Pictures from Monday:    https://picasaweb.google.com/115133267095590644390/WhanganuiBullsDinner?authuser=0&feat=directlink   Went to Whanganui for the black sand and the museum.  Stopped in Bulls on the way home to enjoy a flat white, a hot chocolate, and reading the signs; no udder place like it.  Had dinner guests at home in the evening.  On Tuesday, we watched the Royal New Zealand Ballet present Cinderella, and watched everyone eat their ice cream during intervals.

Terms for this week:
got my car groomed last week
pain in RIF (iliac fossa) - RLQ pain
fizzy drinks - sodas

Time to pack.  We're leaving in the morning for our last long weekend trip :(.  We'll be exploring the Coromandel peninsula.

Enjoyed mass at St Patrick's Parish in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit

I took Friday off and went on an interesting informative tour of the saleyards.  To see pictures of my day in friendly Feilding: https://picasaweb.google.com/115133267095590644390/FeildingSaleyards?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Activities this week: New Zealand String Quartet performing at the Speirs Centre, going away gathering for Jan and Jim Moyle at the Caccia Birch house, Abbey Musical Theatre presenting the musical Chess, and Jan L's birthday party at Hiwinui Country Estate.  Hope I can get Lee to do the blogging for the next 2 weeks.

 My New Zealand cookbooks:

Recently learned about Speight's brewery,
Speight's ale houses (food is excellent),
and Speight's Coast to Coast multisport race.

Bluff is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southern-most town in New Zealand (excluding Oban) and, despite Slope Point being further to the south, is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country (particularly in the phrase "from Cape Reinga to The Bluff"). According to the 2006 census, the usually resident population was 1,850, a decrease of 85 since 2001.^[1]
The Bluff area, while itself not settled by Māori, was one of the earliest areas of New Zealand where a European presence became established. The first ship known to have entered the harbour was the Perseverance in 1813, in search of flax trading possibilities, with the first European settlers arriving in 1823/1824. This is the foundation for the claim^[2] that this makes Bluff the oldest permanent European settlement in the country. However the missionary settlement at Kerikeri was both earlier and larger and the town is now larger than that of Bluff. The town was officially called Campbelltown in 1856, became a borough in 1878, and was renamed Bluff in 1917 [1].       (Thank you Wikipedia)

The blog needed more scenery pictures from Cape Reinga (tired of Rx and the mud pictures, and the sun is actually shining today).  This week was the first time my American accent caused me not to be understood.  I went out to the waiting room and called the patient's name, Mark, multiple times; but the only male in the room didn't answer.  When I asked him his name, he said Mark (ask me for an audio demonstration of the difference).  This week's terms:  full on day, renal angles, glad it was nothing sinister, cook/eat tea, 2/7 later (2 days later).

This weekend is the Feilding Dog Training Club Championship Jumpers Show.  As a club member, I was assigned jobs (lead runner and poles).  I did not enjoy trudging back and forth in the mud.  The ground is so saturated.  The locals don't need their gum boots; they probably have webbed feet by now.  I hope that the weather is nice when the Schreibers visit, but if the sky is blue, and the house is warm, they'll think we were exaggerating.  Rx had two clear rounds today; the third run was good, but a bar dropped (unfortunately, I didn't get that run on video).  He placed 10th and 7th out of 54 maxis.  To move to the next class, you need two first places or 25 clear rounds.  On the drive home, I enjoyed the numerous sheep and lambs in the paddocks along the road (Camerons and Milson Line route 54).
What I'm going to miss:
sheep
ease of traveling, both around town and around the country, not having to tip
friendly co-workers; but hopefully my new office mates will be friendly as well;  :) working on new job/practice in Albuquerque; Rich was disappointed in the lack of camaraderie that he experienced here.
being able to walk to work, scenery, wineries (Rich's contribution to the list)
Will not miss:
getting my own CC and VS
heat pumps, space heaters, cold rooms, the lounge furniture, the bed, Featherston Street noise
kiwi television
"pies", savouries, fish and chips: too many kjoules;  I mastered Celsius and meters, but not energy.

lamb shank dinner

Mary's yummy sticky date pudding

evening meal and good conversation with Marilyn, Mary, Fong, Maria and Neil

I flagged the dog show on Sunday (gave it a miss).  The day was first overcast and then very rainy, and I had had enough mud.  Actually, I was just very tired, and I needed a rest after my more challenging work week.  More differences (will probably still be noting new things in the last week):  when serving dinner guests, you bring out the full plates, as opposed to guests dishing out their own portions from serving bowls.  When it is your birthday, you bring in the cake and treats for tea time.  Just as Hematology here trains with Pathology (instead of Oncology), anesthesia and intensive care are often together (some ICUs run by anaesthetists).  Neil works in the ICU, but is also an anaesthetist.  He has published articles on malignant hyperthermia.

This is Tommy, the stray that the office staff adopted.  I am working full-time this week and have been VERY busy, but it's going smoothly.  #4 practice difference: doctors are respected here; still on a pedestal, like Nana's generation (#s 1-3 were smears, CC/reason for appt, and surgical f/u).  As  I mentioned with my first impressions, take away computers, and living in Palmerston North is like being in the 1950s.  
Life is definitely simpler.  Things are basic, not complicated or stressful, although some here may not agree.  People are generally nicer to each other, more helpful and less confrontational.  Another observation:  I'm seeing lots of patients in their 80s that are remarkably healthy and independent (more so than in the US).  After complaining about not being able to watch the Olympics, our rental agent did swap out our rabbit ears for a cable box, and we now have a normal clear picture on the TV.  We did get the channel that showed Olympic highlights, and we had good coverage of the kiwi athletes and the New Zealand medal winners.  We saw lots of rowing.  A thanks to MB for giving me the book before I left.  Little brown book and pen have been with me always and very handy!

 Less than 6 weeks left.  We have a lot planned, so the time is going to go quickly.  We are looking forward to getting back to our home and being closer to our children.  It is warmer in the morning for the AM walks, but the house is still cold in the evenings.  It's interesting that flowers stayed in bloom during the winter, and interesting to see this magnolia tree with blossoms, but bare leafless branches.  Our first day in PN was Rich's birthday.  His first day back at work will be my birthday.  When we arrived we had Passover seder at a Presbyterian church.  It looks like we'll be spending Yom Kippur at a Days Inn in Kingman, AZ.  I'm making a list of things that we'll miss and not miss, but I'll share that later.  For now I'll just share the latest terms/differences; haven't done that in a while.   

When you order bacon, you'll get a slice of ham.
go to the loo;  call your solicitor
VS (vital signs) are called OBS (observations)
Norplant is Jadelle;  they were in Oz (Australia)
A dairy is a convenience store.  This one is across the street from our house (to the right of the picture behind the recycling bin).
scroggin is trail mix;  chips in windscreen (windshield)
As Howard reminds us: stay left, look right.

The Waitangi Treaty Grounds is the "birthplace of a nation."  The treaty between Maori and the British Crown took place on February 6th, 1840.  Visiting was like visiting Philadelphia and learning about the Declaration of Independence and seeing the Liberty Bell.  Seeing the Treaty House, the largest waka (war canoe) in New Zealand, and the marae (Maori meeting house) was educational and interesting.  Also learned about the 2 versions of the treaty (Maori and English), and trying to reconcile the interpretations and differences.  To me, the Maori appear less angry toward the Pakeha and more proactive regarding maintaining their culture than the American Native Americans.  Another observation; Pakeha kiwis tolerate but don't embrace the minority group (currently about 650,000 or 15% of the population).  Pictures:  https://picasaweb.google.com/115133267095590644390/Waitangi?authuser=0&feat=directlink

 The Duke of Marlborough

We had lunch and listened to jazz at The Duke of Marlborough.  I downloaded this history because I thought it was interesting, and it gives more information about the places that we saw.
"The Duke of Marlborough began its life in 1827 as “Johnny Johnstons Grog Shop”. The owner Johnny Johnston was an ex convict come good, he became fluent in Te Reo and was very well regarded with the local Maori. This relationship led to Johnny being able to purchase the freehold site of the Duke – which was one of the first land sales to a European in New Zealand.
In the 1830s, Russell or Kororareka, as it was known then, was the biggest whaling port in the Southern Hemisphere and turned out to be a bit of an eye opener for the missionaries. Up to 500 whalers at a time would arrive in Russell after twelve months at sea, with Russell having no effective law enforcement agency, the scene wasn’t ideal. Prostitution was one of the area’s largest industries and many local women frequently entered into 3 week marriages.
Johnny quickly changed the name of his hotel to the Duke of Marlborough, at the time the Duke of Marlborough was the world’s richest man, so the name sought to bring respect, elegance and opulence to the “Hell Hole of the Pacific”. By all accounts, Johnny was a well trusted man and assisted in the translation of the treaty of Waitangi to the Maori – it is rumoured he was worried that the Maori version did not quite equate to the English version (it still pays to listen to your publican!)
After the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, New Zealands first government was formed just down the road in Okaito, and started treating to bring the famed lawlessness to an end. With Johnny being so well known in the local area, it is no surprise that he managed to swing the very first licence for his establishment (the colonial treasurer was a close friend), so after 13 years of serving Whalers, traders and prostitutes, Johnny the ex con was now all legal.
The licence now hangs proudly in a gold frame in the bar, where sharp eyed history buffs have pointed out a reference to the succession of Queen Victoria from her father.
The first Duke building was burnt in 1845 during the battle of Kororareka, but Johnny quickly rebuilt and his family retained the Duke of Marlborough to 1878.
From 1878 to 1923 the Duke passed through 8 different private operators.
Between 1923 to 1974 the Duke was owned and run by Hancock Hotels (these days part of the Lion Breweries Empire). In 1931 the second Duke building caught fire and burnt down, the third and current building was built in 1875 and housed the telegraph workers at Cable Bay, it was shipped down the coast and dragged into place by steam traction engine in 1932.
In 1974 a young entrepreneur, Wayne Young, managed to wrestle the Duke away from the breweries in exchange for several of his Taranaki bars. Wayne lifted service and food standards significantly and the business was near bursting at the seams, so in a controversial but commercially savvy move he built another building behind the Duke and managed to convince the authorities that his licence should cover his business across the road as well. This was the start of the truly golden Duke of Marlborough trading days.
In 1983, Wayne sold the lease of the Duke to Karl Andersen. The early 80s was all share market hype, where fun was easy and money no object to it. Karl took the Duke to the Auckland A Listers, with Dom Perignon and Crayfish lunches regularly being trotted out to customers arriving by Sea plane.
Karl set up the “Duke of Marlborough South Pacific Bill fish tournament” with over 500 anglers aiming to win over $100,000 in prizes – for a 25 room hotel in a town of 800 people the guy was certainly aiming for the stars!
Sadly with the share market crash a lot of people lost their businesses and Karl was one of them, the following recession along with the mass granting of new liquor licences in 1991 saw a big loss in revenue for the Duke of Marlborough and Russell in general.
The Duke was sold on to Dell Gifford and a few of her friends. They advertised heavily on radio and made the Duke famous for her Devonshire teas.
In 2003, a young Frenchman, Arnauld Kindt bought the Duke and renovated the accommodation areas significantly, adding a sprinkler system and en-suites to the all the rooms which lifted the star rating of the hotel. He came from a hotel background and focussed on improving the accommodation side of the business.
After falling in love with the Duke in their summer vacations from Otago University, your current Mein hosts (Jayne Shirley, Riki Kinnaird, Bridget Haagh and Anton Haagh ) purchased the Duke from Arnauld in 2010 and have been busy bringing their view of what’s great about Northland back to the Duke.
Being able to touch History
Russell is quite unique in New Zealand, in that you can still see and touch a lot of history.
Christ Church is New Zealand’s first church. One of the first donations for its construction came from Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution – who could not believe the “very refuse of society” that he saw in Russell. Walking around the grounds you will find the headstones of Tamati Waka Nene, who was one of the first chiefs to sign the Treaty of Waitangi, Hannah King Letheridge , the first white women born in NZ, and also the graves of some of those who fell in the Battle of Kororareka.
The Church still shows the scars of the battle of Kororareka – with musket holes still clearly evident in its exterior walls.
Hone Heke’s famous stands against the British, with the felling of the British Flag at Flagstaff, is up the hill, just a brisk 15 minute walk up the road behind the Duke.
Pompallier House is NZ’s first Catholic mission and printing press, it is owned by NZ Historic places.
Russell Museum houses many relics from the battle and the whaling days and is well worth a look around.
The Dukes Logo
The Duke of Marlborough’s logo is a mix of the original Duke of Marlborough’s crest along with a few local points of reference – the word Kororareka refers to Russell’s original name, it means sweet penguin and refers to an old story of a Maori chief who after being injured in battle asked for a broth of sweet penguin to restore his health. This also is the reason for the Penguin in the top right hand part of the shield. The bottom left shows a harpoon and skinning knife – so both the Maori and European history of Russell is reflected."

The weather wasn't so brilliant for our boat ride on Saturday.  We were on a trip to see the famous "Hole in the Rock," but didn't get very far.  We did get to see dolphins.  Be sure to watch some of the videos.  Before our next "adventure," I hope that George will give me some photography lessons.  Any idea why we're seeing a round spot on the zoomed pictures?  The camera was dropped at Cape Reinga.  Rain most of the day probably contributed?  After the less than optimal sea activity, we enjoyed a tour of Russell, the first capital of new Zealand.  There was a jazz and blues festival going on over the weekend, and we did enjoy listening to music at a few venues; didn't enjoy walking in the rain from one hotel or bar to the next.  I know that rain is necessary for the beautiful green that I admire, but I'd have to live here a long time to get used to all the rain and wind.  (Rich actually complains about it more than I do).  The music festival seemed a little weak (2-3 star instead of 5 star); but maybe it's because I'm used to such a different population density and more commercialism.  Jeff, I wanted to buy you a T-shirt, but they didn't have any this year.  The most professional act was Wizard and Oz hailing from Australia.  pictures:  https://picasaweb.google.com/115133267095590644390/DolphinsRussell?authuser=0&feat=directlink

The weather was perfect on Friday for our trip to Cape Reinga via Ninety Mile Beach (actually only 64 miles).  I chickened out on riding the boogie board down the sand dunes at Te Paki Stream. We saw ancient Kauri trees in the Puketi Kauri Forest (but not Tane Mahuta, estimated to be 2,000 years old, which is in the Waipoua Kauri Forest).  pictures:  https://picasaweb.google.com/115133267095590644390/CapeReigna?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Stopped for fish and chips before returning to Paihia.

After our easy flights with tea, biscuit, and lolly, we arrived in the "winterless" Northland.  We thought it would be warmer, but it was the same cold and damp; still had to dress for the Arctic and get the heat pump going.  It did warm up on Sunday when we were leaving.  Actually, due to its usual warm subtropical micro climate, Kerikeri is the citrus capital of New Zealand.  

After I enjoyed this lamb and kumara pie (mint jelly on the side) for lunch, we had a tour of a small local winery.  We then visited The Stone Store, New Zealand's oldest stone building.  It was built in the early 1830's to warehouse and trade mission goods.  We also toured the Kemp house, New Zealand's oldest building.  Built in 1821, it was part of the earliest successful European settlement.  Comparatively, a young country!  We stayed at a B&B with an amazing view of the Bay (as well as a private hot tub).

    

pictures:  https://picasaweb.google.com/115133267095590644390/Northland?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Tomorrow we leave for four days in Northland; we will visit Ninety Mile Beach and the Bay of Islands.  In Maori legend, Cape Reigna, at the top of the North Island, where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea merge, is where the spirits of the deceased leave the land.  There is a lot of New Zealand history in the area, and we also plan to visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.  At the end of the month we are going to explore the Coromandel peninsula and the western Bay of Plenty.  Stay tuned!
From work today: too many med certificates (sickness benefit, disability benefit, ACC), rescheduled elective surgery due to URI and had to go to the end of the queue, trouble finding meclozine for vertigo, came in for 3/12 meds, Nuromol 200mg ibuprofen/500mg paracetamol.
I'm not too keen on texting, especially using my Telecom phone.  Travel websites to book accommodations: Bookabach, Wotif, Agoda.  Murray is going on holiday for a week and I'll be working full time (the only doctor).  Wish me luck!

Mt Tongariro eruption: Code red  A thick ash cloud is covering much of the central North Island after Mt Tongariro erupted for the first time in more than a century late last night.   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10825125                

This was the news when I woke up this morning.  The ash just spread east, briefly closing the Desert Road (route we took to Rotorua) and causing flight cancellations to Napier; but no ash here in Palmy, and things seem to be business as usual.  The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of the most popular walks in New Zealand; you can see the track in the picture as it goes past the Red Crater and Blue Lake.

Another evening on Featherston Street after another day at Amesbury Healh Centre: wife bought him a flash brace for his knee, back pocket Rx for ABx crystacide cream (hydrogen peroxide), Pizotifen for migraine prevention, wee bit sore,  recheck lab 1/12, 3/12 postpartum, runny nose 3/52, is it sorted?, how long has she been unwell?, see ya.  More office pics at the end of this album: https://picasaweb.google.com/115133267095590644390/AHC02?authuser=0&feat=directlink

These two pictures were taken this morning from the same spot at the same time, one facing west, the other facing east; fickle sky, eh?  We're coming to the end of our time here.  The dogs have a vet appointment for their export exams and paperwork.  How long do you think Rich and I will continue to speak the lingo once we are back in the US?  Pronouncing words with long i's and long e's, (Rich will probably continue to call Rx Reex), nasal o's and r's, saying things are spot on, asking patients to take off their jumper (sweater), nil by mouth, good as gold, and being willing to give it a go.  Driving on roundabouts counterclockwise again shouldn't be a hard adjustment because we'll be in the right lane. http://www.3news.co.nz/Stress-can-lead-to-early-death---study/tabid/420/articleID/263692/Default.aspx    The guest speaker on the video on this link is our neighbor's daughter.  Their five y/o grandson (son in Christchurch) is being treated for an unusual brain tumor and has a poor prognosis.  Dinner with Rich's kiwi colleagues last night; learned about the Royal Marsden.

Sheep ran off when K & R got out of the car

Polish memorial in Pahiatua

View from Jan's lounge

https://picasaweb.google.com/115133267095590644390/Pahiatua?authuser=0&feat=directlink