July 18
One of the unique things about our stay was a homestay with a New Zealander. Barb and I had the pleasure of staying with Dorothy Thawley in Papanui - a suburb of Christchurch. We had a wonderful dinner, delightful conversation, and a wonderful breakfast before returning to join our group and head for Queenstown. Our dinner included pavlova with fresh golden kiwi fruit. It was a wonderful experience. One difference is in heating. New Zealanders don't heat their homes as much as we are used to - even in winter. Dorothy had provided electric blankets - under the sheets instead of on top so we could climb into a nice warm bed. The bathrooms and hallways were very chilly. New Zealanders do a lot of recycling. Dorothy had 3 bins for recycling - one for paper,glass and aluminum, one for plastics, and one for composting. Dorothy's daughters are teachers. One is a maths teacher (they say maths instead of math) on the North Island and one works for American International Schools - currently in Bangladesh.
