Pavlova and Christmas Crackers: A Very Kiwi Christmas

"So is this really different from what you're used to?"

That's question I got 3 times on Christmas Day.

From what I could tell, they all meant the amazing early summer weather. Which, to be fair, was really amazing.

But, besides the weather, it was still pretty different than what I'm used to.

Those you who are fortunate enough to know my family, know that we can be... loud. Our holiday is usually the epitome of bustling.

A Kiwi Pavlova
(Photo from Facebook)

It was more of a "silent night" and day here. It was an away year here where families trade off to each side, so only 2 of the usual 4 families came to Josh's family Christmas. It was also an away year for his brother's family, so it was pretty small.

It was his parents, his sister and her boyfriend, and his uncle for lunch and his other uncle's family for dinner.

While very laid-back and stress-free (for the most part), it was not as boisterous as what I'm used to.

There were a few kiwi traditions I got to take part in.

One unique kiwi Christmas tradition is having a pavlova for dessert. The kiwi pavlova is a food similar to a meringue, but it's thicker with a crispy crust. And, it's topped with whipped cream and fruit.

I love sugar, but it was too much even for me. It was still good, but maybe next time I'll get a smaller slice.

I'll talk more about pavlova in a future "Kiwis Can Cook" post.

Josh's family wore their hats, so I could share this kiwi tradition with you!
(Photo by Erin Grigson)

Another kiwi Christmas tradition is the Christmas Cracker. The idea vaguely resembles that of breaking a wishbone. Two people grab each end and pull. The person that gets the bigger part gets to keep the prizes inside. Each cracker contains a toy, a joke, and a paper hat.

At Josh's family's Christmas, everybody got a cracker. And then, with his mom's help, I convinced everyone to wear their hats. It was definitely something new and different.

While I had a few new experiences, I also brought a couple Kentucky/American traditions with me.

I was assigned dessert duty, so I baked for 3 days. I wasn't sure of quite how many people to expect, so I made lots.

First, I tried my hand at Buckeyes. For those who aren't familiar with the confectionary, it's a super sweet peanut butter ball dipped in milk chocolate. And it looks like a buckeye. They're sweet, but delicious.

Then I got dipping fever, so I made some chocolate-covered pretzels as well.

And then, since they were such a hit at New Zealand Thanksgiving, I made some more mini apple pies.

Turns out I made way too much food. But that's alright.

Speaking of food, one other difference was that most of the food was served cold. But when you think about it, is that the warm weather lends itself to cool food, while in winter, you want something hot in your tummy.

I think that just about wraps it up for my first kiwi Christmas.

I'm sorry I haven't been posting the last couple weeks. I decided to take a break for the holidays.

Stay tuned for more posts coming soon!

A Musical Journey That Led Me To Friends

Up until about 8 weeks ago, I knew maybe 10 people in this country.

In October, I saw an ad on Facebook asking for people to audition for a show.

To give me a chance to get out and meet some people, I decided to audition. Less than 2 months later, I have met more than 30 new people, all of whom I can call friends.

The Cast in our "Stayin' Alive" costumes!
Photo by Joshua Baylis, edited by Erin Grigson

Top of the Pops, a musical journey from the 1950s to today, opened yesterday/today, depending on where you are in the world while reading this.

I originally auditioned to sing "Chandelier," by Sia, but have since gotten involved in 6 more numbers.

We have 4 company numbers. We open with "December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)" by the Four Seasons. The lovely Julie is featured on it and it's a really fun way to start the show.

From there, we have solos, duets and small groups performing songs from the 50s through 70s including some by Elvis, ABBA and the Beatles.

We end the first half with a super funky, awesomely choreographed, Saturday Night Fever-esque rendition of "Stayin' Alive," by the Bee Gees. I've never felt quite so disco as I do during that number.

After a short intermission, we open the second half with Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time." We have 8 individuals featured in this number and I love getting to do the cool harmonies.

This half is when I have lots to do. I get a break in the 80s, but then stay busy.

I kick off the 90s with our group who salute the Spice Girls with our version of "Stop (Right Now)," a song I had never heard until they assigned me to that group.

But it's been an absolute blast working with the other girls.

Immediately after Spice Girls, I have to change into my cowgirl outfit (including my boots and hat) and come back out to do some line dancing in the second half of "Something to Talk About," by Bonnie Raitt.

After that, I get a few songs to catch my breath, which gives me time to change and glitter up before I go back on for "Chandelier."

There are 2 more songs before our final company number, which is "Born This Way," by Lady Gaga.

Total costume changes: 7. Total numbers I'm in: 7. Total amount of fun: Priceless.

Unfortunately, not all my loved ones can come see this amazing production. However, I'm proud to say that pretty much everyone I know in this country knows about it/is coming to it. (Though, to be fair, three quarters of the people I know in this country are in it, so...)

Stay tuned for more photos coming soon!

Accents Confuse as Often as They Impress

Besides phrases being different or having different words that mean the same thing, kiwis also pronounce things pretty different.

I'll be honest, I love Josh's accent. It may or may not be one of my favorite things about him. But that doesn't mean I don't get confused when he speaks. I do. And when a foggy look passes over my face, he realized I'm lost and backtracks... another thing I love about him.

Understanding English with a kiwi accent can be hard. Having to decipher common American words/phrases in an accent as they speak at a normal speed or faster is a struggle. But then add in the fact that kiwis put the emphasis on different syllables and I have to admit: sometimes I get lost in conversations.

Luckily, as I make these lists, I'm finding it easier to keep up in conversations and even add to them occasionally.

The other day, I asked Josh to clarify something for me. I asked him if he meant "yarn" or "yawn." When he said each one, I swear it sounded the exact same. This is something that only adds to my confusion.

The good news is that it isn't just me getting confused. One of the grocery chains here has a commercial out now that pokes fun at the fact that when kiwis say beers and bears, it sounds the same, as it does when they say cheers or chairs.

It's funny because back in America, Josh and I went out with some friends, mostly international, and we went around the table and all said the word, "water." They were poking fun at the way Americans say it (which, I told them, is not fair because there are so many American accents and we all say it different from one another). But just around the table, the difference was crazy. There was Irish, Mexican, British, Kiwi, Moroccan and American and we all said that one word different. That just emphasizes how different our accents are and how one word can change so much.

And while watching a Netflix special of Trevor Noah, I realized he points this "water" pronunciation out, too.

Also, apparently in New Zealand, Erin and Aaron sound very different. There is almost always a very distinctive "E" put at the beginning of my name when spoken. I've always thought of my name as "Air-in," but here, it's "Ear-in." It definitely takes some getting used to.

Here are some other things Kiwis pronounce differently from Americans (written out phonetically for your convenience):

• Adidas - Add-ee-dass
• Hyundai - I can't even spell this out phonetically...
• Nissan - Niss-in
• Cemetary - Symmetry
• Garage - Gair-uj
• Scone - Scunn
• Tomato - Toe-mah-toe
• Sauce pan - (all one word) Saucepin

And I'm certain that there are more. 

It's fun to listen to a new and different accent, but be prepared to decipher it if you're trying to comprehend everything. 

Black, White and Ferns: What's the Deal With Kiwi Sports?

I don't pretend to know everything about sports. But since coming here, I feel like my eyes have been opened to some of the problems American sports have that don't belong on or off the fields, courts, courses, etc.

Before I tell you about the problems I'm seeing, I want to explain how sports work here.

For those who don't know anything about rugby, or don't know a lot, let's break it down.

In rugby, there are two types: league and union. Here, we're talking about union. Under the category of union, there's national, Super Rugby, provincial, and club.

Club would be the smaller scale, which is like the county/multi-town team. Then, if you're good, you would move up and after a bit of work, you might make the provincial team. That might be comparable to playing for your state. Then, if you're really good, from the provincial team, you can make it onto a Super Rugby team. This is still like playing on a provincial team, but like an All-Star team that plays internationally. And then, the best of the best from the nation will be selected for the national team.

There is a good chance that they will play together to represent their nation, which might encourage athletes to show a lot of respect for their opponents as well as their colleagues. I doubt that's the only  reason, but I'm sure it has something to do with it.

Some people might say that you see this all over the world. I disagree, if only because you don't see it at this level.

In New Zealand, there is an incredible amount of national pride in sports. To explain this better, let's look at the names of New Zealand sports teams.

Everyone knows the All Blacks, or at least most people have heard the name. The All Blacks is New Zealand's men's national rugby union team. They win a lot. They've won the Rugby World Cup three times (1987, 2011, 2015), which is more than any other national team, which is probably why you usually see them ranked number one in the world.

But the names of the other sports teams, both women and men, have a similar ring to them.

Just to make it fun, I'm going to put the names alone below and let you guess which name goes with which sport. (Answers will be at the bottom of this post.)

• All Blacks

  

  The silver fern is the national symbol of New Zealand.
  It is on every uniform of New Zealand national athletes
  in some form or another.

• Black Ferns
• Tall Blacks
• Tall Ferns
• Iron Blacks
• Silver Ferns
• Black Sticks
• Wheel Blacks
• Black Caps
• White Ferns
• Kiwis
• Kiwi Ferns
• Black Sox
• White Sox
• All Whites
• Football Ferns
• Ice Blacks
• Ice Fernz

They all kindof flow together, don't they?

The names create a sense of unity. The national symbol of New Zealand is the silver fern, and the colors are black and white. This is true across all national sports teams here.

But back to rugby.

At the end of each game, whether it's the national team or the club team, the captain of each side, win or lose, will say a few words. And it's always classy. They don't talk trash about the other team or blame the referees for what went wrong. They say what went well and what they'll work on in the future and move on. In many cases, the losing team will even be complimentary of the winning team.

You just don't see that very often in America.

And when an athlete is being honored for how many games he/she has played (sometimes 100, occasionally 200), the other team participates in recognizing the player because they understand what an accomplishment it is.

They're incredibly respectful.

The captains speaking after the games is not restricted to rugby. You can see this happen after netball, cricket, soccer, even basketball.

Their respect spreads beyond the field, court or pitch. It speaks to the pride athletes have in their nation and how their actions reflect on that nation.

That's something I think is severely lacking in American sports. I genuinely feel like many American athletes don't think about how their actions and their speech reflect on the country they represent. You can see that at promotional events, during sporting events, and on social media, athletes talking about the poor officiating, the weaknesses of their opponents, and bringing up personal matters that have no place in sports.

You just don't see that here. There's just a different level of class.

That being said, I still love my Cats and my favorite American athletes. Classiness is something I've always held important in determining who I root for (Hello, The King of Class, Phil Mickelson). But others might learn a think or two from athletes here.

I like to think that if more New Zealanders were put on American screens, they might rub off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below, you'll find the sports matched to the team names.

Sport	Men	Women
Rugby Union	All Blacks	Black Ferns
Basketball	Tall Blacks	Tall Ferns
American Football	Iron Blacks	XXXXXXXXX
Netball	XXXXXXXXX	Silver Ferns
Field Hockey	Black Sticks	Black Sticks
Wheelchair Rugby	Wheel Blacks	Wheel Blacks
Cricket	Black Caps	White Ferns
Rugby League	Kiwis	Kiwi Ferns
Softball	Black Sox	White Sox
Football/Soccer	All Whites	Football Ferns
Ice Hockey	Ice Blacks	Ice Fernz

Extra, Extra: News in New Zealand

Something I've noticed since being here is the way the news works.

First, I need to put this into perspective. In new Zealand, there are only really two major national news programs.

Some people might find this scary; you're worried that since there are so few options, those two programs control what you see, so they can control what you think.

I understand this argument. Competition creates diversity and promotes the cultivation of new ideas. But based on what I've seen, that's not a problem here.

As a journalist (and yes, I still think of myself as a journalist), you might think I'd be wary of a nation with so few news networks.

I'm not.

Almost every time I turn on the news, I feel like I'm getting an unbiased story and learning something new and important.

It's exciting and refreshing.

When I worked at KyForward, we would have the news on all day long, either CNN or MSNBC. While I love and respect both of those channels for their reporting and opinions, I got tired of the negativity. The coverage was rarely about something that made me feel good about what was happening where I lived. That's not limited to those two shows, but it's off-putting just the same.

When I moved to South Carolina, I didn't have cable, so the news I got was always online. I got the New York Times Breaking News headlines sent to my phone and if I wanted to read something else, I'd just search for it.

But back to the present.

In New Zealand, the program we always watch is 1 News. It's on at 6 p.m., so we usually watch while eating dinner. This program covers everything. They have to appeal to all types of people: Labors (similar to Democrats), Nationalists (similar to Republicans), working moms, sports fans, college kids, everyone. And they do an incredible job.

They cover big national news, important international news (and yes, that includes some Trump stuff), fun features on unique people here, and then... then there's sports.

Sports

But it's nothing like any sports news segment you've seen in America.

The sports anchor is a woman. And if that's not new, then how about the sports she covers?

There's Courtney Duncan, a 22-year old kiwi making a Motocross name for herself.

There's Lisa Carrington, the kiwi rower on course to win a handful of Olympic medals.

• There's cricket.
• And baseball. 
• And cycling.
• And American football.
• And horse racing.
• And golf.
• And shot put.
• And underwater hockey.
• And yes, there's Steven Adams, too.
• And then, of course, there's rugby. League. Union. Sevens. Tens. You name it.

The New Zealand women and men's teams won the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2018.

The fact that they covered rugby is not what's exciting. The exciting part is that they cover the women's win as much as the men's.

It's incredible.

They also cover netball and field hockey, activities that are predominantly women's sports.

The news gives equal coverage and equal merit to men and women's sports and it's so impressive.

Let's be honest. WNBA players aren't famous in America. But who's fault is that? If their incredible amount of work was publicized more, then maybe more people would be interested.

Some people might disagree, saying that people who are interested will follow the sport and don't need the news to over it.

I beg to differ.

Since being here, I've been exposed to lots of rugby. And I'm beginning to love the sport. But I wouldn't have learned how much I like the sport if I hadn't been exposed to it on the news.

I also really like netball. Don't get me wrong, it's no basketball. But it's impressive none the less.

New Zealand sports are really interesting, so I'll be talking more about it in another post. I'll be getting into the specific awesomeness that exists here, so stay tuned.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Weather

What news segment haven't I mentioned yet? The weather. And let me tell you, 1 News has really unique ways of sharing the national weather.

Fun fact: The city we live in is almost always featured when giving the high and low of the following day. And we don't exactly live in a big city.

But 1 News also enhances their weather reports using 3-D models to engage viewers. I don't mean they use 3-D tracking. I mean using special effects, the country surrounds the weatherman (who's name is Dan, which just makes me laugh every time... Dan, the Weatherman) while he talks about each island and the specific cities.

It's also really interesting to see why we don't get the same weather as the rest of the country. When using these effects, you can see why the storms that hit the west coast of New Zealand don't make it to us (they hit the mountains and don't get over them, or at least don't come at us as strong). It's really cool.

Weather can be mundane. Weather is the definition of "small talk" in a conversation. But the first time I saw this way of showing the weather, I was drawn in.

Everything else

Normally, I wouldn't skim over the government news or features, but this post is already really long.

First, I want to take a moment and acknowledge that the news anchors learned quite a bit of Maori or Te Reo for Maori Language Week in September. Maori, along with English and New Zealand Sign Language, is an official language for the country. I cannot imagine American news anchors learning and speaking on live television any Native American tribal languages.

What I want you to know about the international news is that they don't dwell on any one specific country's news. Yes, we see Trump, but he doesn't dominate. In fact, there are some days when I don't see him at all (which I LOVE).

Obviously, Australian stories impact us here, so we see a bit more about Australia than any other places, but we also see British stories, Thailand stories (obviously with the soccer team stuck in the cave), Korean stories, Turkish stories and Chinese stories. We see hurricanes in Hawaii, fires in Colorado and California, and the passing of Aretha Franklin, John McCain, and George H. W. Bush.

In national news, there's a lot about making life better for the average New Zealander: regulations on rental properties, raising wage of teachers and nurses (both groups went on strike recently), building affordable homes for New Zealanders to buy, and job opportunities for those who need one. They tackle homelessness and the struggles of heating a home in winter. But even these sad topics, they present with hope.

Hope. Not fear.

New Zealand news is exciting, fun, refreshing, and informative. And I hope U.S. news networks take note.

English as a First (and Second) Language: an Expanded List

As you may have read previously, American English and Kiwi English are quite different.

I think it's funny that, revisiting this list, I'm realizing I've heard some of these expressions/words/phrases for almost 2 years now, but have become so used to them that I didn't add them to the original list.

As before, I'll explain a few that might need more elaboration and then update the previous list with way more words/phrases. I'll put the old ones at the bottom, too, to refresh your memory.

Some of the meanings of these words are very obvious, because in America they are synonyms, but not used as often.

heaps - lots

mates - friends

keen/ keen as- an enthusiastic yes

suss - sort

gutted - disappointed

But even letters are not immune to kiwi translation. The letter z here is called "zed."Although I guess that's also a British thing. Hello, James Corden.

Below is the updated list:

American English vs. Kiwi English     

                                      
          Fine - Good as gold
Dangit / Shoot - Bugger               
Sandwich - Sammie     
Swimsuit - Togs           
Trunks - Boardies
Gumboots - Gummies    
Next minute - Nek minit        
       Full - Chocka          
Hey! - Oi         
                    Kiss - Pash (more Aussie)
Sweet potato - Cumera             
    Kiwi - Kiwi fruit
Gas - Petrol
  Pepper - Capsicum
Granola - Muesli    
Oatmeal - Porridge
 Talk - Yawn
Car trunk - Boot         
Car hood - Bonnet    
   Takeout - Takeaway
Good for you - Good on you 
Cracker - Biscuit  
Leash - Lead  
Short shorts - Stubbies 

Napkin - Serviette      


Previous List:
Cookies - Biscuits

Flip flops -  Jandals

      Trash - Rubbish

                            Fries - Chips (but chips can also be chips)

Bandaid - Plaster

                                   Cooler - Chilly Bin (this makes so much sense, right??)
Vacation - Holiday

Truck - Ute  
Afternoon - Arvo      
Tank top - Singlet
Beach house - Batch/Crib
Stroller - Pram
    All good - Sweet as
Electrician - Sparky

Mind Your Manners: Expectations of Politeness in New Zealand

Growing up in the house I did, I always felt that, overall, I had good manners. For years, my mother reminded me to put my napkin in my lap before I ate, not to chew with my mouthful, and to say please and thank you.

And many times, I heard, "Erin, Erin, young and able, get your elbows off the table."

In Nelson, we saw this sign in a
door of a small local shop.
Photo by Erin Grigson

But expectations are different here.

Okay, not about elbows on the table, but about others things.

In America, it's completely acceptable to eat sandwiches, burgers, fried foods, and more with your fingers. From what I have seen, that's not the same across the Pacific.

It's a fork and knife club here. I never thought of eating french fries with a fork, but that's the norm in New Zealand.

I don't blame them, though. Seeing someone eat a gigantic burger that's too big for said person's mouth can be disgusting. Fork and knife it is.

One of my favorite things about Josh is that he always carries a handkerchief. So does his mom. And dad. Many people here do that. I remember that my grandfather kept a handkerchief in his pocket and it always seemed so charming. That's still something they do here and I love that chivalry is still alive and well. And it's easily seen in giving a handkerchief to someone who needs it.

Our amazing Subway also politely asks
people to leave muddy boots outside.
Photo by Erin Grigson

Every home I've been to here, it's a bit of an unspoken expectation to take your shoes off. (To be fair, when it was super cold, I was told I could put them back on.) I don't have a problem with taking my shoes off inside... unless I'm wearing my silly socks. Then it can be embarrassing.

Taking that to the next level, many stores and restaurants also have signs in their doors or windows asking people to take muddy or dirty shoes/boots off before entering. Even chain restaurants including Subway politely ask their customers to leave their muddy boots at the door. And, on more than one occasion, I've walked into the grocery and seen boots outside the door.

Turning that on it's head, it's extremely common to see people of all ages going barefoot. Even in the dead of winter, I've seen a handful of people barefoot. And I'm told that "barefoot season" is a real thing here.

Seeing as I don't like feet, I'm not looking forward to that aspect of life. Now that it's warming up, I've seen adults and children alike walking around the grocery store, at the park, and at parties with bare feet.

To me, that's not so polite, but expectations are different here.

In America, you'd see a "No Shoes, No Shirt No Service" sign. Here, they prefer no shoes.

It seems that manners can be location dependent.

Kiwis Can Cook: Pumpkin Pie for America, Pumpkin Soup for New Zealand

Remember, our seasons are different here, so pumpkins are more plentiful in April-ish. They are still available in different times of the year, they're just harder to get your hands on.

Pumpkin soup is one of the best and easiest soups to make and it's super filling.

You will need:

• 1 pumpkin
• bacon
• olive oil (optional)
• nutmeg (optional)

Depending on the size of the pumpkin and the number of people you're feeding, decide how much pumpkin you will need. We usually get a medium sized pumpkin and are just feeding the two of us, so we only use half of the pumpkin.

Peel and cut it up into chunks about the size you would cut potatoes into if you were boiling them.

Put the pumpkin chunks in a pot with some boiling water.

Cook up a few pieces of bacon (because everything's better with bacon). The amount of bacon you want in it is totally up to you. The more bacon, the better, in my opinion. Throw that bacon into the pot with the pumpkin.

Once the pumpkin is soft, mash it with a potato masher, or, for thinner, less lumpy soup, use a hand blender or mixer.

Once ladled into a bowl, pour a bit of olive oil around the top and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Serve with toast and butter/butter substitute if you want something a little extra.

I LOVE pumpkin soup!
Photo by Erin Grigson

So. Good.

This time of year, for my American readers, this is a really good meal.

I know you're probably wanting pumpkin pie right about now, but trust me. Once you've had pumpkin soup, you'll make it your go-to meal for fall/winter.

We have it a few times a month and it really does the trick!

Have you had pumpkin soup? What's your favorite pumpkin soup recipe? Let me know!

Seasons of Change: the Good and Bad of Having Opposite Seasons

There was a long hail storm in winter, but luckily I missed the worst of the winter weather.
Photo by Erin Grigson

I feel so cheated. It's like when you're playing Monopoly but you don't get to pass Go and collect your $200.

I left the states in June, got here and immediately went into winter. The heat of a South Carolina summer straight into New Zealand's freezing wind and cold. With no central heating.

My heat blanket was on every. single. night.

My body was not ready for that shock. And what's worse than summer to winter? Now I have to do spring again. And this past spring was rough.

I've not had hay fever for a few years. And then it hit me hard while I was visiting my family in Kentucky. South Carolina humidity has its perks and the lack of pollen and dust flying through the watery air is one of them. (Yes, there is pollen, but it's not the same as in Kentucky.)

New Zealand is not humid. It's dry. So now I'm dealing with the allergies that were destined to return.

My little garden box
Photo by Erin Grigson

Sneezes for days. Literally.

These beautiful roses surprised us!
Photo by Erin Grigson

I love fall. And instead, I get 2 springs. Not a good trade at all.

Wrapping my mind around the months being different seasons now is very difficult.

Halloween is in Spring here, so no jack'o'lanterns. So sad.

Christmas is in the summer, which means instead of holing up by the fire, we will probably head to the beach around then. (Yay!)

However, there is good news about 2 springs.

I've never had a yard or a garden. Now, while it's small, I have room to grow food and flowers.

When we were shopping back in late August, we bought lots of seeds. We got some for broccoli, sugar snap peas, lettuce, green beans, cucumbers, and sunflowers.

Josh and I both enjoy these green vegetables, so it just makes sense to try and grow our own.

(We were planning on doing potatoes, too, but finding a barrel to brow them in has become an issue.)

Why sunflowers, you ask? I've always dreamed of going to a sunflower field and doing a photo shoot. Since there isn't one anywhere close to me here I figured I could at least line a fence with  them and get a great backdrop for photos.

Two months into spring, my garden is blooming in amazing ways.

These sugar snap peas are going insane!
Photo by Erin Grigson

The sugar snap peas have taken on a mind of their own. I can't even begin to control them. There will be no shortage of sugar snap peas in this household.

The lettuce is also pretty big now.

The sunflowers are growing, slowly but surely. The strawberries we bought already grown, but they will hopefully bloom in a month or so. In the top of the strawberry pot, I have some cucumbers growing. The broccoli and green beans are looking pretty great, too!

The other good thing is the mystery. We are finding out all the beautiful things that are planted around our house.

We just saw these amazing white roses that blossomed on our back deck. It was like they appeared overnight... but it could have been the amount of rain we had that kept us inside for a few days.

Hopefully my body can handle the rest of this season and can make it to summer/Christmas!

Halswell Quarry: A Gutted Rockface Turned Public Park

Halswell Quarry looks out on the city of Christchurch.
Photo by Erin Grigson

A couple weekends ago, we went and had a picnic with Josh's family.

When they said we were going to a quarry, I was kindof confused. But when we got there, I understood why.

When I think of a quarry, I think of loud noises and rocks. While there were still plenty of rocks, it was a very serene place.

The hiking trails have amazing views.
Photo by Erin Grigson

The quarry was actually used as a quarry in the 1860s. The stone from it is pretty special because of its blue-grey color. Many of the buildings made of the stone still stand, including the Canterbury Museum.

It was a working quarry from then until 1990 and is thought to be the longest-running, continually-operated quarry in Australasia.

The Christchurch City Council saw this space as an opportunity and turned it into a recreation reserve.

Now there are walking and mountain biking trails all throughout, with picnic areas and large fields to satisfy everyone's needs.

We found a great shaded picnic table for the 8 of us to use and enjoyed our lunch before taking on one of the trails.

As usual, the hike was steep, but worth it for the views.

You could see the whole city of Christchurch spread out in front of you with the mountains towering in the distance.

It was amazing.

You can still see the walls of the quarry, though most of it has been covered with vegetation at this point.
Photos by Erin Grigson

I should note that because it's mountain bike friendly, it's also more or less stroller/pram friendly. (We had a couple small boulders in our path, but that was easy enough to get around.)

My favorite thing about the quarry was that it was something ugly and useless and made into something beautiful and fun.

I can see why the quarry is a popular place on a warm, spring day. And I know we'll make another trip out there.

A Little Bit of Scotland in New Zealand

Competitors try to turn cabers at the Hororata Highland Games.
Photos by Erin Grigson

There were stones. There were cabers.

Kilts everywhere
Photo by Erin Grigson

There were so. many. kilts.

The Hororata Highland Games in Hororata (just a few minutes from where we live in Darfield) was full of events for everyone to "have a go" and then watch the competitors blow us away.

In the opening ceremonies, the pipe band paraded in. Following the band, there were Scottish clans represented by their family crests.

Some of those included, Cameron, Keith, Douglas, Johnston, Cochrane, Matheson, and MacLeod among others.

There were so many ways to be involved.

There were food stalls everywhere, both Scottish and normal. There were also people selling Scottish clothes, kiwi stuff and then there was just stuff. There was something for everyone.

There was even a running competition: the kilted mile. Runners had to wear their kilt (of course), run part of the mile, eat some shortbread, run some more, then eat a pie (probably a Hororata pie) and then run some more. Finally, they have to down a IronBrew beer and then finish the mile.

Also, any child who wanted to could participate in the porridge eating competition. It was cold porridge, but there was a lot of it and once finished, they had to turn their bowl upside down and put it on their heads.

Kids competed in the porridge eating competition,
then tipped the bowl on their head.
Photos by Erin Grigson

Honestly, some kids took one bite and were done. After all, there wasn't any brown sugar or cinnamon on their porridge and it was cold, but some pushed through and earned the bragging rights.

They also had a smaller version of the farmers walk, Hororata stones and cabers to have a go. There was a truck pull and wool spinning. Any Hunger Games fan could try out archery.

You could try playing the bagpipes. You could try driving an excavator. You could try on a kilt. You could pretty much try anything that the competitors would be doing later... just on a smaller scale.

One of the things that anybody could win was the tug o'war competition. And there were lots of teams. It seemed like quite a few gyms put together teams to come to the games and compete.

However, there were also groups of strangers that came together just through Facebook so they could try to win. One of our friends was in one of those Facebook teams. (Sorry I didn't get a photo, Andy!)

No matter which teams they were, they went all out.

Then we saw the Gough CAT Oceania Heavyweight Championship events.

There were male and female amateur teams, but only a male competition for the professionals. Still, many of the female amateurs were amazing!

These games are like what Scottish people had to do in their daily life.

But the games were all kindof similar to track and field events. Since I helped coach last year, I can see this like the high jump and the discus. But on a much heavier/more difficult scale.

Competitors tried to get the wheat sheaf over the bar.
Photos by Erin Grigson

The first competition we saw was the wheat sheaf. I'd call it a sack toss over a rugby goal with the goal getting higher as the game progresses.

The wheat sheaf competition consisted of heaving (I believe) 18 kilo bags over their head and over the bar. They got three attempts to do it and then they moved it higher. This continued until only one person could get it over the bar. (This is kindof like high jump.)

Next was the cabers. I didn't know that was what it was called until the announcer said that.

Jono MacFarland (I think that's how it's spelled) made a complete 12 o'clock turn on his caber. Later, he tried to turn the longest caber in New Zealand, one that had never been turned... He was unsuccessful, but it was exciting.
Photos by Erin Grigson

Cabers look like you're trying to move a tree trunk, tipping it from one end to the other. It's judged by the direction the trunk falls. If it's tossed at 6 o'clock and lands at 12 o'clock, it is a perfect turn. But if it turns and kindof goes sideways, it's still a turn, just not perfect. It could land at 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock and still be a turn, but the idea is that it turns as close to 12 as possible. You're looking for a 180 degree angle from where you toss to where the end you tossed lands. I wish I had taken a video, because it's so much easier to explain once you see it.

Then came the farmers' walk. This walk is based on the days in Scotland when farmers had to walk to the end of their road and pick up the churns of cream and carry them back to their house.

You can see the concentration on their faces as they carried their 200 kilos of logs down the field.
Photos by Erin Grigson

The farmers' walk in the competition consisted of carrying two 100 kilo logs while "sprinting" a few meters down the field and back. I put sprinting in quotes because they were trying to do a brisk walk, but it was definitely a shuffle, trying not to bruise their legs. As you can see in the photos, the farmers' walk was not easy. It's also timed.

Finally, the Hororata Stones were the decider of the heavyweight competition. This was also the event everyone had been waiting for.



Heavyweight competitors tried to move the stones the fastest in the Hororata Stones event.
Photos by Erin Grigson

There were 5 stones. The first stone weighed 100 kilos. The second weighed 110 kilos. The third was 120, the fourth was 130 and the fifth was 145. They had to lift the stone up and put it on the top of the barrel, roughly a meter and a half off the ground. Not an easy task. Like the farmers' walk, it was timed. But there was also a stipulation that if you had to put the stone down, you could, but it added a 2-second penalty.

It was so exciting. I believe the winner did all 5 stones in 22 seconds!

Besides the heavyweight championship, they also had a highland dancing competition, solo piping and drumming competition, Highland garment spinning competition, and more.

Overall, it was a really fun experience. I'm glad we went... Maybe next time, we actually go to Scotland!

Don't Mind Me Over Here Doing My Happy Dance!

I got a call today...

MY VISA GOT APPROVED!

Let's toast the good news!

 

This means I can apply and work in any way I please in New Zealand!

I know this is a super short blog, but I think the news is big and that's what matters!

My work visa is for one year from today and then we can figure it out from there!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go start submitting all the job applications...

Kiwis Can Cook: My Trials and Errors with Anzac Biscuits

**Reminder: Biscuit means cookie in New Zealand!**



Original Recipe Anzac Biscuit
Photo by Erin Grigson

Anzac biscuits are sweet cookies that have oats and coconut in them. Anzac means Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, which was established in World War I. It's said that biscuits like this were sold at home to raise money to support the troops. This led to them being referred to as soldiers biscuits.

Because the biscuits don't use eggs, they last a long time. They look like granola and pack the same energetic punch.

Before I start, I should say that I didn't realize until I started mixing the first batch that I didn't have a cookie sheet tray. For consistancy's sake, I used the tart tray throughout. And I think these turned out alright. In fact, I think the cookie was better because it didn't have the chance to expand like it would on a cookie sheet, but we'll get to that in a minute.

I wasn't sure which recipe was better, so I'll walk you through each and then tell you which one turned out better at the end. However, you might like your cookies like the kiwis do: rock hard. In that case, we may not agree.

For both recipes, you will need:

• flour
• sugar
• rolled oats
• coconut (shredded or desiccated)
• butter
• golden syrup
• baking soda

Original Recipe

The original, basic recipe is so simple, it fits on a refrigerator magnet.

Photo by Erin Grigson

It says:

Photos by Erin Grigson

1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup coconut
Mix together
50g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
Melt together and add to mix
Dissolve 1/2 tsp baking soda
in 2 tbsp boiling water
Combine with mixture
Spoon onto butter tray
Bake 180 C for 15 mins

When I mixed it all together, I felt like it wasn't sticking enough. I added a bit more boiling water to it and it was ready (enough) to spoon.

Still, the consistency was not sticky. It was very dry and I really didn't think it would bake right. As you can see to the right, they actually turned out really well.

It made 12 cookies total, but they were thicker (because of the tart tray shape), which I liked because it meant they weren't so hard.

They didn't turn out super pretty, but considering this was my first try at baking since coming to New Zealand, I was pretty happy with the end result.

Food in a Minute Recipe Anzac Biscuits
Photo by Erin Grigson

Food In A Minute

The second recipe was from Food In a Minute.

Photos by Erin Grigson

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup thread coconut
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
125g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp boiling water

Preheat 180 C.
Mix oats, coconut, flour, and sugar.
Melt butter and golden syrup together.
Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water and add to the butter mixture.
Pour butter mixture into dry mixture and mix together.
Roll teaspoons into balls and place on tray.
Bake for 12-15 minutes 1 tray at a time.

Obviously based on the recipe, the batch size is significantly larger than the original recipe.

It made 3 batches, but it could have been more. (On the final tray, I made larger balls to see if the taste would change.)

I did not have to butter my tray beforehand because the mixture already had SO MUCH BUTTER in it.

I baked the first two trays for 13 minutes each and the third one (because of the larger balls) baked for 15.

The Food in a Minute recipe is definitely buttery, but it's the winner for sure!
Photo by Erin Grigson

Final decision

The bigger balls in the second recipe resulted in a MUCH better ooey-gooey delicious cookie. If you do the larger balls, then the second recipe beat the first one by a mile. 

Lifehack: They really do last a while, which was super convenient for me when taking the cookies to a picnic even though I made them a few days before. They were still really good! So if you have to bake for something and know you'll be pressed for time the day before, this is a pretty quick thing to whip up as few days beforehand and still be good!

Something extra: I think in the future, I might try them with some craisins or raisins or something to give it a bit more sweet flavor. I'll update this with how that works out when I do.

Also, I made a mess... but I cleaned it up so that I could make more!
Photo by Erin Grigson

Try out the recipes and let me know what you think!

Is there something else you have heard is delicious and haven't had a chance to try? Let me be the person to work out all the kinks! Let me know!

We Fed Giraffes and Other Stuff at Orana Wildlife Park

This is the giraffe we got to feed. She was hungry, but also wanted to pose for the camera!
Photos by Erin Grigson

Josh and I spent our Labour Day with some unique (and not so unique) animals.

Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch is New Zealand's only open range zoo. Before we went, I didn't know what that meant, but now I can say that it's pretty clearly a zoo that gives animals more room to interact naturally while still keeping visitors safe and breeding endangered species. But since that's too long to put on a sign, "open range zoo" will do.

A springbok, a rhino, a couple zebras, and a meerkat walk into a bar...
Photos by Erin Grigson

The park houses a whopping 400 animals across 70 species. However, the way the park is run, you may not see all those animals.

For instance, I'm a big fan of kangaroos and wallabies, so we went to see them. We didn't. As we were walking away, the tour guide of a passing shuttle was saying how he drives by that area everyday and has yet to see a wallaby. This is a credit to the way the park is run, that the zookeepers let the animals interact as much or as little as the animals desire.

Since I couldn't take pictures in the Kiwi House, I decided we
had to take a selfie with the massive kiwi outside.

One of my favorite things in the park was the Kiwi House. As you might guess, there was a kiwi inside whether you could see him or not.

Kiwis are nocturnal, so the house is dark, keeping the kiwi awake while visitors are in the park. Then they turn on the sun when the park is closed, giving the bird its sleep.

This bird fascinated me. (I didn't get a picture, partly because it was too dark and partly because photography isn't allowed in the kiwi house.) I have seen photos and even videos of it before, but seeing it in real life, I was blown away.

Kiwis are flightless birds and are also why New Zealanders are called kiwis. The birds have 2 legs. That's it. No wings, no arms, just 2 legs. Oh, and a seriously long beak. Because of this, they are kinda funny looking, but super cute.

What I found pretty cool about kiwis is that, first, the females are bigger than the males by about a third of the male. Also, after the female lays the really large egg (about a fifth the size it will end up growing to be), the male is the one that sits on it until it hatches. Way to do your part, kiwi dads!

Mr. Peacock was just wandering
around the park.
Photo by Erin Grigson

Unfortunately, kiwis are endangered, partly because of predators (including but not limited to dogs) and partly because the vast majority of kiwi chicks (about 95%) don't live a week.

But don't count kiwis out. They will rush you if they feel threatened. They will not go down without a fight.

But the kiwi wasn't the only thing we saw.

We walked through a huge bird enclosure where the birds flew free around you. It was pretty cool. There were birdfeeders around the path to bring the birds closer to the visitors, but other than that, it was like a jungle. It even had a waterfall.

Like I said, Orana is an open range zoo. Part of that concept is that some animals literally roam free. Obviously, there were some ducks moving freely. That's not really shocking. What did drop my jaw was the peacock - yes, peacock - casually walking around outside the bird enclosure.

I desperately wanted the peacock to open his tail, but I left him alone... after taking plenty of photos.

The tuatara, a native species of lizard that looks similar to an iguana, was also on display. While I was excited to see the special New Zealand reptile, it honestly looked like any other iguana to me.

What didn't disappoint (okay a little, but I was still excited) were the tasmanian devils. I was expecting Bugs Bunny's devilish friend. What we saw were lazy little balls of fur laying out in the sun. Definitely not a tornado of an animal. However, if the enclosures are any indication of how they act when awake and alert, they could be like that at some point.

The lions were being lazy.
Photo by Erin Grigson

They have lions and tigers, but no bears.

From 1976 to 1995, Orana had New Zealand's only drive-through lion reserve. Yes, that's drive-through, like what you do at McDonald's or Sonic. In fact, Josh's mother told me that she had driven through it with Josh's siblings. Wow.

However, for obvious reasons, they had to stop this practice. Fortunately, since 1999, the park has offered brave souls the opportunity to be in the lion enclosure, in a cage of course, during feeding time.

We opted out of that one.

When we first arrived, we were given a map of the park. In the map, it had the designated feeding times of specific animals, which helped visitors see the animals. And for some animals, visitors got to interact at that time.

We were lucky and got to do just that.

We fed a giraffe!
Left photo by Josh

Josh and I both got to feed a giraffe!

Delicious!

There were quite a few people lined up, but everyone got a branch and we all were able to feed one of the two giraffes eagerly waiting for their afternoon snack.

Our giraffe was a bit greedy and had her mouth full when she tried to take my branch. I held firm and didn't let her take my branch until she finished the other one (she kept dropping them out of her mouth) and she seemed okay with that.

It was definitely a new experience and I'd recommend it to anyone visiting Orana. It's free to anyone once you're in the park, so why not??

Giraffes were not the only animals guests could feed. They had a farm animal area that housed sheep, alpacas, pigs, chickens and more and people could go feed them during their designated time, too.

As per usual, I had ice cream. However, just to be clear, it was Josh's idea. And he got a popsicle, too. Both were refreshing on that hot, sunny day. We slurped on our sweets while wandering by the rhinos.

1 of only 3 gorillas in New Zealand.
Photo by Erin Grigson

After the rhinos, we saw the gorillas. Orana is special in that it's the only place in New Zealand that has gorillas. There are only 3 gorillas in all of New Zealand, all at the park.

The thing I love about Orana Wildlife Park ia that it's a not-for-profit, registered charity. All the money they raise goes to making life better for the animals. More than 15 million dollars have been raised to help the animals.

While we were there, we saw new, bigger enclosures with the animals inside them after passing smaller, empty ones. I love that the park is always working on making a more natural environment while keeping endangered species alive.

I know New Zealand is not the only place with zoos and I'm sure Orana Wildlife Park is probably not the only open range zoo in the world. But if you feel any inclination to contribute to a good animal cause, feel free to follow the link here. This place is desperately trying to save endangered species and is giving the animals in it the best life possible.

The cheetahs had so much room to run. That's one of the many things I loved about Orana.
Photos by Erin Grigson

I would highly encourage anyone in New Zealand with a family, for a date, or on your own to go to Orana Wildlife Park.

It was totally worth the $34.50 per person for the interaction with animals and the unique atmosphere.

Where to next?