Nathan + Phoenix

Matapouri

2010-04-05T14:54:00.000+12:00

We stayed with friends up in Whangarei ('Fong-gar-ray') who took us along to an amazing secluded little beach called Matapouri. Fish & chips, great friends, and another beautiful sunset from the Lord... what a life.

Hakarimata

2010-04-05T13:43:00.000+12:00

Severely sprained my ankle on this little pip of a hill... but what a great view of Huntly and the Waikato.

Hawaii: 5 days of Awesome

2010-04-05T10:55:00.005+12:00

Ahhh... Hawaii.

There are many ways to do Hawaii, I imagine, from big budget vacations to an extended lay-over. The latter is what we did, proving that it can be done on a shoestring.

Enjoy the following highlights...

We arrived into Honolulu with enough luggage to clothe half of Napolean's army. We will later pay dearly for this oversight as we depart for New Zealand. All domestic American flights will allow one to check two luggage bags, plus one carry-on, plus a handheld (like a purse or a large camera bag). This is NOT the case with international flights. And so we learned a valuable lesson through the thinning of our already thin wallets.

After sleeping like rocks in our postage stamp-sized hotel room, we decided to start with the obvious: Pearl Harbor. So we caught the bus from Waikiki and after about a 50 minute ride with a revolving cast of characters, we arrived. The bus system in Waikiki/Honolulu is as sophisticated as in any American city, being very regular and usually on schedule. If you didn't want to rent a car or simply walk everywhere, you could rely on getting everywhere 'in-town' as well as to points all around the island for a nominal fee.

The interesting thing about Pearl Harbor is that the Arizona Memorial and the exterior of the submarine display is absolutely free. But everything else is a 'pay per view'. We took advantage of the free stuff and even found some good deals at the gift shop. The Arizona Memorial itself was stunning. After watching an hour long film setting up the scene, you take a short boat ride out to the site which is located out in the middle of the bay. The memorial is absolutely flooded with light. With so many views into the Hawaiian blue sky or out over the water of the bay, its easy to feel like you're floating.

Our hotel was located next to a beautiful canal with a far view of Diamond Head Crater. From the lobby to Waikiki beach was a mere 10 minute walk over three blocks of hotels, restaurants, and corner stores. One thing that Hawaii is not short of, is ABC Stores. These are basically your standard convenience store, but they also carry towels & swimsuits, a decent selection of t-shirts, wine and alcohol, and some even have produce on-hand. There's atleast two in every city block.

On our second day, we rented a car. This is a must if you want the freedom to see the entire island of Oahu on your own terms, without having to work around bus schedules and peak-time crowds. And really, we spent around $160 for two days with the car - an easy sale.

As soon as we got our wheels, we headed over towards Diamond Head, which is the highest point at the eastern end on the Waikiki shoreline. A brief stop and look at a little, hidden away surf beach slowed us down - this would be a consistant theme that neither one of us would regret, to randomly stop and have a look at everything and anything.

Diamond Head proved to be a good investment of money and time. For a small fee, you drive into the crater from the northern side and park. From there, we took the 45-minute hike up to the top of the crater. The beginning of the trail is paved and wide and easy, but before long you find yourself switchbacking up moderate grades. After an overlook into the center of the crater, you ascend a 100+ step staircase and then follow a tunnel through old pill boxes and other battlements within the crater wall. Exiting (almost crawling)through the 5-foot thick concrete wall of the seemingly highest observation point, you wrap around to the left and continue for another two minutes up to the highest most lookout point. It was a breathtaking view of Waikiki to the west and the ever-expanding suburban sprawl into the northern hills. And there seems to never be a bad day for pictures in Hawaii.

Upon leaving Diamond head we journeyed east, then north, through places like Hanauma Bay, Waimanalo Beach, Kailua, and Kaneohe. Just west of Kailua is the Kualoa Ranch and Activity Club. Before we even stepped on a plane, we had planned to take a 2-hour ATV tour of the ranch - our big expense of the trip. The ranch is where many TV series and movies have filmed and it is quite possibly one of the most beautiful areas on Oahu. Jurassic Park, Lost, & Windtalkers have all been made here as well as many more. This is another must-do.

The violent creation of Hawaii was stunning. The mountains rose straight up out of the flat. Pictured above the fence is 'Chinaman's Hat', which is one of many off shore lava outcroppings. Many places have such sharp angles harsh contrast from years of volcanic activity, but yet I have never seen a place so green. We were wow-ed everytime we turned a corner along the coastal highway; the land would suddenly give way to amazing views for what seemed like miles, only to become hidden once more around the next bend.

Our third day in Hawaii was a little less structured. We had the car for the entire day again and decided to just hit the highway. Rain had rolled in overnight, but it looked like if we headed west and north across the island, we just might outrun it. We found more places to stop by, stumbling on the massive Dole Plantation with its miles and miles of pineapple fields.

Along the way were several small beaches that begged to be explored.

We found little stands to peruse, looking for gifts and trinkets to send home. The miles of shrimp farms made lunch a joy as we dove into a pound or so of sweet and spicy-fried goodness. Rounding out the afternoon, we spent just enough time at the North Shore's Polynesian Cultural Center to note that it was another 'must-do', but the hefty price per entry would make it a 'must-do when we come back'. So we have a goal.

As we drove back to our hotel, we happened upon an overlook that saw much of Kailua. Dust was setting in fast, but we lingered until complete darkness.

Since the last few days had been so action-packed, we didn't mind sleeping in once. On day four, we probably didn't leave the hotel until close to 11:30a. But we made a beline to MAC 24-7, a restaurant only a few blocks from us. We seen this particular place featured on a TV show called 'Man Versus Food', a program where the host attempts to complete different food eating challenges. The super-sized 2 pound burger, the 8 milkshakes - these are all past challenges. The one that we were interested in was the 'Mack-Daddy' - three 14-inch monster pancakes that account for almost 5 pounds of food. We got the pineapple, coconut, macadamia nut one and were not disappointed. But we were ultimately defeated by the beast.

The afternoon was purposely laid-back, with a nice walk along Waikiki Beach, a long final phone call home to Pennsylvania, and several more photo ops.

As we ate Kim Chi and watched the sun set, we knew that we'd be back, hopefully with friends and family.

Mr. Bear

2010-02-07T14:58:00.008+13:00

Soon after we'd arrived in Auckland, we were given the word that the newest member of our little family would be arriving the next afternoon. We picked him up at the Hamilton airport in a little crate and took him home to our villa on the river Waikato. It's beautiful here and he has already taken a liking to the grassy backyard, with all the new smells and sounds that this countryside offer. The neighboring cows and several sheep have greeted him from afar with late afternoon calls. Abbey, the resident fox terrier, is both curious and dismayed by his arrival; they have an open relationship with a subtle blend of hostilites and play that only they understand. Missy the cat keeps her distance, much to my approval.

Bear is the nearest thing to owning a piglet that I will ever know; a dense little frame featuring smushed face, curly tail, and frequent 'snorting'. He has made sure to mark my lap as his territory with two separate occasions of urination. But we've moved on from these discrepancies, both hoping that he'll take to the grass for future bodily 'purification'.

At the moment he is snoozing with Momma Phoenix in various positions of comfortable sleeping, no doubt resting up for his next adventure through the yard. Relaxation and love are the theme of this weekend.

Hugo Bearington Hayes or simply 'Bear'

Birthday: 27 NOV 2009
Hobbies: Following closely under foot and chewing his tiny rawhide bone
Aspirations: Conquering his fear of pooping outside
Funniest Moment (so far): Growling at his reflection

Hawaii + (Nathan * Phoenix) = AWESOME

2010-02-07T14:08:00.001+13:00

As we journeyed to the other end of the Lord's beautiful earth, we decided to turn a few hour lay-over in Hawaii into a few day mini-vacation. More details and pictures to follow... still trying to download here in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Nutshell: New Zealand

2010-01-27T17:55:00.001+13:00

This is New Zealand, our home for the next couple of years.

Nathan and I will be living in Auckland while we complete our studies at the University of Auckland.

Auckland is where most of the international flights come in and is where the largest airport is in the country. Auckland is also the biggest city with a population of 1,000,000 people. The actual total population of New Zealand is a mere 4,200,000 people, not including the 52,000,000 sheep.

When we first arrive, we will stay with my parents in a suburb of Hamilton. It is about a 90 minute drive south of Auckland and is where I went to college.

I spent the first ten years of my life living in the northern suburbs of Auckland. My family then moved to a small skiing and farming town called Taumarunui in the central part of the North Island (pop. 5,000) where I went to High School. We then moved to Hamilton (pop. 130,000) nine years later when I was nineteen and starting college.

Wellington (pop. 195,000) is the capital of New Zealand and is located at the very southern tip of the North Island. Most of my extended family lives here and we visit often. It is an eight hour drive from Hamilton to Wellington.

English is the primary language of New Zealand with a similar accent to Australia. However, all schools do offer Maori as a second language which is unique to New Zealand. Maori is the language of the indigenous Pacific islanders whose ancestors immigrated to New Zealand in the 14th century. They make up 15% of the total population, the rest being predominantly of European descent.

Please be sure to note our contact information. All are welcome to visit us as we will thoroughly enjoy showing off our new home, me especially.

We love you all and will miss you dearly. Please do stay in touch with us as we will be very homesick for the USA and all the family anf friends we've left there.

- Phoenix

Whose Plans Are These Really...?

2010-01-27T17:02:00.005+13:00

Of all the things we thought we'd do - the novelty of life must be how plans are changed. And oh how we plan and suggest such paths and courses of action for our lives to take. And how they must amuse God who ultimately knows the what, the where, the when, and the how...

We were married in December of 2008. We returned from our honeymoon after the New Year just in time for me to be laid off. So we contemplated our options as I applied to 300+ positions in locations up and down the eastern coast as well as California, Oregon, and even Texas. And we waited. We put Phoenix's Permanent Residency paperwork through and we waited.

I was called back to my job in May after being turned down by more potential employers than I can easily count. We interviewed with the USCIS and were issued the standard 2-year 'Green Card'. Phoenix landed an amazing part-time position with a German company based in West Chester that paid her well and treated her even better. Things were on the up and up.

We lived as frugally as church mice in an apartment adjacent to my parents' house. We paid off debt. We saved everything we could. I wore hand-me-down dress pants and Phoenix became a regular at Ross and TJ Maxx. We would rate the necessity of things in how much gas it would cost to get there and back.

And we were happy.

But we had bigger aspirations. I wanted to return to school, knowing that my Bachelors degree in Theatre would never serve me well enough in the Engineering field in which I worked. Phoenix also felt the continuing education bug.

In August of 2009, after discussing it for months, we made the difficult decision to seriously consider a season in New Zealand. School is a quarter of the cost than it is in the States with several government-initiated free student aid contributions. I had never been and therefore never had a chance to see Phoenix's world. If we were going to consider having a child in the next few years, she would need to be close to her Mum. And with many other reasons quickly adding up, we felt that there was no way that we shouldn't spend some time down under.

Without knowing how or even when, we started doing some research on a Work Visa for me as well as looking into several universities. The pieces fell into place rapidly, even though I was becoming more involved at my job, working 60 to 70 hour work weeks on a more consistant basis. But we continued to pray about it and work towards it.

With so many obvious signs being revealed as well as overwhelming support from friends and family, the final confirmation came when I was laid off again in early December 2009. We jumped into action, making reservations and drawing up itineraries. I sold many things that we would never be able to ship, figuring that someone else could get good use from them. My prized drums and other musician's equipment, furniture, electronics, and even our Ford Explorer have all found new homes with good people.

And here we are today. Much of our belongings have been already shipped. We've been making the rounds, saying our goodbyes and farewells. Suitcases and sundries are all that remain. We're excited and cautiously optimistic, knowing that we're walking in the Lord's will.

"Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval." ~ Judges 18:6

- Nathan

"Introducing... Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Hayes!!"

2008-12-18T09:03:00.002+13:00

What a novelty it is to call each other by our newly appointed titles...

Last night, I stumbled home exhausted after a long day at work exclaiming, "Where is my wife?!" and giggling like a school girl the entire time.

Phoenix is often heard saying, "I love my husband!!", also giggling like a school girl. But, I guess, she is entitled to giggling in such a manner as she at one point was an actual school girl. I, on the other hand, was not... with exception to one weird dream many years ago...

Anyway, I digress.

- Nathan