I’m in love with New Zealand. These are the Moeraki Boulders, mysterious rock spheres on an east Otago beach. The spheres are 60 million years old. Similar round rocks can be found in a few other places: Kimmeridge Clay and Oxford Clay in England, and North Dakota, USA.
Maori explain these boulders on New Zealand’s South Island as what remained when calabash squashes, sweet potatoes, and eel baskets washed ashore after Āraiteuru, a large sailing canoe, capsized. According to the legend, “the rocky shoals that extend seaward from Shag Point [are] the petrified hull of this wreck and a nearby rocky promontory [is] the body of the canoe’s captain. Their reticulated patterning on the boulders, according to this legend, are the remains of the canoe’s fishing nets. [[1]
It was early morning when we visited. The beach was mostly deserted and deeply mysterious. Sixty million years of existence lend objects the gift of magic, and the Moeraki Boulders were unlike any rock I’ve ever touched.
As I say: Rocks like aliens, or stones from the moon.
I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.
My alternate titles for this post are, “Oh, Really??” and “Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection in Action”.
These photos are from the thermal springs in Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, Rotorua, New Zealand. All of New Zealand is earthquake-prone and Rotorua steams and belches and burbles from the many, many underground geysers and hot springs. Rotorua is gloriously alive!
My first title, Don’t Attempt to Adjust that Dial, is because the colors are not normal. In fact, thanks to the high concentrations of various chemical and metallic elements, the colors of the pools are downright creepy. (According to their website, Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is known as “One of the 20 Most Surreal Places in the World”.) https://www.waiotapu.co.nz/information/
this green is not normal!neither is this yellow!I suspect the Champagne Pool’s orange isn’t normal either
The second title, “Oh Really??” is my sarcastic and astonished response that the park felt like they needed to post signs warning that the springs are damned hot:
Seriously? They have to warn people NOT to walk over and enter this pool?
clouds of steam continually billow
Personally I thought the clouds of steam gave away the secret, but maybe that’s just me.
And the third alternate title “Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection in Action” was my response when I spotted this sign:
Apparently it isn’t enough to inform visitors that the waters are boiling hot. No: the park has to go further and admonish visitors NOT to climb over the waist-high fences and wade into the springs.
I say this proves beyond a doubt Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection, aka the law about survival of the fittest/brightest/least stupid.
PS: The park is run by Te Arawa Group Holdings, a local Maori tribal business. In addition to these signs, their Health and Safety Page has these warnings: “There is NO SMOKING allowed within the attraction.” And this: “Thermal pools can be very hot (over 100⁰C or 210⁰F) or have toxic gases or fumes at the surface. Also, thermal pools can form a thin crust over the top of them that looks like a solid surface, but will break if a person stood on it. Thermal pools can be hidden under vegetation. Please refrain from trying to touch any water or go the edge of pools as you can cause yourself serious harm.” And this. “Steam can be attractive to visitors, for your own safety, please refrain from sitting on, standing over, touching or placing any body part over steam vents or crevasses. These can be very hot and cause serious harm to your skin.” And this… “Being an active geothermal area with uneven terrain, sturdy footwear is recommended. Jandals, sandals, flip-flops or high heeled shoes are not suitable.” https://www.waiotapu.co.nz/health–safety/
Darwin’s turning in his grave!
I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.
Today’s moment of serenity depicts a Maori fishing basket. This is just one installation of public art on the waterfront at Whangarei, North Island, New Zealand.
And this is only one example of the vibrant presence of Maori culture. All signs are in both Maori and English. Maori were the original settlers of the country, and are rightfully prominent in the history, language, and arts in New Zealand. More images to follow!
I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.
Earlier I posted about the oversized Maori fishing basket on the waterfront in Whangarei, New Zealand.
Today’s fishing basket image is from the Auckland Art Gallery.
This piece is by artist Chris Charteris and titled Te Ma (Fish Trap). Here is the explanation provided by the museum and artist:
I’m the daughter of a fisherman. My sisters and I accompanied him on many, many fishing trips. We rowed the row boat for him, floated on our own inflatable raft, and got to fish with the crap fishing rod he always brought along just in case. Sometimes we caught fish, too!
In any case, I’m drawn to images of fishing and fishing techniques, and Maori art has created some of the most beautiful images in the world. These posts are for our dad, Bobbo Campbell.
I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.
Politician Jacinda Ardernwas born on July 26, 1980 in Hamilton, New Zealand. She is leader of the Labour Party and currrently serves as New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister. Ardern has successfully navigated the COVID-19 crisis and led the response to the Christchurch massacre, a mass shooting motivated by racial and religious hate. She was only 37 when she was elected, making her the world’s youngest female leader. Her emphasis on social equality and the environment are wildly popular. In her honor I am reprinting the post I wrote after we visited amazing New Zealand. – Jadi
Most of our time in New Zealand I felt the landscape was alive. Especially on the North Island, I had the eerie sensation of standing on a very active volcano. The ground steams in places, thanks to the underground hot springs everywhere.
Three things remain fresh in my memory: Maori culture and architecture; the crisp Sauvignon Blancs that were all we drank; and the utter alive-ness of the nature.
The charming city of Rotorua contains all three.
Maori kapa haka performanceWharenui
We could view the wharenui (meeting house) of the Māori people from outside. I was taken by the use of local materials, symbolism, and the symmetry and beauty of every traditional building.
The Kiwis make great wine. When it comes to bottled grapes, I’m amused by the jargon. My own descriptions used to run to statements like, “A naughty little vintage. If this was a small child, I’d spank it and send it to bed without supper.” I loved it when I discovered that New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blancs are described as releasing a heavy whiff of cat pee when you first open the bottle. (I’m not making this up. Wine expert Jancis Robinson remarks, “Indeed one branded Sauvignon Blanc on sale in Britain is actually sold under the brand name Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush.”) * Yuck! If that’s the first impression you get from a wine, what could make anyone want to go past just opening the dang thing?
It was worth the adventure to try one.
We bought a bottle and opened it in our hotel room. Phew-ee! Sure enough, there was a heady stink of feral cat which thankfully faded immediately. I dared to fill a glass, took a sip… and was greeted by an explosion of quince, green apples, citrus fruits, kiwis and gooseberries. Those Sauvignon Blancs are so delicious that I never even bothered trying any other grape varietal while we were there. Why mess with kitty litter box perfection?
And then there is the natural world.
We visited parks where everything burbled, bubbled, exploded or engulfed us in clouds of steam.
We did all of the hiking loops and were wowed by the spectacle of shooting geysers, blubbering springs, and mineral ponds containing colors I had no idea normally appear in Nature.
In one park gift shop I purchased mud for facials that someone dipped out of a pond on the park grounds. No small feat as most of the park waters are at boiling point!
Seriously. Someone was actually dumb enough to want to find out, “Just how hot is this spring? Can I really cook my ankles in it?”
The park had to post signs warning people not to step in the springs. I say, let Darwin’s theory of natural selection and Nature take their course…
My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, and The Trail Back Out.
The Trail Back Out was honored as 2021 IAN Book of the Year Award Short Story Collection Finalist for the Independent Author Network and with a Red Ribbon by the 2021 Wishing Shelf Book Awards of England. In addition, The Trail Back Out was an American Book Fest 2020 Best Book Award Finalist: Fiction Anthologies. The title story The Trail Back Out was longlisted for the 2021 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Award. Broken In: A Novel in Stories was a semifinalist for the international 2020 Hawk Mountain Short Story Collection Award from Hidden River Arts, as well as a Finalist for Greece’s 2021 Eyelands Book Awards. Tsunami Cowboys was longlisted for the 2019 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Award.
Click here for my author page to learn more about me and purchase my books.
I always feel a little strange when I recognize it’s time to mark milestones and I have several to announce.
This is my 99th blog post.
I’ve posted in these virtual pages twice a month since I began way back in September of 2012. It all started with my husband’s suggestion that I establish an Internet presence….
My published books are fiction, and this blog serves as a good place to present excerpts. Potential readers of my books might want a sample of my writing and a glimpse of the human being behind the words. It’s also a place for non-fiction essays. I get to explore ideas and topics that don’t need to be transformed for novels. Posting every other week is great writerly discipline. I’ve never missed a bi-monthly posting date!
…. and this all began simply as a way to introduce my two novels Tsunami Cowboys and Broken In: A Novel in Stories. Both are available at amazon.com in book and eBook form.
It’s been a fun journey these last three years! Thanks to all of you for visiting these pages. I wish everyone the happiest of holidays. I’ll be back in the new year with an announcement. Milestone #2 is on the way!!!
Most of our time in New Zealand I felt the landscape was alive. Especially on the North Island, I had the eerie sensation of standing on a very active volcano. The ground steams in places, thanks to the underground hot springs everywhere.
Three things remain fresh in my memory: Maori culture and architecture; the crisp Sauvignon Blancs that were all we drank; and the utter alive-ness of the nature.
The charming city of Rotorua contains all three.
Maori kapa haka performanceWharenui
We could view the wharenui (meeting house) of the Māori people from outside. I was taken by the use of local materials, symbolism, and the symmetry and beauty of every traditional building.
The Kiwis make great wine. When it comes to bottled grapes, I’m amused by the jargon. My own descriptions used to run to statements like, “A naughty little vintage. If this was a small child, I’d spank it and send it to bed without supper.” I loved it when I discovered that New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blancs are described as releasing a heavy whiff of cat pee when you first open the bottle. (I’m not making this up. Wine expert Jancis Robinson remarks, “Indeed one branded Sauvignon Blanc on sale in Britain is actually sold under the brand name Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush.”)* Yuck! If that’s the first impression you get from a wine, what could make anyone want to go past just opening the dang thing?
It was worth the adventure to try one.
We bought a bottle and opened it in our hotel room. Phew-ee! Sure enough, there was a heady stink of feral cat which thankfully faded immediately. I dared to fill a glass, took a sip… and was greeted by an explosion of quince, green apples, citrus fruits, kiwis and gooseberries. Those Sauvignon Blancs are so delicious that I never even bothered trying any other grape varietal while we were there. Why mess with kitty litter box perfection?
And then there is the natural world.
We visited parks where everything burbled, bubbled, exploded or engulfed us in clouds of steam.
We did all of the hiking loops and were wowed by the spectacle of shooting geysers, blubbering springs, and mineral ponds containing colors I had no idea normally appear in Nature.
In one park gift shop I purchased mud for facials that someone dipped out of a pond on the park grounds. No small feat as most of the park waters are at boiling point!
Seriously. Someone was actually dumb enough to want to find out, “Just how hot is this spring? Can I really cook my ankles in it?”
The park had to post signs warning people not to step in the springs. I say, let Darwin’s theory of natural selection and Nature take their course…
Apparently it isn’t enough to inform visitors that the waters are boiling hot. No: the park has to go further and admonish visitors NOT to climb over the waist-high fences and wade into the springs.
Today’s fishing basket image is from the Auckland Art Gallery.
