Garage Sale!

Here's the stuff we're trying to sell before we leave from Auckland on Feb 15. All prices are an asking price but we're open to offers, especially if you're buying more than one item. Items are in Auckland.

Bliss Stick Smoothy (playboat) - blue, used for ~ 2 months in good nick with all the padding and an uncut foot block - asking $950 NZD but open to offers

I also have some other kayaking gear shown in the photos that I don't need to sell but would be willing to part with if the price was right and you were buying one of the above items. ***Paddle no longer available.***

92 Toyota Camry Wagon w/ roof rack (perfect for the Smoothy!) - SOLD!

Email us at mjogdahl at gmail dot com with offers, questions, etc.

Happy shopping.

Back in Christchurch - Jan 18

After Pukaki, we went to Mt. Cook and hiked around there for a day. There were several glaciers and lakes with small icebergs floating in them. We decided not to go swimming. We then went to Waimate (little town on east side of island) and spent a few days relaxing at a holiday home of Neville who we met at bowls in Diamond Harbor. We enjoyed showers and sleeping in a proper bed while baking.

We got to enjoy a 20/20 cricket game (shorter version than the 5 day w/ tea breaks type). The spectators all sat right next to the boundary rope and we were quite close to the action. Kids would line up by the fielders that were in the "outfield" and get autographs between bowls. There was also a streaker who sprinted across the field and hurdled both wickets so we got the full experience.

We stopped in Geraldine to see the world's largest jersey (sweater). It weighs 5.5 kg and was made on knitting machines. Megan had bought 6 kg of roving so I suggested she start knitting a bigger one to steal the record away.

One of the great things about New Zealand driving is the custom road signs! We saw this one and had to get a picture of it.

We stopped into a small town of Fairlie which is in the McKenzie region. It was named after a Scotsman, James McKenzie, who was a sheep thief. He used some unknown mountain passes to take 1000 sheep from one of the wealthier stations in the area. After being arrested, he escaped multiple times until being granted a pardon just because it was so much work trying to keep him in jail. This the statue of him with his sheep dog Friday.

Unfortunately the Tekapo Whitewater Course release did not go as scheduled on the weekend. They had too much water (also the reason for the crazy video in the last post) and were not able to open the gates to let the water in. The gates are basically like a miniature version of the dams on the Mississippi River where the water pressure keeps them closed. Too much water and there is too much pressure to overcome. A few other people from Dunedin (Harry, Ian (who was hairy too), and two other guys I didn't get names for) showed up and we paddled down the Tekapo river which was in flood but very tame (Class II).

We've driven to Christchurch now and are staying with Becs and Dave (paddlers we met). Sunday was another paddle on the Huranui river which was fun and there is a BBQ/slideshow from the kayaking Christmas trip tonight. We're planning to head north toward Nelson to pick up Megan's spinning wheel next.

Whoooopie!

We drove to Twizel yesterday since there was free camping and it was close to Mt. Cook. After setting up the tent we went to check out the spillway where there is a short kayaking run that requires a dam release to be runnable. Usually these are scheduled but there had been lots of rain and they were trying to drain the lakes. We also happened to bump into a kayak club from Auckland and 4 of their members (Martin, Katalla, Jen, and Eric) wanted to run it so that worked out perfect. Here's a picture of the spillway at the put in (no we didn't slide down that).

Meg took a short clip of me running the first drop which was a big tongue of water into waves crashing from both sides. Scouting it from shore and even paddling up to it, it didn't seem too bad. Just hit it down the middle right? Well once I was dropping down into it I realized how massive it really was!

That first drop was by far the hardest part of the run (I actually went back and ran it again it was so much fun). Most of the rest was big wave trains and avoiding a few scattered holes which Martin did an excellent job of guiding us around. The water was so high there were small pine trees underwater in the eddies. The run took all of 10 minutes since the water was moving so fast (usually 30-45 minutes I think?). The next morning we asked what the flow level was and they were releasing at 342 cumecs (cubic meters/sec). Normally they do 100-120 cumecs for scheduled kayak releases.

Today we're off to explore Mt. Cook. We won't be climbing it but we'll be in the park at its base. It is in the background of the picture below.

Away in Alexandra

Well we finished the Christmas paddling trip - 14 days, 10+ rivers, 2 lost paddles (not mine luckily), multiple swims (not mine either), and a roaring good time. We're in Alexandra now at a wash and surf where you can use the internet while you do laundry. We'll try to post some pictures of the kayaking trip later.

We're hoping to spend a few days in Waimate at a rental house of Neville (a lawn bowler we met in Diamond Harbor) to recover and relax in a real bed. The whitewater park in Tekapo has a release next weekend which we're hoping to go to. There is free camping!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (almost)!

Our friend Tanya back home in Minnesota sent us this picture of her house around Christmas time (it hadn't even finished snowing yet).

Quite a contrast to here where we spent Christmas walking through a botanical garden and kayaking in the ocean surf. We left the farm on Dec 24 and went to Dunedin (south east coast on south island) where we rented a cabin at a campgound for two days. We baked a veggie lasagna and more kringler for our Christmas dinner. It was a little lonely being away from family on such a holiday but we called and talked to our parents and siblings.

Here are a few pictures from the farm in Roxburgh where we were before Christmas. This is Megan teaching Mariko (another WWOOFer) a knitting pattern. They both did a lot of spinning and knitting. Before we left the farm, Megan bought 6.5 lbs of roving (carded wool) since it was so inexpensive and meant a little more coming from a place we'd stayed. We're starting to realize that getting all these things home will require a little creative work packing!

I even gave in to the peer pressure and tried my hand at spinning. Here's my first ball of yarn. I tried crocheting a hat with it but it turned out way too small and not nearly as pretty (hence no picture).

One of the fun chores in the morning and afternoon was feeding the ducks. You'd come out the door with a bucket of grain and start saying "Duk, duk, duk, duk". Before you knew it there was a line of 10 ducks following you and quacking their heads off.

On our way from Dunedin after Christmas, we went through Miller's Flat on Boxing Day where they were having a rodeo. We watched barrel racing, roping, bareback and saddle bronc riding, and even a mutton buster which is where a tiny kid gets put on the back of a sheep and hangs on for dear life. Some dads were running after the little tykes holding them up by their collars.

One of the beaches we stopped at had some really interesting stones that looked like marbles. Here's Meg giving one of the Moeraki boulders a hug.

We're over in the Otaga/Fiordland area now on a kayaking club trip. One of the Kawarau River sections was called Roaring Meg so we got an appropriate picture for that one. The paddling on that section was some of the boiliest water I've ever been on (pushes you all over in an unpredictable way).

This is a photo of Skippers Road which we drove up (slowly!) to get to a campground for the Shotover River. It was only one lane wide with a steep cliff on one side and a drop off on the other. We ran that river twice it was sooo much fun with all the waves and holes for playing on. Megan did some of the shuttle driving one day and got to take our station wagon on a bumpy bumpy road with multiple fords (stream crossings). On the way back it had started raining and water splashed up on the hood on one of them.

Unfortunately there aren't too many pictures of me on the river but here's one of me getting out. This was after the Dog Leg section of the Kawarau River. Another of the biggest paddles I've ever done with enormous waves (8ft+) and minimal eddies to stop in.

Recipes

Well we got rained out this morning so no Builder Bob for now. In the meantime I thought it would be fun to share some of the recipies we'd been using here in case anyone wanted to try them back home.

The first is the Melting Moments - Buttery Cookies with Icing Sandwiched from Edmonds Cookery Book

200 g (bit less than 1/2 lb) butter, softened
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 cup cornflour (corn starch)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Butter icing or rasperry jam

Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flour, cornflour, and baking powder together. Mix into creamed mixture, mixing well. Roll dough into small balls the size of large marbles and place on a greased oven tray (we used baking paper and make sure to leave plenty of space between them as they will flatten out to be ~ 2" in diameter). Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake at 180C (350F) for 20 minutes or until cooked. Cool and sandwich two biscuits together with Butter Icing or raspberry jam. Makes 16.

Butter Icing (for filling)

100 g (~ 3 ounces) butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons hot water

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in icing sugar, beating until smooth. Add sufficient water to give a spreading consistency. Can flavor with cocoa, lemon, strawberry shake mix, tummeric (tried this to color the lemon flavor but it didn't work - grin ).

Now you have an idea of how buttery these cookies end up!

The other was for Cockeyed Cake from "I hate to cook book" by P Bracken. It is quite easy and fun to make and results in a delicious moist chocolate cake.

1 1/2 cups sifted flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspooon Bicarb of Soda (baking soda)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cold water

Sift together flour, cocoa, soda, sugar, and salt right into greased cake tin (9x9x2 - we used a smaller one and it was fine, even a little thin). Now make three grooves or holes in this dry mixture. Into one, pour the oil, into the next the vinegar, into the next the vanilla. Now pour cold water over it all.

You'll feel like you are making mud pies now but beat the mixture with a spoon until nearly smooth and you can't see the flour. Bake at 350F for 1/2 to 3/4 hour.

Tally Ho Ho Ho - Dec 19

Well Christmas is nearly here so we baked kringler, traditional Norwegian cookies Megan's family often makes. The Kiwis weren't too keen on the smell of cardamom but we don't mind because there are more for us. We also made a moist chocolate cake and melting moments (buttery cookies sandwiched around icing) so there are lots of treats around. Barb and Stuart have been very welcoming and really made us feel like their house was our's too. Barb said "We may be hillbillies but we're happy hillbillies."

They'd made a batch of ginger beer with a previous WWOOFer and it was "aging" in the pantry. We came home and one of the glass bottles had exploded! We quickly opened the others to release the pressure.

Megan and I helped pick up some calves from a neighbor yesterday that Barb and Stuart were letting graze in their paddocks. It was interesting learning how to "work" the animals by trying to steer them. It took a few tries but the six of us finally got them into the pen and then into the trailer. We went to bowls (lawn bowling) afterward and then pub night which was fun as well.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I was asked to be "Bob the Builder" and help Stuart repair a sheep yard. I think Megan may be helping thin apples. There's been a lot of spinning going on between the three ladies (Mariko, Barb, and Megan) and the yarn is piling up. Sorry there aren't any pictures but uploading is slow with the dial up connection here.