halfway home
October 18, 2005Onemana, New Zealand
7:58pm
We have reached, and since exceeded the halfway point of our trip. We are tentatively scheduled to leave NZ around March 16, 2006 and might kick around BC for a couple of days to visit some friends before finally coming home. 22 weeks away with around 22 to go. The journey continues. Even if it ended now it would have been totally worth it. Am I scared shitless about coming home? You bet. Do I feel like we made the right decision about packing it all in and leaving on a big fat jet plane? One look at my wife and son’s smiles tell me yes. Fuck yes.
And yes I am swearing for dramatic effect. I am not drunk. I wish.
Sunday in fart town proved as exciting and as redolent as the Saturday. This time we went to one of the sources of all the sugary sulpheric scents, a thermal activity reserve. It also serves as a meetinghouse and carving areas for local Maoris and has for hundreds of years. So we felt we have done our duty in regards to experiencing some Maori culture with our show on Saturday night and our tour on Sunday.
Colour us less full of Wonderbread guilt.
The rest of the reserve meandered through bubbling mud pools, steaming rivers and finally a spouting geyser. Before I get to the appropriate geyser jokes, I must tell you about setting up the picture below. I was trying to get Steph and Hud hugging in between the two speaker boxes explaining the exotic steaming land beyond. Just as I was about to snap the picture, Hudson announced he had to go poo. Look at his little face in this picture. It looks like its touching cloth. Turtle heading.
I can’t think of a better place in the diary to use those jokes. Needless to say, Hud was big boy enough to hold it until we reached a bathroom. Not before Steph, mother of the year in my books, offered to catch it in the blue bags we always carry for just this occasion. Even I, the king of poo, would not volunteer for that type of effort. You’re a better parent than I Ms. White.
The bathrooms were right near the main attraction of this park, an active geyser.
It looked quite docile so we decided to try and catch the lunchtime Maori show up at the meetinghouse. Sure we saw one the previous night, but I wanted to see if Assy, the Hawaiian hula cougar was doing the Rotorua Maori circuit.
I never did get to find out because as we started walking back, the geyser started to percolate, causing the throng of Asians to rush to the front of roped off portion of the park.
Damn Asians, as if your $8,000 digital camera couldn’t zoom in from the lobby of your hotel.
We were able to squeeze in and watch as this geyser, bubbled and boiled and eventually erupted, sending a stream of steamy water at least 40 feet in the air.
Pretty neat stuff this earth can do.
After it was over, as we walked away from the now flaccid geyser, Stephanie “Pure” White turned to me and whispered in my slightly rounded ear; “Reminds me of something”.
Tee hee naughty girl. Tee hee.
The drive back from Rotorua was highlighted by a stop at Waihi Beach. It was on the way, but still off the beaten path a little. It was another nice beach, the only significant difference being we arrived at low tide, and millions of fully intact shells of all varieties washed up on shore. Hud even found a crab claw, which is pretty much like winning a lottery ticket to a three-year-old boy. It still sits on his dresser. He has smelled it every morning since.
Speaking of every morning since, the last couple of days have been great writing days, with a dash of beach in the afternoon. The sun finally made an appearance on the Peninsula so we have been taking advantage of all the natural beauty surrounding us. It makes for nice days to have such a productive morning writing wise, and such a warm family afternoon. It’s the balance I have been speaking of throughout all these posts.
So, we leave here in 8 days. We are have a birthday party to go to on Saturday afternoon, and then it’s back to Carol and John’s. Light in the loafers Anthony asked specifically if we could come over to his parents house for dinner. He is down for the Labour Day weekend and wanted to make us a stir-fry. He also asked Steph if she would like to go to a quilting show on the Sunday. She has yet to confirm. We were thinking he was going to come out to Steph. Oh the fodder for this journal!
On Sunday night we are going to a BBQ at Ross and Sandy’s house just down the street. They were away for a couple of weeks and wanted to have us over before we leave. Their daughter, the midwife Tina, with the secret past, will be there with her two kids and her partner (They are not married you know, Carol whispered in our ears) Mark. Steph says Mark has a huge tattoo on his back and if get drunk enough, god help me, I will ask him to disrobe during dessert so I can see it.
Tuesday I promised I would go to play centre with Hud and Steph, only if I have reached the 200-page mark of the novel. I am on page 185 now so it's looking good.
I also passed the 100,000-word mark, which was important to me, as well as it now being about ten pages longer then the journal.
That’s a lot of writing chief.
It’s amazing what time will offer you.
Take it easy life coach.
Lots of interaction with my neighbours this week!!
I can’t wait!
Love to all,
J
posted by Jason @ 12:50 AM
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