One year anniversary

Hard to believe we have been here for one year. Time has gone by so fast and we have accomplished so much. Good times were had but many sacrifices have been made. Wouldn't change a thing!
It is warming up as we enter into spring here. It isn't getting dark till after 7 and it's feeling more like summer. Daylight savings time was last weekend. We are winding down to our last two months here and there is still lots to do. We started selling off our camp gear and items to fit everything into 4 bags. We should leave with less than we arrived with. Matt is off from school and working hard on his thesis.
Soon we will start planning our future with employment prospects back in the U.S.
We have been doing lots of hiking in the mountains near by on my days off. Yesterday we did the most extreme hike yet in the Kaimai mountain range. It was fourteen kilometers of up and down barely maintained . There were vines, roots and trees in the track. At the summit there were views of plains on one side and ocean on the other. We walked on the peak for hours before descending on the other side. The wind was so strong I thought it would blow us over the side!We were the only ones out on a Friday afternoon and the mountain was all ours.
Happy Fall to y'all !

Kia Orana!

Kia Orana! (Long May You Live), is the official greeting here in the Cook Islands. Everything is going well here, the weather is nice, people friendly, and Tap is a wealth of information! My research for my thesis is coming together, and in addition to the scientific research I am conducting, I am helping set up the aqua farm to be totally self suficient and sustainable. Since I got here 5 weeks ago, I have designed and set up a hatchery (so no baby fish need to be bought and imported), and aided in the implementation of a sustsainable food source for the fish (building a worm and maggot farm and seaweed growout facility on the property) that will eliminate the need for importing expensive feed. The days are long but rewarding. Currently I am working on drilling a well to find pure salt water. You would think it would be easy on a island surrounded by the stuff, but the lagoon water is polluted with bacteria from agriculture runoff in the streams. So, I dig deeper (using the machine!) everyday in hopes of finding pure saltwater so the cash crop of oysters can be introduced to the aqua farm.
In my free time I have been trying to have a swim in the lagoon everyday (the bacteria in the water is only harmful to the fish). It is beautiful! Friday nite is our "big nite on the town", when we get off the farm and have drinks in the capital city (pop. 800). Saturday morning is the "market day", where I have been able to pick up some unique gifts!
In one week I will have completed all my work and research and flying back to NZ. Back to Lauren, who I miss more than anything in the world.
Unfortunately, technology is slow in the Cook Islands, and because of the internet speed I have found it impossible to download the pictures I have taken. Once I get back to NZ I'll update this blog with some pics I have taken (I've taken plenty!).
Kia Maunuea (later)
Matt

The Adventures of Matt

Hi from NZ. I stayed behind on this adventure due to having to pay the rent. It would have been nice but we will go back. I dropped Matt off at the airport on the 17th. He was able to e-mail me the next day. He told me he arrived early in the morning and took a taxi to his guest house. He met up with the man, Tapp he has been communicating with daily for over a month. He turns out to be an energetic seventy seven year old, widowed with children in the states. The locals hold Tapp in high regard for the advances he is trying to make for the island of Rorotonga. He is employed by the UN to create a way to have self sustaining fish, algae and oysters that need no care. It sounds like they are only half way through with the project. I'm sure he was exited to have some fresh man power for his project. Matts first day he was exhausted, I had to laugh when I heard what he was doing. Tapp had him digging in the ground till he hit ocean water. He says it is hot dirty work but enjoying it. Tapp had made him a hamburger last I heard and he was off to read before bed. Hamiora, a friend from school would have been landing to join him today. I'm glad that he will have some company. Just wanted everyone to know he is safe and having the time of his life. I am so happy now he is being able to put to use everything he is learning and being able to see some positive effects.

I have been working hard and trying to enjoy NZ while we are still here. In my free time I have switched from acrylic to oil paint. Oils are very messy, smelly, toxic and sometimes explosive but they are amazing to look at. Sometimes a painting can take months to dry so I am layering them slow. I decided to paint some of my favorite photos from our travels. I would post the progress but unfortunately Matts got both cameras. Who knows maybe he will write on the blog too. Love, Lauren

Jude's 5th Birthday!

Today was Jude's big day! Lauren only adopted him when he was 1, so I found a picture online of what he may have looked like as a puppy (included below). His first owners physically abused him, and the Humane Society came in and took him to the shelter. Lauren adopted him on Christmas eve 2004. Since then he has had quite a good life, traveling near and far and getting spoiled along the way.
For his birthday I went to the butcher to find him a bone...I was given a 1 1/2 foot cow femur! I took a picture of him digging in...it was really graphic, think a National Geographic special on wolves, so I omitted it from our family friendly website!
He is an excellent watch dog, I feel safe when Lauren is home with him! He has no idea how small he is, no fear. His bred has been around for 2500 years in Japan, so his instincts are deep!
What a lucky dog, or are we the lucky one's?

Off to the Cook Islands for Matt

On June 17th I take off for 6 weeks of research in the Cook Islands. I will be located on the main island of Rarotonga, conducting research on my thesis entitled "Red-Water Aquaculture of the Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas with Red Tilapia Oreochromis ssp."

The aim of this study is to provide insight and recommendations on aspects in the aqua farming project related to biological and microbiological processes. The main focus of the report is to review crucial parameters of culturing Pacific Oysters and Tilapia such as:
· Crop specific considerations
· Stocking densities
· Feed input
· Interactions of microbiological and macrobiological processes
· Water quality
· Nutrient loads
· Monitoring needs
· Safety aspects of seafood production
· Physical design of the aquaculture facility

I will be working with a marine scientist from the States, featured in this magazine artice:
http://www.nzaquaculture.co.nz/AC22.pdf

I will be missing my Lauren...she has plans to focus on her art, and her fitness routine without my interfering!

I will have access to the internet, so I'll try to keep you all posted on my adventures. In the meantime we have added some pics I found online along with some of our recent adventures and lemon tree really bursting in our backyard. enjoy till next time!

CARE PACKAGES!!

a BIG THANK YOU to Theresa and Frank, and Elaine and John for the generous CARE packages we recieved today!

They both were delivered on the same day...felt a lot like Christmas morning! It may sound strange to you reading this, but the little things we used to take for granted (like the items in the packages) sure feel and TASTE nice!

So, THANKS for all the trouble (and postage!) your gifts are truely appreciated!

Check out the pic of your packages below!

Recap

Hi everyone back home. It is getting chilly here at night and rainy during the day. We are keeping busy with school and work. Thought we would re post some of our favorite photos till we get some new ones this weekend. Talk to you soon. Love, Lauren and Matthew

Happy Birthday Ryan! (And Happy Earth Day)

Just a quick 28th Birthday to my brother Ryan! I love you like a brother!

Happy Earth Day to all... I have attached a link of the best (and worst) fish to order when you go out to the market or order a restraunt.

Please print it out, Thanks!

http://www.edf.org/documents/1980_pocket_seafood_selector.pdf

Hey everyone, Matt here...figured I'd do a blog entry to see if anyone is still checking in with us on this page. Things have been going really well for us here in NZ...Lauren's getting on with her work and in her spare time is turning out some really nice pieces of art, Jude has a girlfriend (a little jack russel from nextdoor), and my masters program is really taking off!
Life is good here, its a healthy lifestyle, with plenty of sunshine and outdoor stuff lauren and I like doing (ocean/beach, bike trails, hikes). I get to do field work in some amazing locations; last month I spent 10 days on a volcanic island doing scientific research scuba dives at a marine reserve. A marine reserve is like a National Park, but most of it is underwater. NZ has led the world in establishing these reserves, and they tie into global warming and the depletion of fishing stocks worldwide. If a local government sections off a peice of water and says no fishing (commercial or recreational) the marine community that was once depleted in that area comes bursting back to life. The reserve I did my field work at is one of the oldest in the world, and its only been around for 10 yrs! The ocean has been abused for so long people's perception of "healthy" isn't what it should be, the source of a lot of the worlds problems (climate change, cures for disease) can be resolved with healthier oceans.
NZ is on the forefront of the "green" movement, they live it. Unfortunately, the ozone is so depleted here it is not safe to be outside on a hot summers day, and this little country has the highest incident of skin cancer in the world. The CFC output of the rest of the world has caused this mess, and they are doing their best to lead healthy eco-concious lives. It's quite inspiring!

Enough of this talk, on to more serious matters...we got a TV!!! It can pick up 5 channels, one is all in Maori (can't understad it), an all rugby/cricket channel (boring), and the last 3 are made up of English and American sitcoms (they even show American Idol). This is the life, I hope my grades don't suffer (I'm kidding!). Needless to say we barely watch it, but it does have a built in DVD.

Till next time, enjoy the pics and your spring weather
Matt, Lauren & Jude

Happy Easter everyone

It's been a sunny warm Easter here. I fortunately had the day off from work, but unfortunately spent the day alone. Do dogs count as a companion? The locals have four days off to hit the beaches up before fall. I have a feeling they are always walking around in sandals and surfing. I can't imagine it cold here. I spent the afternoon walking around downtown Tauranga. There has been a Jazz fest going on all week around the city. There were lots of foreigners in big hats and white people with no rhythm. This added to the people watching pleasure and the photos. It put me in a good mood being around happy families and music. I walked down the water front and visited a place they call the shed. Local artists rent tables and sell their art there. I like to browse around and chat up the sellers. After town I did my favorite hike in the hills again. I climbed a steep part to sit under a tree and found a treasure hunt a grade school left. There was a little drawing etched on leather . I had nothing to leave in exchange so I wrote in the log book and left a drawing of a thistle. I searched for the other 3 on the walk but no luck.
Hope everyone enjoys their holiday because mine is coming to an end now. I love being a day ahead! Thanks for the phone calls . Matt just called from the top of a hill on the island. A bunch of them climbed up to use their cell phones. He will be home on Wednesday. He says the diving is the best and he's having a good time. Love Lauren

Happy Saint Patricks !

G'Day to ya. Just wanted to get a message up to all my shiny Irish people I know. I don't know if there will be much of a celebration here. There are far more English and Scots about than Irish. Matt will be gone to an island off the coast with his class for ten days, including Easter. This will be the longest we have been apart. It will get me ready for his month long trip to the Cook Islands. I'm looking to other Islands I want to visit before going to Hawaii.
It is getting cooler but everyone still surfs and walks barefoot. We are getting ready for winter. We bought a big comforter and a propane heater for the house. All our best to everyone. Love Lauren , Matthew and Jude

The Vacations over!

Here we are in NZ going on six months. We just had a weeks worth of celebrations. First Matthew turned 31. We had balloons, a banner, cards and presents. I even tried my hand at an icecream cake of sorts. The kiwis love their sweets but don't have customary birthday cakes. I did get 30 candles lit for a wish. The next celebration was Valentines day. We had a nice candle lit dinner at home. A few days later was our three year anniversary of meeting. Now it's back to the grind.
I am working full time and Matthews has got a full schedule. Seven more months here so we are trying to enjoy all the unique things. It is muggy today with showers this morning. There are flowers still blooming. People say it gets real cold here in the winter. Nothing can be colder than a winter in New England. We always have Jude for warmth.
We miss everyone and can't wait to call soon.
Take care ,Lauren and Matthew

The Vacations over!

Home at last

We are setteling in to our home. There is plenty of room and privacy. It is very peacful and close to the beach. The gardener is clearing the jungle out back so we can keep up with it ourselves. The rug cleaner came earlier to get rid of the old lady, cat smell. We have the placed decked out in the finest second hand furniture. We are keeping it simple because whatever we buy we will have to sell when we leave next year. We have all the esentials to living. We even have a washer and hang our clothes on the line like every other kiwi. We have a bore in the yard, free well water for garden, we are made to recycle everything. NZ is trying to stop the use of plastic bags in stores. All the outlets can be shut off when not in use to save power. This country is very green.

It has been a hot summer so far and the young boys are acting up. Every day there is another stabbing in the news. The other night a 13 yr old boy got stabbed by a man for tagging his fence with spay paint. It is a huge unstoppable issue.Every morning towns wake up have to paint over graffiti again . I don't get it.

On my birthday in Taupo a young Scottish backpacker who was walking home from a bar died from a blow to the head. They still don't know who did it. Two other couples in that same week were badly beaten by a gang of kids with bats. After that crazy week I had enough of camping out on the North Island. Things are different than the South were everyone is a hard working streight laced farmer. These kids unfurtanatley are immitated American gangs they watch.

Matt is at school and loving it.He has been going for about 4 days and there is only one other girl in his class. They scuba and survey beaches. I'm a bit jelouse I must admit. Matt will be traveling to islands to explore. He is required to collect all the species of seaweed to press and 100 kinds of shells. I love shells so I will be using them for still lives as well. He is still thinking about were he wants to go to do his thesis on.

It is still sunny and hot here. All you have to do is go for a stroll and you need another shower. I am still hunting for work. I thought I had a job at a gallery but someone with more retail and less art experience got it. I have been doing watercolors in my spare time. We have one car to share so on the days I drop Matt off I am able to go to Papmoa hills , a nearby Maori Pa sit. It is very steep and a great work out. Check out the pics. I'm getting use to driving on the left, who knew!

We finally had the internet guy come out and hook up broadband. It is still slow but no more internet cafe! We still don't have a tv. We tune in to the news at 6 on our wind up radio and then there is a talk radio talk show that's on for a few hours. We do rent DVDs and watch them sometimes on my laptop.

Lauren's BIRTHDAY!!

Hello All - It's Matt, and in honor of the Princesses' birthday I will be posting today's blog!

It is a beautiful sunny day here in NZ, and we are celebrating L's 30th birthday!!(Her favorite holiday) She is having a good day so far, as she awoke to her breakfast already prepared (by yours truly), then we went to explore some of the F1 race car action at the track here in town (they have a big race here this weekend), then we went to WATCH some fools bungy jump (L didn't want to jump to celebrate her big day!), spent a relaxing afternoon at the beach along the lake complete with picnic lunch, now a quick stop at the internet cafe before we clean up to go out to dinner (Thai food).

We having been staying the week here in Taupo before we move into out new house tomorrow afternoon. They have some nice mountain bike trails that we have been testing ourselves on for the past week, but now we are ready to settle down after our long travels around the country!

We thought that people would get a kick from some of the everyday lingo:

• Oy - hey
• Hiya - hi
• cheers - thanks goodbye
• seeyas - bye
• ta - bye
• corker - spectacular
• choice - awesome
• dear - more in price
• good as gold - done
• partner - husband or wife non homosexual
• reckon - think
• nappies - diapers
• handle- pint
• panel beater - body shop
• boot- trunk
• bonnet- hood
• arvo - afternoon
• tea - dinner
• bute - beautiful
• trolley -shopping cart
• docket - receipt
• Que - line
• Bach - beach house
• wicked -awesome
• lovely -great

Waiting to move in

One more week till we have a roof over our heads. It seems like it's been forever. We have been without a home since our closing in September. We now appreciate the little things like walls and a ceiling above. No more tarp shelters or tent building.
We are camped out at Reeds farm in Taupo. This is our standby that's a cross roads for all other travelers on the North Island. There are plenty of spots to camp near the river and long drops all over. The youth are fascinated with off road driving and fire. They are referred to here as boy racers as funny as that sounds. Someone had abandoned a car near our camp. The first day they broke a window and opened the hood, next day smashed windshield and finally torched it. The flames burnt all the trees around. There are some places we dare not go for fear of getting our tent torched!
Other than the random fire all else is uneventful. This is the lull before the storm. We are spending my birthday here so we can ride the Mountain bike trails for the week. This has been our favorite thing to do.
Sorry about the appearance of the blog. We are slapping pics on wherever we can. I'm still not traveling with my laptop.It's also good to hear that some people are interested in visiting. Cheers!

We did it!

Happy 2008 to everyone. Sorry we haven't kept you undated but we were literally in the middle of no were. We managed to see all of the North and South Island. It took allot of miles and searching every night for a perfect campsite. The 4 wheel drive came in handy on the gravely unpaved roads. The scenery is amazing and so diverse. We have seen glaciers,waterfalls, valleys, mountains, rainforests, rapids, beaches, forests etc. all in the size of the state of Calorado. We have been in the country for 3 months about. We are now ready to settle down.
We spent Christmas Eve camped at a site next to the ocean on the top of the South Island. It was sunny and Matt went for a dip. We exchanged presents sitting on our fold out travel chairs and a bottle of bubbly. We bought a crank radio for tunes but no Christmas music or any other signs of the season here. Christmas is being fazed out and the next day Boxing Day is the big deal. I bought Matt a Maori tiki, some t-shirts, fillet knife for diving and other odds and ends picked up on our travels. It's kind of hard hiding a present living together out of a van. He bought me a sarong with fern print a hand weaved backpack, a leather bracelet and some other hand made crafts. It was a unique experience. I had planned on finding a tree to decorate with the Pua shells we dove for at a beach but there wasn't a tree.
. We drove onto the ferry Christmas afternoon as planned with no troubles just a bit of rain. We sat in the front of the boat in reclining seats as we navigated through islands. We drove off the ferry 3 hrs later in Wellington on the North and started having engine trouble. The beast was on it's last leg and we knew we had to get to a camp fast. We tried to get up a hill but it died in the middle of the highway. There we were on Christmas in the rain in a foreign country with a dog and most our possessions with us. We had no time to get down we had to act fast. We each grabbed a pack and filled it with survival gear and important documents. We next called the Police who had trouble understanding were we were. Finally we got a tow # and he was able to come out for a fee and tow us. We had no were to go so we pleaded with a hotel nearby to let us stay with our dog. The van got dumped outside the hotel door and there it stayed for 3 nights while we had to wait out the holiday. The kiwis all go on a month holiday at the same time. Everything is closed while they go set up camp on the beach. Luckily Matthew is a trooper and got on his bike in driving rain and a hail storm to find the info center, bank and finally a car dealer to buy us our new Toyota 4 runner. We were so glad to get out of there on our way.
We were having a stretch of bad luck. Our camera broke at the most scenic lake at Mt. Cook , Matts surf board snapped in half before he got to the good beaches and then the car. The other day Matt misplaced his wallet at the library. For once I stayed calm and ran back to beg the librarian to open up. I knew our luck couldn't get worse...
We got the wallet back, got a new camera and today found a house to rent a street away from the most amazing beach. It has it's own private garden with fruit trees, lavender, hydrangeas, roses a shed, a garage for me to transform into a studio, a enclosed patio for entertaining and two beds. A young couple just bought it as an investment and we got along so they said it's a go in 2 weeks!
New years we saw Rhythm and Vines, a concert held on a vineyard in Gisborne. This is one of the towns that was days earlier struck by an earthquake. We haven't felt anything yet but we do sit on a fault line. It keeps us on our toes. We were by far the oldest at the concert. We didn't know any of the bands but were just glad to hear live music. We have been without tv or a radio for so long. They had fire breathers , acrobats, people on stilts and firwork show at midnight. We were able to set up a tent during the show in one of the fields.I'll post pics.
I posted only a few of the pictures we've collected.I am working on a slide show with it's own soundtrack. Hopefully I can burn everyone a copy and you can print out the pictures you each like. I can't wait enlarge a bunch of them. I kept two small journals too. One for North one for South. Keep reading the blog. We will change out the pictures in a few days.

Check Out the new PICS!!