preparation day

We leave in the morning for Te Anau, where the Kepler Track begins. We'll be hiking Sunday to Wednesday, carrying all our stuff. I will "blog" in my notebook until we get out to internet again next week.

My last day in Dunedin was full. I visited the art gallery, witnessed a parade of primary kids learning about traffic safety which was led by a Scottish marching band, met Catherine's students, had lunch in the botanical garden cafe with Catherine and friends, did tons of food prep for our tramp, helped Catherine's flatmate carry a wardrobe upstairs, hiked at Tunnel Beach, and visited one last time with Catherine's parents. I would post pictures, but I'm fighting with the automatic password generating software I've recently installed. Can't get to my pictures.

Anyway, here are some of the things I've learned today.

1. The "fanbake" setting in a New Zealand oven (is that like convection in terms I'm familiar with?) cooks way faster than the regular "bake" (or the time given on the recipe, for that matter).

Granola bars for the hike are a bit dark, but still tasty.

2. When the Salvation Army thrift store volunteer is clearly over seventy, hair in a tight white perm, lips creased inward from years of sternness . . .  maybe suggesting as a solution to the many-shoppers-one-changing-room problem, "Hey, I'm not shy. Any place back in the back where I could try these on?" not the best approach.

I still had to wait for the woman ahead of me to try on her gazillion items of clothing . . . while growing surer by the minute that volunteer lady, who I had to brush past, apologizing, every two minutes in the ridiculously cramped shop, thought I was a complete skank.

3. The regular supermarket does not sell dehydrated mushrooms. The Asian supermarket just across the street does. They both sell lots of cheap ramen packets.

4. Choosing a sharp curve halfway up the hill home to set down heavy shopping bags and shake out aching arms might convince some sucker to stop and give you a lift home!

It was not as calculated as it sounded. She was very nice. Her car was filled with bales of hay. Literally filled. She lifted her bags off the seat so I could get in with mine, then put her bags on my lap and drove me home. I was very grateful. My arms hurt.