Dunedin

I arrive in Dunedin feeling a few pangs of homesickness. This has happened a couple times since I left at the beginning of January--I will have an hour of so where I feel out of sorts and glum. But it always passes and this time was no different. Tanya and Ted pick me up from the train station and instantly my mood lifts. Laura arrives shortly after and we drive back to their house in Sawyer's Bay, just outside of Dunedin. Tanya used to work with Laura at the San Diego hostel but moved to Dunedin with her husband Ted and their two children a few years ago. They have kindly agreed to host us for three days. Their house is a bit small for guests, so they have set us up with warm sleeping bags and pillows in their camper just outside the house. We pull up to their lovely little cottage and I am amazed to learn that the property was completely trashsed when they first acquired it. They perservered through many renovations (which they completed themselves) and transformed it into a cozy, open floor plan full of warm color. Even more impressive are the vegetable gardens and chicken coop surrounding the house which their children, Palin (11) and Taia (6) help maintain as part of their daily chores. Our first night is spent talking over homemade bread and apricot jam. I learn how Tanya and Ted met thirteen years ago at a hostel in Europe. After they married, they lived in the U.S. for several years. While they enjoyed some aspects of it, they ultimately decided New Zealand was a more appropriate fit for the lifestyle they want to live. Over the years they have alternated between one parent working while the other homeschooled Palin and Taia, interspersed with some long term travel experiences along the way. As I snuggle into my sleeping bag, I think about how much I already respect this family that breathes life into the notion of "working to live" rather than living to work. The next day is my birthday. We wake up early and begin a hike up Mount Cargill--the highest point in Dunedin. When we reach the top--Butter's Point--we eat homemade veggie-filled buns while admiring the view of Otago Peninsula below. This particular hike eventually meanders into downtown Dunedin and our first point of interest is Baldwin street. Baldwin street is the steepest street in the world so of course we have to climb it! Next we stroll the Dunedin Botanical Gardens which feature at least a dozen different types of roses. In the Octogan, which is the name for Dunedin's town center, we find a shady spot in the grass to lounge for a bit then take in the art gallery. At home, dinner is a crisp salad of mixed greens that Ted plucked from the garden an hour beforehand and a stew of potatoes, vegan sausage, and sage. My new friends even celebrate my birthday! Tayna pairs chocolate muffins with I-can't-believe-it's-vegan rhubard ice cream. I blow out the candles and feel loved and cared for despite being halfway around the world.