Into The Future and Back

By Cathy Spalding ©
www.gentlespiritllamas.com
www.gentlespiritalpacas.com

As spring began to unfold across North America, I had the great fortune to move immediately forward in time to beautiful New Zealand where the leaves were already turning to brilliant fall colors. And, as is surely never my intent, I again found myself amidst a seemingly self-created predicament. I am accompanied to each and every clinic by at least one of my traveling teachers, a llama and/or alpaca skull. Earl, the llama, accompanied me to New Zealand. In carefully packing Earl, it had never occurred to me that I was about to enter one of the highest bio-security countries in the world.

Our jumbo jet landed in Auckland at 5:30 in the morning and I was fortunate to be among the first large group to pass through security and enter the bio-security area. A uniformed officer stood before each of the eight large stainless steel tables carefully inspecting all manner of incoming items. I watched as some items were returned to their owners and others confiscated and destroyed. Then it was my turn. I carefully unwrapped Earl, my llama skull, and placed him on the cold steel table.

The room fell silent. Officers and travelers alike locked eyes on Earl. Being only his “second day on the job,” my particular officer felt he definitely needed assistance. As the seven other tables cleared, one by one every officer in the place -- including now supervisors -- gathered around me pondering what to do with this obviously old and well-traveled llama skull. We were now the only ones in that large sterile room. Outside, the waiting line was seriously building as the fascinated officers asked questions about llamas in general and marveled that there were no upper front teeth. Though the consensus was that Earl likely posed no threat to the bio-security of New Zealand, no one wanted to shoulder the responsibility should that judgment somehow be in error. I was given three choices: destroy him; have him vacuum sealed and stored at the airport for pickup on my way out of the country or; send him to the Ministry of Agriculture Quarantine Service to be fumigated and issued a bio-security authorization/clearance and entry certificate. I chose the latter. Earl was whisked away as the enormous line of weary travelers gave a collective sigh of relief.

Jenny Arscott and Geoff Clarke of Willows Reach at Kumeu, Auckland, hosted my first clinic. I greeted Geoff outside security and am sure he had some serious second thoughts upon learning that the first thing I needed to do was borrow money to pay for Earl in quarantine. Somewhat puzzled, he paid and immediately turned me towards a large window labeled “Money Exchange.”

Willows Reach is beautiful. Jenny and Geoff were incredibly gracious hosts. They wasted no time in introducing me to the area wineries, downtown Auckland, the beautiful Tasman Sea and my first latte ever served in a bowl. Geoff was quietly amused that the etiquette of a bowl of coffee seemed to elude me. The weather held for the clinic and the food was great. Participants included both new and long time llama and alpaca owners. As participant Raewyn McKenzie said: “Cathy was a good facilitator. I loved her sense of humor and the two days went all too quickly.” It was a great start to a terrific adventure.

Following the clinic, I drove south to New Plymouth with participant, Uta Bleidistel. Our first stop was at the Ministry of Agriculture Quarantine Service to fetch Earl and his entry papers. It took some time to find it but a number of NZ dollars later, we were again on our way. I spent several days doing private work with Uta, her ranch manager and llamas on her gorgeous Crambambuli Farm.

Ute was terrific and eager to introduce me to this area of New Zealand. We had picked up a large box of exotic birds outside of Auckland and delivered them at the home of friends who operate a large exotic bird breeding facility. We shared a wonderful dinner and interesting tour of the facility. As a side note, along the way we also fetched Uta’s large cat that had been in a kennel while she attended my clinic. It was definitely a chaotic ride after that as the cat was most interested in those expensive little exotic bird heads poking through the holes in the box. I was in charge of keeping that situation sorted and if anyone was facing a malady due to stress, it was I!

From New Plymouth, I flew north to Kerikeri to spend a few days with Julie Insley of Rangemore Llamas. Julie is a most amazing and gracious woman and was responsible for putting my entire New Zealand adventure together. She and Peter treated me to time in the Kauri forest and introduced me to the history of the Maori people. We spent wonderful hours simply talking, hanging out with the llamas and enjoying the tropical climate of the Bay of Islands area.

I left Kerikeri on the North Island and was met on the South Island in Nelson by Eve Horder. A group gathered at her home for potluck and afterwards we worked with varying animals on herd management skills and some interesting behavioral issues. Eve is a delightful British transplant. We enjoyed taking long walks along the beach with her dogs and… llamas and alpacas. It was a most amazing thing to watch a number of llamas and alpacas walking together with the humans -- many off lead -- down the several blocks to the shore. Like us, they seemed to thoroughly enjoy the beach exploring various pools and odd debris left by the outgoing tide.

Eve and I arranged to meet Syth Hoyle at Ruth Benge’s fiber shop. Shelves and cubbyholes lined the walls from floor to ceiling containing yarns in every color and from every fiber species seemingly possible. A number of folks were gathered around a large table in the center of this shop working with fiber. Llama and alpaca items from gloves, scarves and hats to beautiful skirts and jumpers to Eve’s beautiful weavings were everywhere. All too soon it was time to leave. After warm goodbyes, Syth and I left Nelson and headed up to Cissy Bay in the Marlborough Sounds. I had no clear notion of where we were headed and boy, was I in for an adventure.

Cissy Bay is absolutely gorgeous and quite remote. There are dozens of islands just off the mainland shores. Most island residents only receive mail and supplies by boat. The water is crystal clear and home to dozens of mussel farms. The terrain is nearly vertical with little more than dirt/gravel single car roads cut into hillsides or perfectly perched atop the steep slopes. There is little flora and most of the bush has been replaced with lush grasses and grazing sheep. It’s as if you can see forever. While that is a definite plus on the side of beauty, it wrecks intense havoc on one’s sense of security in the passenger seat of a car. Syth and her husband, Clarrie, have a large parcel of steep land high above Cissy Bay that is home to black sheep, highland cattle and llamas. There is no running water, electricity or indoor facilities. Cooking is done by candlelight over a propane stove. We ate our dinners under brilliant stars before large warm fires. We spent the days exploring the area and hiking down far below to the shores of Marlborough Sounds even taking a brief chilling swim. Syth, a Scottish transplant, treated me to as many wonderful experiences as could be fit into such a short time frame. We even performed all the herd maintenance chores for her herd of llamas. All too soon it was back to Nelson for a hot shower and off to the airport once more for my clinic in Christchurch.

Landing in Christchurch I connected with my dear friend, Sandi, who had just arrived from America. She would join me for the rest of this amazing journey. Jane Buxton of Alpha Fields Llama Farm in Rangiora met us at the airport. Jane is a well-published author of children’s books. Her latest book, “The Littlest Llama” came out in 2006. It is a delightful story about a little llama who felt to leave his herd in search of a playmate. He has a scary time of it and finds a wonderful surprise when he decides to return home.

A number of llamas and alpacas live at Jane’s and a number more were brought to the clinic by participants. It was a beautiful fall day and we were kept busy working on training, behavior and herd management skills. The second day of the clinic brought a swift change in the weather. Raining, the winds kicked up and it began to snow. Huddled in a shelter, we continued to work on handling legs as Sandi shuttled numerous hot water bottles to us from the house. The weather finally became just too intense for any of us. Jane’s wood stove was a welcome reprieve and we concluded the remainder of the clinic indoors.

Sandi and I left Jane’s with participant Robyn Robinson of Llama Lookout in Christchurch. It was dark and snowing and once again, I had no idea where we were going. Dawn brought stunning news. Llama Lookout sits high above Governors Bay with expansive views of Lyttelton Harbour and the surrounding extinct volcano crater rim. Again, it was as gorgeous as it gets. Sandi and I were treated to a fully equipped apartment of our own and Robyn graciously shared with us as many places as we could possibly fit into those few days. We experienced everything from a play in Christchurch to the Southern Alps to the French settlement of Akaroa. We were treated to a marvelous afternoon with Robyn and her son, Flax, at the NZ Conservation Trust, Willowbank. Willowbank is a wildlife reserve dedicated to saving and preserving NZ native wild life and rare breeds. An absolute highlight was the opportunity to observe the threatened Kiwi bird foraging in near total darkness. Unbelievably, Robyn and I were even able to spend time working with some of her beautiful llamas -- newly acquired and very big girls.

We discovered this large yet cozy apartment/annex below their home is available for rent year round. It is a reasonable taxi fare from downtown Christchurch. We marveled at the peaceful 20-acre property that borders public reserves and native forestlands. There are walking trails that extend all the way around Lyttelton Harbour. And, we discovered it was not unusual to find llamas grazing in the early morning light right outside our sliding glass doors. If you are ever in NZ, I highly recommend contacting the Robinson’s and booking a stay at Llama Lookout.

Robyn and her husband, Mike, have also created a very unique business they call Urban Rooms. Urban Rooms provides the accommodation of a private room in one of a variety of fully furnished homes in the heart of Christchurch. Each accommodation has a shared kitchen (fully equipped), lounge (complete with TV and DVD player), laundry and bath. It is perfect for travelers, students and working folks who plan to stay in the Christchurch area for a month or more. All the homes are within a 10-15 minute walk from the main square in Christchurch.

Christchurch is a beautiful city containing a vast array of interesting shops and wonderful eateries. Many offered large outdoor seating areas along the street. The peaceful Avon River ambles on next to Victoria Square. While walking along the Avon River, Sandi and I were gobsmacked to find a display of twisted steel girders from the World Trade Towers 9-11 attack. They were tastefully mounted near the entrance of the Christchurch Fire Station. We could understand that we might see them in America but were stunned that the first time we would see them would be in New Zealand. We were told the gesture of this memorial represents the brotherhood of firefighters everywhere. There was a most thoughtful addition to this memorial at the base of the girders… a steel fern frond. It was a gift in tribute from the Maori’s. Types of ferns can grow as large as trees in areas of NZ. They are stunning and the fronds are enormous. In the Maori culture, the frond represents a new beginning.

It had been nearly a month and my journey was necessarily coming to a close. Sandi and I shared a last lunch with new friends and headed for the Christchurch airport. From there we flew to Auckland. It was a dark and cold Friday night. While we were anxious to return to our families, we simultaneously felt a strange melancholy to be leaving NZ. However, the time had come and we boarded the plane that would take us back to Los Angeles leaving the islands of New Zealand in our memories. After spending the entire day Friday in NZ and another 10+ hours flying over the ocean, we landed in Los Angeles to find it was light out and still Friday. We had, indeed, been into the future and now we were back.

It is not possible for me to adequately convey the warm hospitality of so many wonderful and gracious New Zealanders or to describe the beauty of their country. The good news is that the clinics were well attended and received, we all had great fun and I have accepted the warm invitation to return – to the future -- once again.

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