Of course that can be said about NZ's incredible mountains and glaciers, and also about the spectacular coast line, lakes and rivers. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about our guides, Ken and Nicole. Awesome, truly awesome. One might expect your guides to be friendly, funny, outgoing, helpful and supportive, and certainly Ken and Nicole were all that. But that's just the beginning. One might also expect a guide to know a fair amount about the geology, vegetation and wildlife of a country, but the scope and depth of Ken's knowledge was utterly amazing. As we traveled from region to region, and indeed from valley to valley, Ken would have a story, frequently many stories: something unique about the birds or trees or rocks or brush in this valley; or something insightful and fascinating about an historical, cultural or political event that had a lasting impact on this community or completely altered the social, political or economic fortunes of that region. This information would just spill out spontaneously as Ken was driving along. No need to consult a guidebook or carefully prepared notes. The names and dates and events would casually roll off his tongue as he down-shifted his way through yet another hairpin bend in the highway. And Nicole; what a sweetheart. Constantly vigilant about ways to make a person's day a little bit better. She knew every person's food allergies, but went on to try to elicit everyone's likes and dislikes. Frequently additional dishes were added to meals to provide alternatives to main courses that some couldn't or preferred not to eat. She devoted the same careful and considerate attention to sleeping arrangements, apparently mindful that some of us older travelers were likely to suffer from nature's annoying nocturnal summons to the toilet. The toilet trips couldn't be avoided, but Nicole's room assignments for us always managed to minimize their inconvenience and discomfort. And what a cook! The best meals of the trip were those prepared by Nicole. The Rimu trip was great, and it certainly was active. I haven't slept as well in years even though we had new and unfamiliar beds just about every night. Our days were long, but not nearly as long as those for the guides. They started around 6:00 AM getting the coffee and tea out for the early risers in the group. And frequently they were still going after 9:00 PM, cleaning up after dinner when most of us travelers had already gone to bed. And there was no such thing as a mid-day coffee or work break for either of them. They had to be exhausted, but they always had smiles and cheerful, encouraging and energetic words for each of us. Awesome, truly awesome.

| January 1970