Chapter 136 : email from Milford Sound 25 March

25 March

Today I am having a rest from my holiday. Most of our tour have gone on another fjord trip. I remain to wander this town and wash our clothes (in a machine).
Milford Sound was spectacular. Up there with Uluru and Vic Falls.
My friend (Mr Internet) tells me bad weather is approaching you. Brace yourselves. Not as bad as what was encountered by cruise ship in Norway.

On our cruise of MS yesterday the guide was back to telling jokes about Australians. Back to normal which I was happy about. It means they have moved on from the Christchurch Massacre.

Strange relationship between us and them. We have virtually everything in common. Everybody you meet has a brother / sister / cousin / son / daughter living in Australia.
We know very little about so much of NZ.
They definitely see themselves as a proud independent country with many achievements.

Some recognized.  Some they feel others have stolen.

We share a public holiday : Anzac Day.

We share our love of cafes. The cafes are  virtually identical. They sell skinny capers and espressos and as in Aus. the service varies.

There are two big differences between our countries:
Number one: Their outdoor natural areas. Their nature is very different. The plants, animals, birds, mountains, rivers make me feel like I’m in a foreign country. Their realisation that feral plants and animals are a big problem made me feel Iike I was home.

Number two is the relationship between various groups. All NZs are proud of the Mauri and what they have contributed to modern NZ.

Dad