Some Much Needed R&R
Well, after several weeks of hard work and using at least part of our P-days playing catch up, we again had a little chance for relaxation and exploration. On Thursday, we took a business trip and added some pleasure to it. We traveled to Nuhaka, a very rural town 5 1/5 hours from the mission office in the most Southeastern part of the mission. We have a missionary flat there that was recently sold so we needed to remove all of our furnishings and do a thorough cleaning before tuning it back over to the owners.
We left at 7 am and our office elders followed us down driving the mission bus and trailer. We visited 2 companionships along the way to drop off stuff they needed. We also took a few minutes to allow the office elders to see Huka Falls, which is the origin of the Waikato river, the longest and largest river in the North Island. It starts at Lake Taupo in the middle of the country and flows northward through Hamilton and eventually empties into the Tasmin sea just south of Auckland. Huka Falls is spectacular where the river gushes through a narrow channel and ends in a waterfall. With the recent rains, the flow was higher than we have ever seen and the power and clear blue color of the water was breath taking.
We ran into a violent storm with gale force winds and rain as we reached the eastern coast at Nuhaka. Luckily most of our work was indoors. Sister Folland and I worked on the cleaning effort while the office elders did the heavy lifting of furniture. At about 5:30pm we left the elders at the flat and went on to Mahia to find our AirBnB we had rented. It was pitch dark and the wind was howling and the rain was still pounding. We found the entrance to the Sanctuary Lodge where we were to stay and followed a long and steep dirt road through thick forest up to the top of a hill. There was the main house where the owners lived and a nice compact cabin for us. The couple, Dean and Lorna Whaanga were there to greet us and get us settled in. They said we were lucky because the power had been out for several hours and had just come back on. The cabin was compact but comfortable and in the morning we found a beautiful view across the Mahia Peninsula to the ocean.
We spent until early afternoon finishing our job at the flat. Before leaving, we helped ourselves to a bag each of the most beautiful oranges and lemons from trees in the front yard. Nuhaka has 2 businesses-- a fish and chips shop and a general store. We stopped into the general store, where it seemed to step back in history. They offered for sale a little of everything. After a short rest at the cabin, we went to the Mahia Nature Reserve for a hike. There was a 2.5 mile loop trail to a wonderful overlook and then continued down through a lush and dense forest. The mistake we made was a late start.
By about half way through the loop, darkness was upon us because of the dense folage. Even the full moon couldn't penetrate. Thank goodness for the cell phone torches! The trail was well marked but we had to wade across a stream several times. The night sounds of owls hooting and animals rustling was eerie. It kind of got Sister Folland a little spooked. Before long we arrived back at the car, although Sister Folland will tell you it took forever to get back.
Saturday, we woke to a glorious sunrise and a sunny day. The air was cool but the sun made for a perfect day for a walk along the beach. We read about a seal colony on the East side of the peninsula about an hours walk past the end of Nukutaurua Road. That sounded like a great outing so we packed a lunch and off on an adventure we went. The tide was out and the beach had a narrow strip of sand that turned to a flat rock surface from anywhere between about 10 yards to 150 yards before the ocean. Occasionally, it was broken up with intersting rock formations 1-3 feet tall and running in long lines across the flat surface. After about an hour we rounded a point and there were 2 seals right in front of us. As soon as they saw us they headed for the ocean. A little farther, we noticed 20 or so seals sunning themselves up on the bank and out in the distance was a long white rock about 15 feet tall and 50 yards long covered with lounging seals. We could get within about 10 feet of the rock before they got upset with our presence. What made it even more spectacular was about 30 yards behind the white rock crashing waves were sending spray 50 feet into the air. It was just amazing see the seals with the spray blasting up behind.(see the attached pics)
Today, we again arose to a sunrise of reds, oranges and pinks. We attended church at at small branch in Manutuke. They were so friendly and we enjoyed a sweet fast and testimony meeting. Then it was back to Hamilton, a long but beautiful drive through the mountains, gorges and farm land so typical of the North Island.
One little miracle story to end with. Our office companions are Elder and Sister Clayton. We have grown to love them like family. On the long walk through the LA airport on their way to New Zealand, Sister Clayton's hip started hurting and she has been in constant pain in the nine months since arriving. It was really hindering her ability to function as a missionary and it was evident she would need a hip replacement. They didn't want to have to go home but she needed relief from the pain and nothing the doctors did helped her much. A few months ago she asked President Erekson to give her a blessing and in the blessing she was told to search every avenue to be healed. She took that to mean looking into the possibility of surgery here in New Zealand and President told her to look into it. Well, everything fell into place including approval to have the surgery and the necessary insurance coverage while still serving. She had the surgery on Friday and left the hospital today walking and feeling no pain. What a wonderful blessing for a faithful sister and her husband.
We are so grateful to be serving this mission. It continues to be a source of great joy to us. We encourge you to consider serving, if the opportunity presents itself. We testify of the reality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It provides great comfort in these troubled times. We love you all!
Elder and Sister Folland
We left at 7 am and our office elders followed us down driving the mission bus and trailer. We visited 2 companionships along the way to drop off stuff they needed. We also took a few minutes to allow the office elders to see Huka Falls, which is the origin of the Waikato river, the longest and largest river in the North Island. It starts at Lake Taupo in the middle of the country and flows northward through Hamilton and eventually empties into the Tasmin sea just south of Auckland. Huka Falls is spectacular where the river gushes through a narrow channel and ends in a waterfall. With the recent rains, the flow was higher than we have ever seen and the power and clear blue color of the water was breath taking.
We ran into a violent storm with gale force winds and rain as we reached the eastern coast at Nuhaka. Luckily most of our work was indoors. Sister Folland and I worked on the cleaning effort while the office elders did the heavy lifting of furniture. At about 5:30pm we left the elders at the flat and went on to Mahia to find our AirBnB we had rented. It was pitch dark and the wind was howling and the rain was still pounding. We found the entrance to the Sanctuary Lodge where we were to stay and followed a long and steep dirt road through thick forest up to the top of a hill. There was the main house where the owners lived and a nice compact cabin for us. The couple, Dean and Lorna Whaanga were there to greet us and get us settled in. They said we were lucky because the power had been out for several hours and had just come back on. The cabin was compact but comfortable and in the morning we found a beautiful view across the Mahia Peninsula to the ocean.
We spent until early afternoon finishing our job at the flat. Before leaving, we helped ourselves to a bag each of the most beautiful oranges and lemons from trees in the front yard. Nuhaka has 2 businesses-- a fish and chips shop and a general store. We stopped into the general store, where it seemed to step back in history. They offered for sale a little of everything. After a short rest at the cabin, we went to the Mahia Nature Reserve for a hike. There was a 2.5 mile loop trail to a wonderful overlook and then continued down through a lush and dense forest. The mistake we made was a late start.
By about half way through the loop, darkness was upon us because of the dense folage. Even the full moon couldn't penetrate. Thank goodness for the cell phone torches! The trail was well marked but we had to wade across a stream several times. The night sounds of owls hooting and animals rustling was eerie. It kind of got Sister Folland a little spooked. Before long we arrived back at the car, although Sister Folland will tell you it took forever to get back.
Saturday, we woke to a glorious sunrise and a sunny day. The air was cool but the sun made for a perfect day for a walk along the beach. We read about a seal colony on the East side of the peninsula about an hours walk past the end of Nukutaurua Road. That sounded like a great outing so we packed a lunch and off on an adventure we went. The tide was out and the beach had a narrow strip of sand that turned to a flat rock surface from anywhere between about 10 yards to 150 yards before the ocean. Occasionally, it was broken up with intersting rock formations 1-3 feet tall and running in long lines across the flat surface. After about an hour we rounded a point and there were 2 seals right in front of us. As soon as they saw us they headed for the ocean. A little farther, we noticed 20 or so seals sunning themselves up on the bank and out in the distance was a long white rock about 15 feet tall and 50 yards long covered with lounging seals. We could get within about 10 feet of the rock before they got upset with our presence. What made it even more spectacular was about 30 yards behind the white rock crashing waves were sending spray 50 feet into the air. It was just amazing see the seals with the spray blasting up behind.(see the attached pics)
Today, we again arose to a sunrise of reds, oranges and pinks. We attended church at at small branch in Manutuke. They were so friendly and we enjoyed a sweet fast and testimony meeting. Then it was back to Hamilton, a long but beautiful drive through the mountains, gorges and farm land so typical of the North Island.
One little miracle story to end with. Our office companions are Elder and Sister Clayton. We have grown to love them like family. On the long walk through the LA airport on their way to New Zealand, Sister Clayton's hip started hurting and she has been in constant pain in the nine months since arriving. It was really hindering her ability to function as a missionary and it was evident she would need a hip replacement. They didn't want to have to go home but she needed relief from the pain and nothing the doctors did helped her much. A few months ago she asked President Erekson to give her a blessing and in the blessing she was told to search every avenue to be healed. She took that to mean looking into the possibility of surgery here in New Zealand and President told her to look into it. Well, everything fell into place including approval to have the surgery and the necessary insurance coverage while still serving. She had the surgery on Friday and left the hospital today walking and feeling no pain. What a wonderful blessing for a faithful sister and her husband.
We are so grateful to be serving this mission. It continues to be a source of great joy to us. We encourge you to consider serving, if the opportunity presents itself. We testify of the reality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It provides great comfort in these troubled times. We love you all!
Elder and Sister Folland
Comments
Post a Comment