We learn more interesting things about this fascinating country of New Zealand every week.  This week, on April 25, New Zealand celebrated Anzac Day.  It marks the anniversary of the first campaign of WWI that led to major casualties for Australian and New Zealand military forces (the ANZACs, it stands for A ustralian and N ew Z ealand A rmy C orps) on April 25, 1915 at Gallipoli.   NZ soldiers.  NZ was then a Dominion of Great Britain and with great determination they made a conscious choice to follow Britain and the allies into WWI. From a small country of just 1 million people NZ  mustered an army of 100,000 (1/10 th …a pretty big sacrifice for so few).   Although the Gallipoli campaign failed and nearly 10,000 Anzacs (NZ lost nearly 3,000 soldiers there) many feel it was the beginning of a new national identity for both Australia and New Zealand.   There is a fierce feeling of patriotism around NZ on Anzac Day.  Its not an actual Independence Day. New Zealand  

 "Awe" tumn in New Zealand "Awe" gives you great feelings of admiration, amazement and wonder.  We have never before experienced autumn in April and have been feeling a bit of that kind of awe seeing those colorful fall trees next to green palms ....  ...and cabbage trees. Many trees that look like deciduous trees are really evergreens in NZ, like beech, pohutakawa, gum, and bottle brush. They don't do the big autumn leaf drop.  And many turn just a little yellow and then drop their leaves.  It may not be New England, but its still awesome in its own way. The ivy is the BIG COLOR item,  awesome everywhere! We took an AWE-tumn drive through a beautiful fruit-veggie belt west of Auckland, through Kumeu.  It was loaded with fruit stands, farms, vineyards and wineries.  These are NZ pumpkins, hard like butternut squash, small and beloved, and often cooked and sliced on sandwiches.  Have never seen a big one carved into a jack