North Cape Coastal Drive

Saturday, July 5, 2008

John's choice stop of the day, being an Idaho boy, was PEI’s potato museum in O’Leary. PEI gives Idaho a big run for its money in terms of potato production – red iron oxide soil vs. volcanic soil, am not sure who wins. The museum was very interesting but after about half an hour even John’s “potato fun meter” ran out. (And, yes, that is a giant potato in the photo. Fortunately, they had none for sale!)




My choice stop of the day was the beautiful Bottle Houses on the North Cape Shore. What we learned - it’s VERY important to have a good foundation. Mr. Arsenault built them on railroad ties and they only lasted about 10 years because of the frost heaves in this cold part of the world (sounds a bit like the chimney for our sugar shack). They’ve now been rebuilt on firmer footings surrounded by beautiful gardens. Inspiration for when we get home… (Yes, that is a giant flower sculpture in the photo. Unfortunately, they had none for sale.)

Points East Coastal Area

Friday, July 4, 2008

First, we owe our apologies to Tillie and her performance in the wind. It turned out that it was a very WINDY day everywhere. Normally the ride in the big ferry to PEI is relatively smooth but that day… let’s just say rumor has it they ran out of sea sick bags early in the voyage.

PEI really is the land of gentle rolling hills/farmland that goes down to the sea. Very beautiful and very unpopulated by US waterfront standards. The provincial parks where we’re camping are right on the ocean with red sand (due to iron oxide) beaches/shore land. They are beautiful parks lacking only internet service so these postings will be sporadic. PEI has its own style of lighthouse – the one in the photo happens to be the first one that received a distress signal from the Titanic so you know how far east we are.

We spent the first couple of days exploring the south and east end of island as that’s furthest from where we’ll be working. The slogan PEI uses is “the gentle island”. In fact, some villages marked on the map are so “gentle” that we drove right through them without knowing we’d been there (or perhaps PEI is just marking “villages to be”…). Cardigan proves no crossroads is too small to support a library. Actually Cardigan is a bit bigger than most and even had an internet café.

Farming on PEI doesn’t stop at the sea. Mussel farming is particularly big business. Those black dots on the water hold strings of mussels making themselves plump enough to make it to our tables. Seemed like a good business to be in until you realized they harvest them all year (that includes winter) long. The video clip we watched showed men (women don’t want to be liberated that badly) with snow suits & icicles frozen to their beards using chain saws to cut through the ice. One of them dons a wet suit (guess who drew the short straw last night?) and hops in the hole to locate the ropes of mussels to be harvested. If any of you are interested in winter employment, I’m sure there are always openings…

Thursday - Maine to Prince Edward Island...

Thursday, July 3, 2008

All day we were periodically reminded by yellow warning signs we were in moose country. Fortunately we did NOT see any unless you count the large 4 legged black BBQ I spotted at twilight at our campground for the night. Obviously, while my memory may sometimes fail, my imagination is still as sharp as ever.

Most folks going to Prince Edward Island (PEI) from the states take the coastal route. (Now we now know the main reason is NOT that it is shorter...) We opted to head north and take Route 6, crossing at Vanceboro. If you're into backwoods and desolation, this stretch of Maine is for you. Once we crossed into Canada, the land appeared a bit more hospitable. The town of McAdam was, and still is, a railroad hub with the lovely train station you see in the photo.

Once we got to Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick (we know the capital building must be there somewhere but we missed it), we took the scenic road along the Saint John River – gives the Hudson a run for its money in terms of size. Then it was on the main Canadian highway from Jemseg to Moncton. Trust us – you do NOT want to break down on this road; you want to make sure your gas take is FULL of gas before venturing forth; you do NOT want to travel it in the winter or probably at night since there were lots of moose signs; you do NOT to want navigate it in Tillie on a windy day. We managed the first items but not the last. WINDY, WINDY, WINDY... poor Tillie was practically blown off the road. Not fun but it certainly kept John awake at the wheel.

After passing our last moose signs of the day (these flashing no less) just before the PEI bridge, we arrived on the island. Since crossing over we’ve seen no moose signs, our campground had no 4 legged BBQs, and the wind was blowing just enough to keep the mosquito's at bay.

Wed. - NH to Maine...

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Heading toward Prince Edward Island, sort of that is as there's really no Tillie worthy direct route. Saying our goodbyes to Ginny, Steve, Ben & RB who sent us on our way well fed, we headed north to Route 2. Normally we might have taken diagonal back roads instead of I93 but that would mean going by Lake Winnipesaukee. The last time we’d been there Tillie “decided” to blow her engine and spent the summer there being pampered. We were afraid she’d get “ideas” again so made a wide berth.

We can now verify that “Old Man of the Mountain” is no longer there although one is encouraged to stop and look at where it was… We thought the excitement might be too much so headed on to Maine for lunch in Bethel. It’s a lovely little village and a good place to stop (and we can now tell a friend who grew up there that we’ve finally been there).

Our favorite stop of the day, however, was in Skowhegan, ME (see photo). American ingenuity! Where else can you go in the north, strip off, and get tan while your clothes are getting cleaned? Just think of this the next time you hear Skowhegan has again been blanketed with snow.

And then there was the “Family Consignment” shop in Howland, ME. I dreamed all night of families shopping for new relatives. Perhaps you'd like another kid or two or a slightly used mother-in-law? Howland is the place to go….

On the road in Tillie & heading to PEI

We're off again! In Tillie once again you'll be pleased to know. This time it's to Prince Edward Island in Canada to work on a Habitat Build (a real hardship post I'm sure).

As we're staying the first night with our friends in New Hampshire, we and Tillie have been this route before. I thought at first I'd write about Troy, the home of Uncle Same, since it's so close to the 4th, but then we came to Bennington, Vermont. They have all these wonderful "people" sculptures on the street doing ordinary things. The sculpture in this photo is the window washer, not the biker. My favorite sculpture is a man dropping trash in a trash can but it was on the other side of the road and impossible to get a photo of as we zipped along. You will just have to visit Bennington and see for yourselves.

Then is was on to the Molly Stark Trail/highway to travel through Vermont. Since we'd just had our VISTA reunion where we collectively could not remember the year we had had the reunion in North Carolina, I did not feel shy about asking John to refresh my memory as to who exactly, Molly Stark was. His reply... "that person who did something in the war". Now we're all enlightened.

A VISTA Reunion

40 years ago our government recruited young folks, mostly from college campuses among graduates not sure what they wanted to do in life, to address the problem of poverty in this country. It was also the time of the Vietnam War, so the fact that many draft boards gave a deferment for VISTA also helped with recruitment. Our friend, Karol, now refers to our efforts as "Johnson's failed war on poverty". The group John & I worked with was assigned to rural North Carolina.

Some things have not changed since then. Unfortunately, poverty still exists. However, those we worked with have remained life long friends. And we all still like to eat. This past weekend we hosted, along with our fellow VISTA, Judi & her husband Scott, our 40th reunion. (Let me tell you it did NOT seem like 40 years to any of us, probably since we all seem to have forgotten a lot that's gone on in those 40 years!)

In the photo, John & Karen & breakfast at the "pig pit". There's something about a little smoke and fresh air that makes breakfast taste just that much better.

Then came the pig - North Carolina was, and still is, BIG on "chopped hog" BBQ. There were not enough of us to warrant a "full hog" but after all was said and done we found the pork shoulders just as good, all be it the "production" element was not as dramatic.

And then the "group portrait" (my apologies to Ken who hadn't arrived yet when the photo was taken). Howie took the award for having come the farthest (Oregon) in the US; Zelda (London) for our transcontinental traveler; and Steve (Boise) for the longest time to get here (airline delays seem to be with us). When Steve's GPS unit on his rental car directed him up our seasonal road through the corn field at 2:30 a.m. he REALLY began to get nervous - as John told him when he called in a panic, "just think Steven King and keep driving". A good time was had by all!!!!

Sailing again...

See that little white spec out there in the middle of the river? That's the St. Lawrence River by the way and that's John & Terry on the first sail of the season. While it is really beautiful looking out that direction, they said it was even more beautiful looking toward the camera. A rain storm had just gone over and there was a perfect rainbow over the island.

I suppose I really should share that all was not totally calm on the boat. The boat had not been in the water since last year and wooden boats do need a few "adjustment" hours in the water to allow them to swell before they become water tight. Let's just say John & Terry's pumpin' arms got a fairly good workout on this little excursion. However, they made it safely back to shore and Fred did not have to be called away from his watering chores to man the rescue boat.

Steam bending...

Sunday was Canal Fest Day at Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum. John volunteers there helping build an 1800's canal boat. The boat is being built in sections, never to be joined so visitors can how they were constructed. Bus loads of school kids come every year to learn about the canal and the boats.

This Sunday John helped with demonstrations on steam bending wood. Thursday they asked him if he could also appear somewhat in costume. The weekend saw me putting the finishing touches on a somewhat authentic (thanks to the internet) canal builder's shirt. John tells me the demonstrations (and the shirt) were a success and that many good looking women asked to have their pictures taken with him. (I confess, after the first bend of the wood, I decided reading a good book back at the car was my idea of a pleasant way to pass a Sunday afternoon.)

Several blades closer to roque croquet...

As you will recall (especially if you look at the last post) the refurbished roque croquet court was left barren but seeded three weeks ago with only God & Fred to watch over it. All that green stuff you now see out there is due to marvelous Fred who has spent literally hours keeping the seed moist, removing fallen branches, re staking stakes, contemplating spring, summer, the lack of rain and generally developing his watering technique. Without Fred's dedication it is VERY doubtful if the park's court would be playable for the coming championship season. Don't be surprised to see names such as Tiger & Rocco appearing on this season's line-up.

However, the hot dry past couple of weeks did leave a few patchy spots on the court so another layer of seed has been added. Two mule team Terry & John provided the power to roll the court both to level it a bit more and to press down that new seed. No, your eyes aren't foolin' you, those are snow shoes. One thing croquet does is bring out man's ingenuity. When the earth was still soft a couple of weeks ago and the court appeared in need of more seed, Terry strapped on the snow shoes and sallied forth. (Apparently the idea was not a success as the snow shoes were quickly abandoned - whether from spectator laughter or because they were not needed has still to be determined by this reporter.)

And now the lawn sprinkler has been discovered (what will they invent next?!) and Fred's hand has been saved. The spray is wide enough to reach both sides so Fred only has to move it once. How many times will he have to remove the dog?

Croquet anyone?

Memorial weekend, 2008, Thousand Island Park...

It's true. Most folks go looking for at least a parade to commemorate the weekend. We on the other hand are always just a little different. We load up our rototiller and head north in search of a 100 year old roque croquet court in need of some tender loving care. Let's face it. Have you ever seen one? There just aren't many left. Our friend Terry, John & I decided it was time to either "put out" and restore the court in the Thousand Island Park or quit talking about it. (Believe me, it was awfully tempting after the first hour of working on it to change our minds and choose the second option...)

I took a LOT of photos (a good excuse to take a LOT of breaks) so you'd see what was involved. In the set to the right...
1) John breaks ground (notice the small pile of dirt at the far end)
2) John breaks more ground
3) The pile of dirt that will eventually go over the court looks bigger when you're closer...
4) Terry breaks ground
5) John & Bill celebrate finishing the hand edging of the court (notice the muscles on Bill and his youth - this will prove to be VERY important the next day!)
6) John continues to break ground
7) Terry breaks up more ground (did I not mention how wet the ground was when we started so the sod was very clumpy?)
8) Terry continues to break ground
9) 6 hours from the time we started, John takes one more pass before calling it a day.

Day 2 of our project the sun is still shining and the ground has dried out just enough to allow us to continue. After waiting for church to be over (Thousand Island Park is an old Methodist Church camp after all) and taking time for an energy building lunch, it's back to the court.
1) The big dig starts. The dirt from the pile (it now looks GIGANTIC) has to be distributed across the court.
2) With their wheelbarrows full are Terry, Bill & John (you might note that because of his youth, Bill was allowed to use the largest wheelbarrow...)
3) Break time (let's see... there was only two-thirds yet to go)
4) And lest you think I did nothing but take photos, that's me on the left. I had the task of spreading and leveling the dirt the guys dumped (and I kept up with them!)
5) We had one small pile too much (those are my feet - I just couldn't deal with standing any longer!)
6) The extra gets shoveled into the truck, taken away & we called it a day. (By the way, that's Fred on the left. In the next two weeks he's going to play a MAJOR role... read on.)
7) Day 3 - John drug the court to level it (I forgot to take a photo) but this is the finished product.
8) I'm spreading the grass seed & Terry is raking it in and doing an excellent job.
9) American Gothic and the Idaho Waterer.

Day 4 - One final check of the court. Looks pretty good doesn't it? Two weeks from now if Fred & Ruby remember to water it every day it should be nice and green. Two months from now we expect to see croquet and even roque croquet being played in the park again.

PS - Roque croquet is similar to croquet except you can also play off the sides of the court like you would in billards. (Oh dear! That probably means it requires more skill than our backyard game of croquet!) It was popular in the early 1900's and we hope it will soon be popular again, at least in the Thousand Island Park. If you see Fred & Ruby, remind them to keep watering....

Goodbye blue belt...

Today Sarah went on her walk without her blue belt (used to hang onto her in case she felt weak). She set a new record for herself in distance walking - 345 feet! I'm sure those of you who were even out here as little as a month ago will find that fairly amazing. Just another testament to the strong will and determination Sarah has always had.

Featured in today's photo op are Sarah, stage center; yours truly on the left behind the mask but, trust me, I'm smiling; and Uncle John, stage right trying out for the part of Doctor John (what is that white thing coming out of the middle of his head?!)

We leave tomorrow for NY but know when we see Sarah next (which hopefully will be sooner rather than later), she'll be skipping down the aisle, happy to be free of the hospital at last!

And she's off....

Sarah continues to improve... YES!!! While just two weeks ago, things seemed pretty low, now things are definitely going in the other direction. First the Occupational Therapist came to help Sarah start practicing deep (okay they weren't deep yet but they will be) knee bends (it seems some "old" forms of torture never go away!). Then they moved on to balance with Sarah holding on to the OT's shoulders. It looked as though they were teaching Sarah to dance again starting with the good old-fashioned box step. It was Sarah's "first date" so admittedly she was a bit shaky (sorry, the angle wasn't good for a photo opt).

A bit later the nurse came to take Sarah for her daily walk. For this outing, Sarah, too, has to suit up in one of those lovely yellow gowns (buy stock everyone - John & I alone have used half a case already). Sarah, however, got to accessorize her gown with that lovely blue belt (actually the nurse holds onto the belt just in case Sarah begins to feel unstable). Last week it took 3 nurses, one on each side and one behind with a chair to walk Sarah down the hall. Today she did a lap in each direction with only the nurse holding onto her belt for security purposes.

And, please, if you will, take special note of Sarah's GREAT smile. Sarah was born with a double dose of liking folks and they her. I am very happy to report this must have been the first thing she recovered as everyone around her obviously likes her. Her wit, too, is back in full force. Sarah has challenged us to a game of Scrabble - somehow I think we don't stand any more of a chance of winning than we ever did...

Great news in Boulder!

To those of you who don't know the whole story, this photo may not look too extraordinary. However, when you know that our wonderful niece Sarah, stage center, was as close to death as you can get in February and was just released to a regular hospital room after 9 weeks in ICU, you realize what an incredible thing it is that she's smiling and standing and recuperating nicely. It's also incredible that John has now doubled the amount of the time he has ever willingly spent visiting someone in a hospital and the week has just begun. By the way, the other guy modeling the latest in yellow gowns is Sarah's husband, Kenny, from North Dakota don't ya know. I was behind the camera, robed, gloved but with the added feature of a face mask to protect everyone from my horrible cold. Have you ever tried blowing your nose with a face mask on? It isn't easy!!!

More of New Zealand...

The older blogs now have photos added just in case words weren't enough... As always, I've ended up with a few extra. If you're interested, read on...

1. Instead of Good Humor we saw "Mr. Whippy" and "Mr. Cool" (we found their ice cream to be a bit "airier" than what we're used to). 2. It seems to be norm rather than the exception for a town of any size to have bowling (lawn) and/or croquet clubs. 3. A dairy barn on the south island - one would assume the climate must be milder than upstate NY! 4. A backpacker lodge (it looked neat but just think of all that snoring, let alone being the unfortunate person who has to stash their stuff on the top bunk!) These accommodations are all over NZ - affordable & clean. 5. Perhaps more our style (it also had a neat little porch on the back). 6. We saw these camper vans from Wicked Rentals everywhere and each one was painted differently. Our favorite was one that read on the back - "Bring back Monica Lewinski". 7. Flowers, flowers everywhere. When was the last time you saw a heather that big?! 8. A poor little penguin hiding under a camper. 9. Sand flies! - "art" at the dock in Melbourne Sound.

1. The John's inspecting what NZ calls a fuse box. NZ is wired 220. 2. A pretty house. 3. The longest suspension bridge in NZ - no longer in service. 4. Proper croquet form (I think) We'll have to start working on this technique. 5. Pretty mushrooms. 6. In case there was any doubt why John chose NOT to take up sheep shearing as a profession. 7. More flowers... 8 & 9. We just happened upon NZ's wooden boat show one rainy day.

1. The Mussel Pot in Havelock, the green lipped mussel capital of the world (is there a competition?). John & I had mussels. The less adventuresome had fish. 2. That is a REAL car covered in old corrugated metal roofing to fix a rust problem - art depicting New Zealander's ingenuity. 3. Sheep are everywhere although there are now just over 30 million (that probably varies somewhat this time of year with leg of lamb on many Easter dinner tables...) 4. If you invested in fencing in NZ you are now a VERY wealthy person. They say there's enough fencing there to circle the world 20 times. 5. Eggs (when not purchased at the farmer's market) are found in the market on standard shelving - not in the cooler section. You can get "barn eggs" or "free range eggs" and one assumes both are very fresh. 6. New Zealander's love their coffee and it is good, strong, expensive and everywhere makes it to order by the cup with espresso machines. Note the NZ "fern" on the froth in this "flat white" cup of coffee. 7. A pizza delivery truck. 8. A pukeko bird - the babies hatch with what look like full grown feet. 9. "Hound logs" - every grocery store and butcher shop have loads of pet logs for sale for your favorite pet.

1. There are plenty of public toilets everywhere in all shapes and sizes. And they're all clean, no graffiti. This one even had a small sink with running water so appearances aren't everything. 2. Fish & chips is the "fast food" of choice. It's cooked to order and they tell you what type of fresh fish they're using that day. 3. Burt Monroe that the movie "The World's Fastest Indian" was based on was from Invercargil. These are some of his bikes at one of the world's best hardware stores. 4. The motels all offer washer & dryers but encourage everyone to hang out their laundry. This is some of our laundry. 5. The train station in Dunedin. 6. One of the neat old cars we saw touring around. 7. Penguin crossing sign. 8. Train crossing sign. 9. Check your brakes sign (they should have also added the need to rope up!)

And just a few assorted things without photos...

- Doorknobs are generally at the 4 foot level - I can't tell you why...

- Most roofs are metal, a few tile...

- All lights are compact florescent

- All electrical outlets have on/off switches. It sometimes took a while to figure out the reason the stove wouldn't work was because the switch to it was turned off. New Zealander's are VERY consciencious about energy saving.

- Most homes are modest

- They are big on shared parks and hiking trails and they are all beautiful

- Homes have large windows, no screens

- Small cars (when is America going to catch on?)

- The people are extremely friendly

- No one speeds. The national speed limit is 100 km. and everyone obeys it. John saw an article in the paper about someone clocked at going 167 km. They expect to catch them & the fine will be $10,000. They are serious about the subject.

- Sheep is their biggest agricultural product. Dairy cows are next and then deer.

- No billboards except perhaps near Auckland. There will occasionally be a sign reminding folks to drive safely. "Drink, drive, die in a ditch" and "This road takes loved ones" are examples.

- Manure is referred to as "poo". For example I saw a sign at a farm for "Pony Poo, $1 a bag" and the stores sell "Sheep Poo" for your garden.

- Picnic coolers are referred to as "chilly bags"

New Zealand is a WONDERFUL place to visit! When you go, plan to stay a while to make the trip worthwhile.

Home all too soon...

After a relatively non-eventful flight from NZ (if you can call being shaken awake by turbulence whenever you started to doze uneventful) we landed in LA 8 hours "younger". Strange, but true, we left NZ at 7:35 p.m. on Tuesday and arrived in LA at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Yesterday we flew on to NJ and today drove on to NY to find that dreaded word SNOW! After enjoying warm weather for the last month, it was rather a shock to the system, 8 hours younger or not!

Just to entice you to check out past blogs early next week, I'm posting a couple of photos now...

South Island....

and not to be outdone, the North Island...


Fishing...

A kiwi orchard...

And a little competition for Tillie, the VW...

We're off... almost

It's hard to believe our time in NZ has gone by so quickly. We spent our last couple of days touring north of Auckland going from the east coast to the west coast and back again. Everytime we think we've seen all types of scenery we find something new... this time the giantic sand dunes north of the Bay of Islands on the east coast. Absolutely incredible! Then we drove on to the last forest of virgin kauri trees - enormous, amazing! They're only 1500 years old or so and still growing. John is hugging one of the babies. Then it was back to the west coast again...

This morning we packed up, then spent a few hours at the Auckland Botanical Gardens- a great place to while away a few hours (much better than the next 12 hours we expect to spend on the plane!). The only good thing about the trip back is that we're leaving at 7 at night, today which is Tuesday in NZ, and arriving before noon on the same Tuesday in LA. I'm sure we'll feel younger for the experience!

Next blog will be stateside...

Northland...

So was the fishing successful? Yes, in that the John's can now say they went fishing in New Zealand and saw fish. And even though they didn't catch anything (the minimum size to keep was over 2 feet) they had a good time trying and supported the local economy.

Moving on to kiwi country we took a fascinating tour of a kiwi orchard. Unfortunately, we're just before harvest season (or perhaps I such say fortunately for they might have commandeered us into helping with the harvest - 20,000 laborers are needed for the 10 week harvest season that starts in April). All along we thought the kiwis we'd been buying in the markets were from NZ when, in fact, we've been eating Italian kiwis. Take a closer look at the photo to the left. The tall shrubs are windbreaks that you see planted all over NZ - it must be a VERY windy country! We never did see the machine that keeps them trimmed. To the right is the kiwi orchard. The crates through the opening are only a tiny tiny part of the crates that will be used for harvest. And the round thing to the left is the "kiwi cart" that you ride in for the tour (Tourism is BIG business in NZ!) The kiwi season lasts until the beginning of June and kiwis can be kept in cold storage for up to 8 months. NZ has the equivalent to a patent on golden kiwis so if you find those in the market you can rest assured they came from NZ.

We also visited Goat Island where NZ has one of its oldest marine reserves. Even from the rocky shore you can see scores of fish. If you have a wet suit and snorkel you can swim with the fish. It was beautiful and great fun.

A note to John & Judy's staff... we've found a new name for their collision repair business -- "Twinkle Tow Panelbeaters" (much more memorable than Red's Body Shop!)

Only two more days in NZ... the time has flown!

Casting practice...

Yesterday we drove the "Forgotten Highway" from Stratford to Turangi. Those folks who think the south island is the more beautiful of the two have probably not taken this route. The terrain is very different from other places in NZ with very steep but relatively short mountains ridged in circles with paths made by the sheep over years and years and years. (If you look close at those little white spots - those are sheep.) Lots and lots of sheep but very few people.
We stopped in Whangamomona - it declared itself an independent republic a few years ago - something about a feud between districts as to who got to claim them, so they just declared themselves independent. If you choose you can even buy a passport from them. Other than a cup of coffee and perhaps a meal at the hotel, there's really nothing else except scenery for a couple of hours in either direction. It's probably not more than 40 miles either way but the road is so narrow, windy, steep that it takes a looooong time to get any where. If you're looking for peace and quiet this is definitely a part of world you should consider!

Last night and tonight we're in Turangi, the "trout fishing capital of the world". We did have one the biggest rainbow trout I've ever seen for dinner last night. Over two feet long - I even had to cut off the head so it would fit on the grill. (Sorry to report that the John's did NOT catch him... it was a gift from our motel owner.) However, the men have been out plying the waters and have SEEN some fish thanks to the loan of some waders and proper outfitting by the shop across the road. Dry fly fishing is not really done here. Instead they use some sort of two fly system where one fly drops to the bottom and the other floats on top dragging the other along. They have 3 more hours left on this fishing license so we'll see what happens. WAIT! Is that Judy in the photo? Did she catch a fish?! I'll never tell...

The motels here are interesting - much different than we have in the states. We've been staying almost exclusively in what they call "2 bedroom units" that are like small apartments. Really very convenient for us. The shopping sections of towns are nice as well - what our downtowns were like 30 or more years ago before the US developed a love for malls. The buildings are interesting (a mix of styles) and the shops are locally owned although most things are expensive by our standards. Judy was just reading an ad this a.m. for a Kitchen Aid mixer - $899 NZ but that's still at least twice as much as we'd pay. Luckily we aren't in the market for such a mixer...