On Board "Discovery"


We took a boat ride this past week out into the 144 islands in the Bay of Islands.  The boat was named “Discovery”.  DISCOVERY seemed appropriate this week as it really was a time for finding and uncovering.

We discovered a small Sunday School class of YSA’s in Takapuna on Sunday … 4 amazing people
In Relief Society we sang the New Zealand National Anthem “God Defend New Zealand” in both English and Maori and found that Kiwi’s are very patriotic and love their country like we love ours.  Pretty sweet discovery.  Then we went on a hunt and discovered the family home in Mt. Roskill of my sister Kathy’s long time friend Maila Lelepali.
  Dr. and Sister Hales invited us over for treats after dark, the biggest treat is the view from their flat in Devonport of Auckland.  Some of these discoveries are “re-discoveries” for us but then we love the quote by Marcel Proust: “The real voyage of discovery consists not is seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes”.  It’s good to discover with new eyes things like amazing or unique or endearing places, truths, and people. 
Love is another great thing it’s good to re-discover every day with your new eyes. 

We went on an adventure with Lou’s sister Kathy and husband Clyde Williams to the North and Bay of Islands.  Our first discovery of the day was an incredibly beautiful Whangeri Falls!  The pictures speak more than we can say. 

We also discovered that when a hotel advertises a “swimming pool” it can be Olympic size or 6 feet long…it still counts as a pool (no picture but it wasn't much more than Vance's length)
This week we also discovered several talents Vance had been holding back on us.  First, he was chosen as “chief” of our tourist group at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds (where the Maori and English signed joining treaties).  Vance had to make peace with the Maori warriors (much like in his junior high PE classes).  Thanks to his diplomacy no lives were lost.  



A "face to face" encounter, the Maori way of intimate greeting..  Vance has his peace branch in his hand.


Though tongues were wagging, the girl on the right reminds us it all means "peace"
Later in the week Vance was chosen to display his rare and budding talent for doing the Maori warrior dance the “Haka”.  He has wisely decided to forgo a career in entertaining and continue his work as a simple missionary.  

"Discovering" the folks laid to rest in Christ Church cemetery in Russell, the sight of a Maori vs. English battle in 1840.  Both sides lay buried here.  Below is a view from Russell of  the Bay of Islands . 
As mentioned earlier we took a boat (the “Discovery”) out first into the Bay and then out into the ocean to go through “Hole in the Rock”.   On the trip our first discovery was a nursery pod of dolphins.  


Our "Discovery" Boat. 
Our second discovery was that we were not born to be sailors.  The rock and roll of the real and rough ocean that day left one of us scraped and another very green.  Our boat did make it through the Hole in the Rock, and we all made it back alive, but we did discover a new appreciation for REAL sailors (how did Columbus and Lehi’s family and Noah do it without sea-sick patches?).  
Just a note that many of the other boats who ventured out that day did NOT go through the "hole" because of the rough seas.  It was a bit of wild ride.

A stop at Otehei Bay for lunch.  We discovered several nearby islands that were made famous by author Zane Grey and Captain James Cook.


We discovered and re-discovered the New Zealand Maritime Museum.  We discovered that the rocking and rolling of the immigrant ship exhibit can make the “once-queasy-green-sea-sick-person” green again.  We drove the Williams to the volcanic cones of One-Tree Hill and Cornwall Park. 
View into one of the volcanic collapsed cones of the hill


Vance and Clyde

We discovered how much we miss Christmas music (they don't play it much here).  It was so soothing to listen to the First Presidency Devotional and the hear the music too.  
We also miss family, friends, and, as everybody seems to have taken a holiday here too, we miss our YSA classes and Institute folks.  
So what do you do when you find yourself “missing” someone or something?  
We’ve found it’s soothing and filling to go to the Temple.   So we did.  And it was peaceful and wonderful and eased the “missing” feelings.  And afterward we stopped in to the Church History Museum to walk through it and say hello to the Summerhays.  It was not yet open for the day but dear Lynn and Anne Summerhays took us on a “special” tour before it opened.  They always warm our hearts.


Lots of discoveries there:       
A beautiful old wooden carved sacrament tray
A kiwi cape painstakingly made of individual kiwi feathers

A painting of the Savior with children from the different islands of the Pacific
We also discovered that day again how much we love the Hamilton Gardens, once named as the International Garden of the Year.Italian Gardens

Chinese Gardens

Vance and Lou...

Clyde and Kathy...


We discovered as we drove to Rotorua that the international street festival we loved on a Thursday many weeks ago was a weekly Thursday event and…it was Thursday!  Clyde discovered Cornish Pasties and we rediscovered our Falafels.

Whakarewarewa Maori village build on top of  geysers
Maori children diving for the money you throw
We enjoyed two of the Maori villages in Rotorua and had our first “hangi” (Maori feast) at the Mitai Maori Village as well as saw our first glow worms.  



Bubbling mud pool in clear water, fascinating.
We discovered it’s really hard to capture the magic of a glow worm in a dark tropical fern forest.  There are little glimmers in my rookie picture so I added one from the web.

 credit to www.reachcoach.nz.co for this photo

It seemed we discovered new friends wherever we went, from Corinna to Tonga to Clea and lots in between.  Its fascinating to learn all about them and what’s dear to them, then to share some of us with them.
Corinna from Australia, travels all alone but loves adventure.

Maori host at one of the villages, has a bone carving on a sperm whale tooth around his neck.
A little LDS YW who works here. 

This group helped us get some special shirts and became our fast friends.
Made friends with this couple from Netherlands on one excursion
We also discovered that one of the big cruise ships docked in Auckland housed friends from Utah, Jennifer Whitaker & her daughter, and our former neighbor dear neighbors Brenda and Dennis Hislop.  The Hislops joined us for church and dinner and a quick walk at the beach.  What a treat!  Sunday School at one of our YSA wards with Dennis and Brenda.



What amazing things we are discovering daily during our ride on this magnificent earth!  We can’t get enough of all we are learning about landscapes, storms, sunshine, our fellow earth travelers, and the written and spoken word (especially God’s word that gives it all meaning).  It’s simply rich!
We are so blessed.  We love you!
Elder and Sister Downs
Vance and Louenda









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