skiers between 3 and 5 years old. Amidst the games of Red Light, Green Light and journeys around Mary’s Trail to find Ski Rex, I’ve found time to bring up a couple of friends and introduce them to the finer points of skiing under your own steam. Thom and I spent a lot of time up here last year. We enjoy the people that come from around the world to ski and train on these trails that wind through the amazing high country landscapes. It is a peaceful alternative to the bustle and surge of the ski fields across the valley.

This past week, we had a staff overnight trip to the Meadow Hut, a backcountry hut maintained by the farm for guests. Of course the staff have to sample the offerings so we can tell the guests how amazing it is. We made the evening a potluck barby (as in Bar-By-Que) and all brought something to share. A night in the hut includes a gear shuttle so there’s no need to lug your pack on those skinny skis. You can enjoy the short trip down river Run at a leisurely pace and coast into the hut at dusk, as I did, hoping someone’s gotten there before you and started the fire. About 15 of us who work at the Snow Farm cooked up a big feed and slept soundly all night on the comfy bunks in the spacious hut.

Oh, and the cheese Alex brought was rather remarkable.

Kiwi Breaky

2010-07-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

Breakfast cooked by flatmates John and Cassie: Beans, toast, grilled tomato, bacon and sausage, mushrooms, and scrambled eggs. Just another Friday morning.

Taxes, Taxes, what a pleasant experience!

2010-07-05T23:20:00.001-07:00

I just want to give a big kudos to the New Zealand IRD. Thom and I have been sorting through our taxes from last year. The tax year here runs from April 1 thru March 31 and filing is due in July. I’ve had to call the IRD a few times to request documents, clarify certain minutia from being self-employed and just try to get my head around a different system. Each time I talked to a real person with a cheerful demeanor who knew the answers to my question and got me sorted. And the one time the wait was more than 2 minutes, the automated phone service recorded my number and they called ME back when there was a person available to help me!

And then it took me 10 minutes to file online. I supposed that’s the benefit of working in a country that’s roughly the size of Oregon.

And they gave me money back! Huzzah!

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A little walk up a big hill

2010-06-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

It’s been a few days since we arrived at the big blue lake in the south. The weather has been brisk and autumnal, with a good base of snow on the upper reaches of the ski fields. We found out that John and Cassie, our new flatmates, despite having spent multiple seasons in Wanaka, had never climbed Mt. Roy. Coincidentally, Thom and I never made it up the famed local mountain last year. So, since the day was promising to be fine and the view expansive, we decided to brave the mud and recent snow and take a walk. Enjoy a few pictures of the pre-winter!

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Welcome Back to Wanaka

2010-06-19T16:20:00.001-07:00

The blog is back! Thom and Corrie are returning to New Zealand for another winter season of kiwi snow!

Coming back the second time around is much smoother. This time we flew directly into Wanaka on a 19 seater plane. Our flatmate, John, was waiting at the airport to gather us and our 200lbs of luggage and drive us 10 minutes down the road to our new spacious house with a lake view and a roaring fire.

We have already slipped seamlessly back into the Kiwi lifestyle. This time around, instead of everything being a dazzling new experience, it is all nice and familiar. Our first stroll around town included running into several familiar faces, sipping a Brewski at the Kai, stocking up on merino for the chilly days ahead, and wondering which biscuits to buy at New World. Last night, we all wandered down to the Bullock Bar to watch the All Blacks trounce Wales in the second game of the Steinlager series. Who needs World Cup when you have rugby?

Snow is already filling the Cardrona trails and opening day is less than a week away, so town is gearing up for winter. We are looking forward to a short, sweet, snowy season!

The real New Zealand

2010-01-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

The best short film ever made about New Zealand, Conversing with Aotearoa. Watch it before you go.

Ever Northward

2009-09-06T02:38:00.001-07:00

Here we are at last at the top of the North Island! After leaving the kauri forests Diana and I had a luxurious stay at the Globetrotter’s Lodge in Omapere at the mouth of the beautiful and isolated Hokianga Harbour. I can’t praise this hostel (aka backpackers) enough. The owner, Sue, is a retired nurse who has travelled the world. She’s lived in Iran, Nigeria, Rhodesia, the Channel Island and more and she knows what a traveler longs for. The cozy sitting room had books, music, games and a warm heater to put your feet towards on the raining evenings. During the day, she pointed us in the direction of the local walks and the best cafes for good coffee, tea and cake. We had to tear ourselves away after two days, but Cape Reinga was calling.

A long drive later we had made it to the end of all ends. Here the turbulent Tasman Sea crashed into the peaceful Pacific creating a churning soup of varying blue. The Maori believe this is the last stop for departing souls as they make their way back to the ancient homeland of Hawiaki. It is strange to think that even as the first settlers of this land, the Maori still do not consider it their true home and resting place.

I suppose they have not been here long enough for the distant memories to have faded into forgetfulness. Except for the birds and trees, Aotearoa will always be a land of travelers passing through!

The long last peninsula to the Cape is sparsely populated and beautiful empty bays, giant sand dunes and dairy pasture filled the long gaps between the occasional holiday park and general store.

We decided to have a look at some of the dunes on our way back down and spent a delightful hour climbing and descending the soft, steep slopes of this playground.

On our way to our final resting stop, we had to detour to Mangonui to sample the legendary fish n chips at the Mangonui Fish Shop. We were told by several people on separate occasions that this is THE BEST fish n chips in New Zealand. Supposedly the boats go out in the morning and the fish they bring back is on the menu – a rare occurrence in these days of flash freezing. I have to say, after the long drive and day of sun, they certainly lived up to their reputation!

The Lords of the Forest: Part 2

2009-08-31T03:28:00.001-07:00

Having immersed ourselves with the factoids of kauri history in New Zealand, we now needed to see the trees for ourselves. Based on the excellent advice of our evening host, Michele or the Kaihu Farm Backpackers, we started at the Trounson Kauri Park. This Mainland Island is surrounded by farmland and thus it is easier to control the invasive pests that ravage New Zealand’s bird life. 400 possums, 150 stoats and many other predators were trapped as they tried to invade the forest in the last 2 years. Consequently the bird life was auditorally abounding under the canopy of native bush.

The Kauri trees are straight, broad and tall. Only at the very tops do their branches spread out in a wide, collecting soil and seeds and creating a home for other clinging and climbing plants. Looking up into this tangle of green hints at another universe concealed in the upper canopies of these forests. 30 different plant species live in these micro eco-systems, and dozens of insects and animals make there home here as well. Diana and I walked around one tree listening to the warning calls of a paradise duck coming from the branches above us!

Kauri roots are very shallow and susceptible to disease so DOC has built winding boardwalks around the forests to keep tourists on the right path as we admire the giants. The tree ferns all along the west coast were pushing up new fronds in celebration of spring. These beautiful trees are ancient echoes of ancient Gondwanaland, the pre-historic ecosystem which New Zealand’s isolation has partially preserved.

And of course, our visit to Kauri-land couldn’t be complete without paying our respects to the Lord of the Forest, Tane Mahuta. The largest living kauri, this tree contains 220 cubic meters of timber. For perspective, an average pine tree had 14 cubic meters! Tane’s home is the Waipoua Forest on the western coast of Northland. We hope he will be there for many more years to come!

For more photos of Northland and Kauri, visit the Facebook album.

The Lords of the Forest: Part 1

2009-08-31T03:08:00.001-07:00

The Far North is home to the Kauri forests and we spent the next few days exploring the home of these forest giants. They are second in size only to the giant Sequoia of my home state. For a brief period in New Zealand’s history, there was a Kauri boom and bushmen flocked to the North to harvest these giant trees, rafting the massive logs down the rivers to ship to Auckland where they were turned into beautiful paneling for houses, cabinets, furniture and just about anything that needed strong, straight timber. The Kauri gum was also highly prized by collectors, so gum diggers would spend their days knee deep in mud hauling out 70 kg chunks of fossilized sap in the gum fields. All this is very elegantly and informatively exhibited at the Kauri Museum in Matakohe. Scenes from pioneer times are populated my mannequins that are modeled after the town’s residents – descendants of the first settlers to the area. I was quite impressed with the wall of chainsaws, including the 10ft one used to saw one of these massive logs. The extensive collection of milling equipment includes a full size sawmill room, a replica of one of the boarding houses of the time, the old school house, with the rules for the school mistress posted on the wall (I would never have cut it as a school mistress. I am far too fond of ice cream). The museum also is home to the the biggest Kauri gum collection in the world. Polished pieces on display were impressive. More impressive was the plait of hair spun from the melted gum, golden and silky and just close enough to human hair to be creepy.

But my favorite item in the museum happened to be a beautiful little wooden boat built in the 1920 called Kia Toa.

Sailing her smooth lines around the blue harbor would be just the way to spend a beautiful North Island afternoon!

For more photos of Northland and Kauri, visit the Facebook album.

From one end to the other

2009-08-31T02:33:00.001-07:00

A clever young skier whose name will remain unnamed recently gave me this advice: “Never book a non-skiing holiday during ski season.” This seemingly good advice was, of course, given well after I had the plane ticket, and plans brewing with my friend Diana. So now, as fresh powder falls on the Southern Alps, Diana and I are exploring the warmer reaches of the Far North.

Northland, as it’s name suggests, is the northern-most province of New Zealand. Diana, you may remember, is from Southland – the lovely city of Invercargill. She’s lived on the South Island for several years now and has never seen the other side of the country. I was her excuse to go travelling. We hopped a cheap flight to Auckland and gathered our rental car just as evening traffic died down.

Driving on a 6 lane highway was a bit of a culture shock, as were the signs just outside of Auckland warning us of an approaching toll plaza and telling us to go to a website (!) to pay our toll! We pulled off at a service station and discovered a kiosk where we could punch in out license plate and pay the $2 to drive the 10km of faster highway. It was more a cultural experience than anything else, as we drove through the unmanned, eerie blue lights of the toll plaza and spend on out way, knowing some hidden camera had dutifully noted our number and matched it to our previous payment.

We arrived in Whangarei at the house of Trevor and Nancy. They live on a beautiful lifestyle block – a bit of land meant for the enjoyment of cultivating a more natural lifestyle. They have spent 10 years planting fruit trees and fencing off small paddocks for the 10 chickens, 2 cows, 3 dogs, 6 beehives, a sheep named Noodles and her brood of ewes and lambs and 1 lumbering curious kune-kune pig. Spring was undeniable. We spent two mornings raiding the citrus grove and eating fresh farm eggs and admiring the garden that grows voraciously in the Northern warmth.

Noodles

Spring Lambs!

Citrus: lemonade tree – the lemony things are slightly sweet and soo yummy!

Kune Kune pig

More pictures on Facebook!

City Time

2009-08-02T03:04:00.001-07:00

Invercargill gets a bad rap from Kiwis and tourists alike. But this little city and the southern tip of the South Island has a a lot to offer if you give it a bit of exploration. A few weeks ago, Erin and I took a little road trip down, our excuse being to drop off one of my photos for the ILA/Southland Art Awards show in the city gallery. But really it was a chance to get out of the mountains and breath some fresh Antarctic air. And see our first legitimate New Zealand traffic lights! Our first stop was the visitor center to pick up a map and while there we stumbled upon one of Invercargill’s most famous residents, Henry the tuatara.

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We stayed with my dear, dear friend Diana, who has owned a house there for a few years now and is cultivating a beautiful native garden and feeding herself on daily chook eggs and home-grown delicacies. Erin and I were both impressed with the sustainable nature of the renovations – and the very warm fireplace and heat pump!

Saturday the three of us took a walk on Oreti Beach. It was cold and windy, but for us mountain girls it was not bad. We didn’t walk the 30km to Riverton, but enjoyed a good long out and back amble looking at shells and giant sand dollars.

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After the walk we were in need of comfort food. What else, but fish ‘n chips! A short drive to Bluff we found the best blue cod I have ever tasted at a cozy little take-away. It was pouring rain when we walked in, but by the time we finished, the skies had cleared (for the 3rd time that day) and we decided to climb Bluff Hill. A nice walk through good southern bush with tuis, fantails and even a morepork. The rain picked up again just as we reached the car so we hurried home for some fireside tapas and a good sleep.

Work Play Work Play

2009-08-01T03:01:00.001-07:00

Cardrona Alpine Resort has been where Thom and I are spending most of our time this last month. Thom, of course, is working his way into the hearts of every little skiwi. School holidays for all of New Zealand and most of August meant the month of July was busy as! Good weather only made the ski school more prosperous and Thom was working 6 days a week during the height of the season.

I, on the other hand, have been roaming the mountain with a camera for Snofoto, capturing the happy families on holiday, Aussies getting their first feel of snow and never-evers wedging down the poma. The job is not as glamorous as it sounds, but it down get me up the mountain 3 days a week and out in the fresh air interacting with people.

While the business is owned by Cardrona, it is managed by Mr.. and Mrs.. Smiley (really, no joke!), a Kiwi-American couple who split their time between Cardrona and Crystal Mountain, WA. They have honed the art of spotting the people with money over 12 years. They can tell who will be likely to purchase a $30 photo based on the brand of jacket or type of ski. Skiers tend to buy more than snowboarders, as it turns out. Kids and beginners sell like hot-cakes. Aussies buy pics when it’s snowing, Americans when it’s sunny.

I’ve managed to create something of a recognizable personality (because people buy photos only if they remember the photographer!) with a white flower in my hat and a striking pair of green and white earrings made by my friend Jen Vaughn. It helps to have an in in the ski school. Parents like pictures of their kids in action and beginners love to see themselves smiling at the camera and they wedge down a slope. Some of the instructors (like Thom) are very good about patiently indulging us photo girls. One instructor even involves me as a part of his lesson. “Ok, now you are going to ski right towards Corrie and make a left turn around her. And don’t forget to smile while you do it!”

By far the best part of the job is that I get about an hour each morning before work to cruise the freshly groomed slopes on my telemark skis. And it’s paying off, as I can now comfortable make turns down steeps that I would never have considered last season. I doubt I will ever be able to keep up with Thom though!

The Biscuit Blog

2009-07-19T02:46:00.001-07:00

There are many great things about New Zealand but among our favorite discoveries is the evening cuppa and the things that go with it. You might think a biscuit is nothing more than just a cookie. Well, you would probably be right. But somehow, the creative thought that goes into creating the variety encountered in the biscuit aisle leaves us hovering on analysis paralysis. If you’ve been reading this blog, you will be familiar with the TimTam Slam. Where Americans have their Oreos dunked in milk, Kiwis have their TimTams, or just about any other biscuit dipped in any sort of hot beverage to soften and meld the flavors. The chief competetor to the TimTam is the ChitChat. Note the rounded ends rather than the traditional squared corners. While they do hold a good dose of chocolate in the side channels between the two wafers, an un-blind taste test reveals that slamming a chitchat did not even compare to the experience of stuffing a warm, melting, gooey timtam into one’s mouth.

A favorite of the chocolate coated biscuits is the Mint Slice. This is almost like eating a peppermint pattie but with the added crunch of chocolate wafer. Much more satisfying!

For strict dipping are the Digestives – a wholemeal, hearty biscuit with a fibery texture the soaks up liquid like a sponge; and the Nice – which are a lighter version of shortbread or butter cookies, no frills, bells or whistles, simply nice. Both these come with or without chocolate coating, depending on your mood. The type of hot drink you choose for dipping is essential to the experience as well. Coffee vs Tea vs Milo is a heated debate.

Ginger is a favorite ingredient. Gingernuts, similar to the American gingersnaps are ideally dipped in hot tea to soften their crunch, or to preserve the crunch, dipping in farmhouse milk provides an equally satisfying experience. For the more indulgent, a goodnight Ginger Kiss will send you into a head-over-heels wonderland. Gingery sponge cake enveloping a creamy frosting filling. I could write a thousand word essay on this one, but a picture will have to suffice.

recovery

2009-07-18T23:52:00.000-07:00

My first two weeks of working at cardrona are over and so are the school holidays for the kiwi and ozzie kids. To celabrate my voice decided to vanish, so I was lucky enough to spend a beautiful Sunday wandering around and eatting at neat little places around Wanaka. The cafe' at the Edge Water Resort is becomeing one of our favorites. The new zealand raised beef and bacon burger with mozzarella and chipotle, with tasty fries and a nice aioli for dipping was just what I needed to restore myself from the last few weeks of work. The view of the lake and the sun shine didn't hurt either.

Psyching up for the season

2009-07-04T16:52:00.001-07:00

This week I’ve been taking over a little corner in the Sheehan household and turning it into my mobile animation studio.

I took a day to test it out as a Nor’easter blew in and covered the tops and town with the fresh white stuff that everyone has been waiting for.

The first freshies of the season: just a little inspired piece to get the creative juices flowing again.

the snow farm

2009-06-26T01:55:00.001-07:00

The Snow Farm is New Zealand’s only facility set up for Nordic skiing. It is located 37km from Wanaka with the last 13.5km being a long steep dirt road, which I am told is, by kiwi standards, in great condition, but to many other might appear a little bit sketchy. In any event Corrie and I both have seasons passes that are good for the more than 60km of trails set up for both skate and classic skiing. Currently the conditions are fantastic, they have had an unusual amount of early season snow that has provided a great base, letting them open with about 80% of the trails. I am really looking forward to 100% opening, it is a wonderful place to ski.

Here is a little video of us enjoying it.

Dissection of an Inversion

2009-06-23T01:30:00.001-07:00

We have discovered a common winter phenomenon here in Wanaka known as the inversion. It happens like this:

Wake up in the morning to grey light pressing through the thermal curtains. The sky is a leftover pancake of white flopped over the hills, a damp ceiling sinking with a big sigh onto the townie spirits.

A damp chill in the air reaches through the goose down feathers in your jacket straight to your bones.

There are two options for dealing with this southern June Gloom. Most people carry on about their business spouting the odd complaint about the weather, but generally ignoring it as best they can.

The lucky few find a set of wheels and drive up the valley eventually rising through the layer of cloud thick as the soup you would like to be eating.

Magically as you climb up, the pressure eases, the air lightens and the sunlight rises to greet you on a brilliant alpen day.

Why to ski with a local

2009-06-21T05:53:00.001-07:00

To break in the new winter season and a new pair of skis, Thom and I joined forces with local boys Mark and Geoff to test out the Cardrona back bowls. Cardrona hasn’t opened to the public, but the benefit of heading out with long-time locals is that they aren’t the public. A promise of a six-pack and the gates opened. From there, it was a good 30-min drive up the Cardrona Road – a burly, unsealed twisty-turny thing. At the carpark, we unloaded the gear and started getting ready and with a sinking heart I had a mental flash of my brand new G3 climbing skins tucked neatly in their bag still in my yet-to-be unpacked suitcase at Mark’s house. Oh nooooo!

But six-packs go a long way up here. There weren’t many people around, but one of Mark’s friends, an old patroller, happened to say hello and directed us to another guy, who Mark happened to know over in patrol and they found a pair of skins in the office and rung up the guy who owns them (who Mark happens to know) and “Sure! Good as gold. Just put ‘em back when you’re done.” I’ve been told you only make that mistake once. I sure hope so! How embarrassing!

So, off we went, skinning up and up to the top of Mt. Cardrona where we enjoyed a 360 turnaround of bluebird Southern Alps.

Mark’s dogs chased us as we made some nice turns downhill. I was so pleased I remembered how to make tele-turns. I’m sure my new little skis and bindings played a role in how many turns I was able to link in the variable snow.

We were pretty far down by the end of our ride. Good thing the locals knew the way out. The slog back up the hill was made more interesting by the dog’s antics.

But I was still pretty happy to get to the top and then glide back to the van. I think I’m going to like skiing in New Zealand.

keep left!: the Crown Range cometh.

2009-06-16T18:26:00.001-07:00

The Crown Range Road is as good a place as any to get comfortable driving a right hand drive car. It is New Zealand’s highest paved road topping out at a sky high 1067m, a full 2 meters higher than its nearest competitor. It bullies its way up to its height with a series of progressively steeper and tighter turns and switchbacks. To say that I didn’t enjoy myself would be a lie, I had a marvelous time, it was simply accompanied with the feeling of certain impending doom with each oncoming car. The mantra that both Corrie and I continually repeated was simple yet effective: KEEP LEFT! keep left, keep left, please keep left. It was just a matter of time before my brain made the switch and everything felt proper again. I think that I am less of a hazard to myself and others now, it’s great to have personal progress.

How to choose a lemon

2009-06-16T00:53:00.001-07:00

New Zealand has some great roads and to drive on them you need a car. And not just any old car. It’s got to be the perfect car!

So here’s Corrie’s step by step guide to get yourself rolling on some used kiwi wheels.

1. Scope out the scene: What are people driving around here? These are some of the cars we’ve seen around town. Holdens, Nissan bluebirds, Peugeots, SuBARus, lots of SuBARus (pronounced a bit different here). Toyota starlets and a Hilux Surf 4x4 with a snorkel- lots of 4x4 with snorkels around here.

2. Check the local listings: Ads ins papers are great, but to really find the deals you got to head to the local backpack hostels and check out the boards to see who’s trying to get rid of their car before they head to Costa Rica for the surf season.

3. Wander around and see what you can find: Alternatively, you can just take a stroll around town and look for cars with signs in the window.

4. Make contact: Time for a test drive. We found a sweet little subaru sedan that had been driven by and old man for 19 years to the grocery store and back and ran like sweet honey. Too bad Thom’s skis were longer than the car!

5. Go to where the cars are: On our way to drop the rental car back in Queenstown, we noticed several cars in a paddock out by Arrowtown. Turns out two of them looked like good deals and we called both owners and took them for test drives.

6. Analysis Paralysis: Between the two it seemed much of a muchness. Our choices:

1990 Subaru Legacy 2.0gt - older, leaked a bit of oil and more complicated with the 4WD, but had better tyres and was in pristine condition (priced at $2000);

1995 Subaru 2.5GT - had some dents, a few more kms and we’d want new front tyres for the winter but it had just passed it’s Warrant of Fitness last week and the folks seemed pretty willing to unload it cheap(priced at $1800 ono).

Which one would you choose?

7. Make an offer: To overcome the analysis paralysis, we decided to make a low offer on the cheaper car and see what would happen. We sent a txt offer for $1600, thinking we’d get a quick ‘no way’ reply. When there wasn’t an immediate reply we figured we’d lowballed. After an hour of distracting ourselves with dinner and reading we get a txt back “$1600 is a deal. Meet you tomorrow to do the papers!”

8. Second guess yourself: Really? Why didn’t they bargain? Is something seriously wrong with the car? Are we getting a lemon?

9. Sleep on it: and dream of driving strange cars on strange roads in a strange country.

10. Complete the transaction: We met at the post office and exchanged cash for registration papers and keys. Then they walked us to the car and we shook hands.

11. Drive it home: hearing every knock and rattle you didn’t notice on the test drive; notice every dial and button that doesn’t work; make it safely and smoothly to your door and park the car and think: well, she’ll be right.

the tim tam slam (or why to be overweight)

2009-06-14T01:47:00.001-07:00

The Tim Tam is one of those things that has a special place in the heart of all kiwi’s. It is at once a proper “biscuit” with two layers of cookie sandwiched together with caramel or some type of delicious nougat, and then coated with a hard layer of chocolate. Eating a Tim Tam by itself is a pleasant enough experience, but if that was the only way that you ever experienced one how sad your life would be. That is because someone saw fit to invent the Tim Tam Slam!

The Tim Tam Slam is a simple process that only requires a small amount of preparation.

Step one: prepare your favorite hot beverage aka your “cuppa”. Mine is the “long black”

Step two: bite opposing corners off of your tim tam.

Step three: (where the magic happens) dip one open end of the tim tam into the cuppa while sucking the opposing end pulling the hot liquid through the inside like a straw.

Step four: SLAM the, quickly transforming, Tim Tam before it melts from the inside out in your hands.

Step five: savor the successful execution of the Tim Tam Slam!

Breakfast at Jim and Erin’s

2009-06-12T17:36:00.001-07:00

The arrival in Queenstown was made much more pleasant by a warm welcome from our friends Jim & Erin Ebright. They live in a bright little house on Sawmill Road (pronounced saaaaaaaw mill).

The Ebright’s are long time South Lake Tahoe, CA residents, and it was in their home over a nice dinner that our New Zealand plans were hatched. So it was only fitting that it was over a very nice breakfast that we invited them to be part of the The New Zealand Project as our Queenstown representatives.

To let you get to know Jim a little more, he has a wonderful ability to see value in unassuming things which sometimes means collecting old skis and boards to make fences, or in this case looking out the window and seeing a street sign being removed and then running out to see if he could have it (apparently the Queenstown town council decided that Johnston should be spelled “Johnson”). It didn’t take long for Jim to create a fantastic bookshelf that literally incorporates a bit of New Zealand into their daily lives, and it is that sort of ingenious perspective that I hope he will bring to this blog :)

Technological Topography

2009-06-11T16:06:00.001-07:00

Whenever I head abroad, I am tempted to use it as an excuse to check out of technology. I ditch the cell phone, much to the dismay of my foreign friends who no longer make Plan B’s in case of late trains or missed directions. I tell everyone I won’t be on email very often, don’t update my FB status multiple times a day, put off answering business requests until I’m “back in the country” and certainly never, ever read the news. I am quite happy to be out of the loop.

Well, that’s not going to work this time, and so I am starting on the 4x4 rough and tumble road of becoming a global citizen. Luckily I have an excellent guide: Thom’s inner-nerd was out in full force, even before we left. So, thus far, here is a play by play, from the un-geek perspective.

Computers: Thom bought a 10” AspireOne to replace his large laptop and proceeded to fancify it with all sorts of custom settings. Most impressive to me was when he installed a Linux OS on a SD card so the computer didn’t have to spin hard disks, thus making the battery last even longer than the alleged 6 hrs. The netbook fits neatly in the inner pocket of his puff jacket and has been our constant companion, enabling us to take advantage of the only free wireless spot in Queenstown at Patagonia Chocolate. They have wisely hidden all outlets in the shop so customers can really only hang out there as long as their computer batteries last, but we have lasted longer than most (it was actually the achingly slow connection that drove us to shell out the $4/hr for a connection at Global Gossip.)

My little 15” HP Pavillion can’t compete on the portability and batter life, but with an upgraded hard drive and clean installation of everything, it’s humming along just fine after 3 years. I’ll be able to hammer out any and all film projects that come my way. And Thom’s screen resolution won’t let him use Adobe Photoshop so my machine will become the fine art photo editing suite.

Phones: Cell phones have never been my forte. I’ve never done anything more than make phone calls and send the occasional text from my phone. Thom, on the other hand, does everything from check his investment portfolio to finding us the best restaurant within walking distance of SF MOMA via his little Nokia n73. Alas, the days of cheap and easy American cell phone deals are over. The first thing I learned was the convenience of having an unlocked phone: American SIM card out, NZ SIM card in and you’re ready to go. Luckily, Erin happened to have her old phone, since she and Jim just got matching new fancy phones before they left. So now I am all set up and ready to roll around the world. Of course the phone comes with things like bluetooth, internet accessibility, walkman features and a fancy camera so now I have to learn how to use all these things at least according to a recent NYTimes article!

Here you have two options for phone service: Vodafone, which has the lion’s share of the market, and Telecom, which is trying to edge it’s way back with a fancy new 3.5G network just unveiled last week complete with tantalizing sign-up plans meant to tempt the vodafone users to make the switch. Thom’s eyes sparkled when he heard about what sort of access was available for just $40/month. Alas, the new network was too fancy! The SIM card wouldn’t work in his sturdy little phone. So we are on vodafone, like everyone else, and limited to 100MB per month of internet phone use. After 5 days he has already used 50. Old habits die hard!

Internet: The caps on MB downloads and expensive hourly rates in internet cafes has added a new level of stress to being online. Leisurely surfing to the streaming music of Pandora and watching the Simpson’s on hulu is no longer an option. Ah, the things we take for granted in the USofA!

So we have figured out alternate ways to get our work done offline. Google has offline modes for most of it’s applications, LiveWriter lets us compose our blog entries leisurely to give you these considered, informative posts. We make our flat and car hunting more efficient zipping through ads on TradeMe. The only thing we really miss is being able to run to the computer in the middle of cooking dinner to look up debatable points of trivia with Jim and Erin on wikipedia . But that just means the debate can continue!

del.icio.us Tags: technology,cell phones,internet,netbook

one mile, my as!

2009-06-10T18:54:00.001-07:00

We set out yesterday on a very nice little hike on what is called the “one mile track.” It turns out that “one mile” has no relationship with the distance of the trail. Rather it was an esoteric reference to how far the base was to some other spot in town. In fact the total length of the walk was more like 7.33 miles (not that i was counting on my gps or any thing). The view from the top gives a fantastic panorama view of the heart of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. On the way down we took a wee bit of a side track and the trail got a fair amount steeper, resulting in a number of wet bums.

The gorge which we descended had a pipe running along it which was the water source for one of the worlds first hydro-electric power plants, called… you guessed it, the”one mile power plant”

It was installed only after the first gas powered plant blew up, nearly wiping Queenstown off of the map.

If we had continued up we would have been able to follow a trail up to 1748m Ben Lomond Peak, which has the reputation as the best hike out of Queenstown, always good to have something for another day.

del.icio.us Tags: hikes,queenstown,new zealand,travel

Eating kiwis.

2009-06-10T01:32:00.001-07:00

The first foray into the kiwi foodie experience came in an unexpected form, at fergburger where they promise that “ferg loves you.” To say that the kiwi raised beef was good would be missing the point, this burger was big. The kind of big that you read about on travel blogs to Texas. It turns out that kiwi’s love huge burgers dressed with crispy kiwi bacon, or at least they love selling them to tourists. Either way the QT locals seem to love it and so do I.

one of these days i think i might get around to really eating a kiwi, but I haven’t seen their meat pies for sale any where, so I guess I’ll have to wait….

queenstown

2009-06-08T19:15:00.001-07:00

Queenstown:

As I followed the blue line from the International terminal to the domestic terminal at Auckland airport, I realized I was retracing the steps of my departure in 2006 exactly. When I flew out of Queenstown to return to the States, I looked out the window and saw the sun setting behind the ranges of the Southern Alps turning Aoraki/Mt. Cook brilliantly golden. I admit I had some very nostalgic tears in my eyes then, wondering when I would ever see that beautiful view again. Yesterday, our pilot flew us right down the West Coast of the South Island and turned left at Aoraki/Mt. Cook to bring us to Queenstown. Being right above that snow covered giant with kms of ranges strung out in both directions was just about as good a welcome back as I could imagine.

It has been fun watching Thom encounter kiwi culture upon our arrival. Flat whites and long blacks, savory muffins, pounamu and paua. His experience is one of discovery and mine is one of remembering. Walking down the aisles of the grocery store was an exercise in resitance as I saw all the yummy things I used to stock my cupboard: rata honey, TimTams and Arnott’s Nice biscuits, feijoas, tasty cheddar. At the moment, memories are mostly revolving around food. Our first stop in Queesntown was Fergburger, followed by a stop in at Patagonia Chocolates for a cuppa hot chili chocolate. Some things have changed though. Now they have lavender hot chocolate and ginger hot chocolate.

I think I spent one night in Queenstown over the 15 months I was in New Zealand. The demographic wasn’t exactly what I was looking for in my filmmaking. Last night Jim and Erin took us for a little tour of their ‘hood. Having been here for a grand total of 2 weeks, they are officially locals. The plazas, storefronts and general holiday ambience fall squarely into the international tourist ski town model – and very well done indeed. It is a place where anyone from anywhere can come and know what they will find. And the kiwiness isn’t overshadowed by it, though it certainly isn’t a typical kiwi town. I’m sure Thom will expound more upon this, as he is a connoisseur of alpine cultures.

In transit

2009-06-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

Flying into Auckland from San Francisco is not a particularly climatic experience. You leave SFO at 9pm on one day and arrive in Auckland at 5am two days later, all in the dark. Or at least mostly the dark, our flight was illuminated by the tall white light of the full moon following our path.
The second leg of our journey from Auckland to Queenstown has proven to be much more scenic. Our flight takes us right over the tops of a number of the north island's very tall and white volcanoes. Of particular note is Mt. Ruapehhu aka "mt. doom" of the Lord and the Rings movies, in the 90's it literally spent years spewing a menacing cloud of ash into the otherwise crisp southern arctic air. Once we cross over above the South Island we have a fantastic few of the Southern Alps, highlighted by Aoraki/Mt. Cook . By all accounts, it is quite a spectacular mountain, especially considering it only reaches a height of a bit more than 12,000 feet. This is just a little more trecherous than the 12,000 foot independence pass in Colorado that Corrie and I road our bikes over last week. (We might have to organize a little climbing expedition up Mt. Cook, so if anyone is interested please let us know).
So the number of things in New Zealand that are tall and white is astounding, but then there are also the things that are flat and white like the coffee. And the coffee is something that the kiwis tend to take seriously as well, who'd a thunk it? I was quite impressed by the giant french press the flight attendant used in in coach on a domestic flight, tasty.

Getting Gone

2009-06-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

We are at the airport and waiting to board. I figured I would use my little internet phone to be geeky one last time before I am cut off from it for the next six months. The only hiccup so far was the massive swiss army knife that I forgot in my carry on back pack, it turns out that TSA can catch one of those. So it is now on it's way express mail to my dad, happy fathers day!

Corrie thought it would be appropriate to do some pre-flight yoga and I thought I would take a little "before picture" for comparison when I return to document the kiwi factor when return. We'll see how this works out.

They are calling our rows! Gotta go!!!

packing, packing

2009-06-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Packing seems to be a way of life. I didn't even put my suitcases away from the last trip this time. They just cluttered up my room for a few weeks with the growing piles of possibilities and preparations. The idea, of course, is to lay out everything you want to take - and then take half. I haven't quite been able to exercise that technique since a good potion of my gear is camera/film equipment. From the little bit of buzz I've received from my down-under contacts, it looks like I might actually be able to spend the winter as an artist at large, rather than serving up flat whites to backpackers. Last night we finished packing the big bags. 200lbs mas o menos. Hopefully AirNZ won't be too finicky about an extra few ounces here or there - our bathroom scale in not the most precise determination of bag weight. The ski bag alone is hovering around 70lbs. I guess traveling with a 6'3" size 11 athletic skier means traveling with some very long and heavy ski gear. Luckily, Thom seems to think he can wear the same shirt for 5 months straight so that makes up the difference.

What are we bringing anyway?

The Highlights:

- 5 pairs of skis(skate, tele and thom's alpine), 5 pairs of boots (to go with the skis), 4 sets of poles (somehow we managed to get rid of one: progress!)

-Wintery gear: Ski pants, jackets, merino, lots of merino!

-My new backcountry skins and gaiters. Can't wait to go touring!

-A canon 20D and nikon D70 with all the appropriate accessories.

-2 warm sleeping bags. We have been told multiple times from various sources that kiwi houses are COLD - a fact that I can confirm from previous experience.

-2 puffy jackets, that I think will get a lot of use indoors.

-Big Blue Lake Productions, the mobile studio unit: it started in Te Anau, New Zealand in 2006. Then it migrated to Lake Tahoe, California. Now it's in Wanaka and after that? Well, if it's big and blue, I'll be there.

- An antique wooden backgammon set. Now if only we knew how to play...

-various other miscellanea that fits into the corners and cracks of the bags.

- The kitchen sink. Well, we might actually leave that home.

T - 34:00:00 til take off. Time to go out and enjoy that last days of summer. Signing off.

Analysis paralysis

2009-06-02T22:35:00.001-07:00

Who knew that Analysis paralysis could be such a problem. Isn't choice supposed to be a good thing?

Cardrona decided to offer me a job finally, which is only a problem because I just became comfortable with the idea of working at Porters, more than that the idea of skiing on all of the Club Fields like Craigieburn Valley was starting to sound pretty fantastic.

So now the question becomes one of what I value and want to get out of the coming ski season both personally and professionally. At the moment I am inclined to accept the Cardrona offer, but I really don't know, we are going to have to think hard about it.

Open to any and all input, drop your two cents in the comments...

the working life

2009-06-01T19:07:00.001-07:00

Although getting a work visa in New Zealand is just about as easy as can be, finding a job is not.

I thought that it would be as simple as sending in a few applications with a flood of responses from eager ski school directors just dieing to hire me... um not so much. In fact I was greeted with the news that my first choice of Cardrona , outside of the town Wanaka (map) and beautiful lake Wanaka, had more than 400 applications for a paltry 20 positions in the ski school. I was assured that I was on the short, short list, which means that if anyone pulls out for any reason I am in, but I am getting a bit tired of waiting.

Corrie has been very flexible in the planning stages of our little adventure, although Wanaka or Queenstown have been her first choice as well. She has quite a few friends in the area from the making of her outstanding film Conversing with Aotearoa/ New Zealand and is eager to reconnect with them, but she has been open to other areas. Which is good because it appears as though Ski Porters , the nearest ski field to Christchurch, where the resort manager Uli Dinsenbacher has decided that we should both work for him. Offering me the last remaining job in the ski school and Corrie a job making a new promotional video for the resort.

This might end up being a blessing in disguise because

it turns out that there are a large number of really cool club ski fields all around the area all accessed on one ski pass aptly named the "chill pass" . Of special note the list includes Craigieburn which I have been hearing about for years as having some of the best off-piste skiing in the world.

Soooo it might be good. I'm excited to see what happens.

Going to New Zealand

2009-05-31T22:12:00.001-07:00

New Zealand, unlike some other countries, makes it very easy for those 30 years and younger to apply for and recieve a holiday working visa under the holiday working scheme program. So as a couple of "young" people on the verge of surpassing the upper end of the age requirement it seemed like the right time for Corrie and I to head on down. As they say "if you don't do it this year you'll just be a year older when you do", so away we go.

I hope that between the two of us we will be able to keep this blog updated with enough interesting material to keep all of our many fans happy, but you never know, we'll see.

more to come...