Christmas in summer certainly is a unique experience. The holiday itself is celebrated much like in the U.S. in the sense that it is a time to enjoy family, give to others, go to church, and of course, eat as much as you possibly can, but some things are inevitably different than in the northern hemisphere as a result of the summer climate. Instead of a White Christmas, Kiwis might hope for “sweet as” conditions for surfing and boating. Rather than roasting a ham and drinking egg nog, they opt to throw some steaks and shish kebobs on the “barbie” and drink some nice, cold Tui or Steinlager beer. Apparently the Kiwi kids still believe that Santa delivers presents on his flying sleigh, but it’s hard to imagine that he would wear a furry, red suit when the temperature is approaching 80 degrees!

Dallas and I had a Merry Kiwi Christmas with the help of our friend Mel and her family in the Auckland area. They welcomed us as their guests and treated us to an awesome meal. We were able to eat outside on their veranda thanks to the shade of the umbrella. Our hosts agreed that the sun is particularly blazing here, more so than in nearby Australia. Young children are required to wear hats here when playing outdoors at school.

One of two food tables at the summer Christmas lunch

We talked more with Mel about the mix of cultures that are prevalent within NZ. She indicated that while Kiwis are totally Westernized, a minority still participate fully in Maori traditions such as meeting at the maraes and speaking the Maori language. Many other modern Maori are raised as though they were “pakeha” (descended from white Europeans). However, it seems that traditional Maori funerals have stood the test of time and European influence among many families of Maori heritage. In Mel’s family and presumably many others, it is customary for the deceased person to be brought back to his/her home for three days, during which time the immediate and extended family members sleep in the same room and say their good-byes.

  A beautiful day at Cornwall Park in Auckland Sheared sheep mowing the park’s grass

Also while in Auckland, we spent an afternoon in the New Zealand National Maritime Museum. Unlike Maori traditions, the culture of the sea has always been well represented in these islands, from the early Polynesian navigators who found their way here using the stars, to the European explorers/whalers that eventually immigrated, to the present day fishing charters and sailing regattas that have become national past times. The exhibits displayed each of these eras and included full-size replicas of ancient Polynesian canoes as well as smaller replicas of the last of the tall ships (masts reaching over 150′!) to be sailed around the dreaded Cape Horn as part of the Australian grain trade. The video footage of the hurricane winds encountered by such a ship in the late 1940’s as well as the crew’s configuration along the yards of the mast (horizontal spars far above deck) to set/stow the sails, helped to tell their tales of adventure.

The outrigger of the canoe belongs on the windward side

This Kiwi “Big Boat” was no match for the American’s catamaran in the controversial America’s Cup of 1988

There also was a special exhibit to honor the deceased Sir Peter Blake, a national hero. Peter’s crews won multiple round-the-world races, including a non-stop, 74-day voyage aboard Enza, a catamaran that averaged 16 knots! Video footage of Enza’s journey depicted crewmembers dodging icebergs in the high latitudes (60’s) and trying to hang on to the stern in 70-knot winds while deploying a drogue. In addition to these amazing feats, Peter also led an NZ crew to victory in the 1995 and 2000 America’s Cup regattas and led expeditions to Antarctica and the Amazon. He later founded an organization dedicated to environmental preservation in the Amazon, where he was ultimately killed from behind by thieves after going below deck to retrieve his gun. A pretty eventful life, I would say.

Our lives are not nearly so eventful at the moment, but we are looking forward to having some Kiwi-style adventures following my parents’ arrival in early January. They have planned an ambitious itinerary of exploration, particularly around the South Island. It should be an unforgettable trip that we will be sure to share with you.

In the meantime, I am pleased to share that Dallas penned a feature article for the January issue of SAIL magazine, which is now in newsstands! It is SAIL’s annual multihull edition, and Dallas’ article documents the ins-and-outs of buying, refitting, and cruising in an older catamaran. Check it out!