Team leader: Mamoru Nakajima
Team members: Akio Sugai, Yoshio Ninagawa, Koichi Kawamura, Yutaka Yamamoto
May 6 (Tue.) Kansai International Airport to New Zealand
Met at the airport at 5:30 in the evening, and the following people came to see us off: GSE Chairman Kashimura, Vice-chairman Matsuoka, committee members Nakazono, Cikaraishi, Matsumoto (and his wife), governor Nakagawa, past governor and Rotary Foundation Committee chairman Yamanaka, and wives of team members. Took off for New Zealand on schedule.
May 7 (Wed.) Auckland
Landed in Auckland around 1:00 in the afternoon, and checked in at the Sky City Hotel after 2:00. Then we all walked around the city, and let it sink in that we were really in New Zealand.
May 8 (Thu.) Auckland to Dunedin
Arrived at Dunedin Airport around 3:30 in the afternoon. Governor Heinz and his wife, GSE Chairman Jackson, and others met us at the airport. Checked in at the Pacific Park Hotel. Attended our first welcome party at 7:00 that evening, hosted by governor Heinz, his wife and several others. Feeling a bit uneasy about how long it seems it is going to take until we get used to speaking in English, and felt a bit nervous about our first study trip while feeling relieved to have arrived safely.
May 9 (Fri.) Dunedin
Went to our first study trip from 9:30 this morning (Nakajima went to St. Hildas Collegiate School, a private girls school) and Otago Boys High School. Sugai, Ninagawa and Kawamura visited the Dunedin City Hall, and Yamamoto visited the Otago Regional Office. At 4:00, were introduced to our first host families, and divided up. Were a bit uneasy about being all alone, but plucked up our courage and headed off with our hosts a bit dejectedly. At 7:00, all the host families took us to see a live rugby match. Of course, being the home of the All Blacks, the cheering was tremendous.
May 10 (Sat.) Mosgiel
Went bush walking at 9:30 (this is one of New Zealand's outdoor sports). From 11:00, went to Invermay Agricultural Research facility. The theme of this study was countermeasures against rabbits and possums, which cause tremendous crop damage in this region. Heard about this crop damage wherever we went in New Zealand. At 2:00, Mosgiel RC president Michael Roller showed us around his farm. With one whistling noise, the sheepdog skillfully gathered and moved the sheep. This land is also the water source for the city of Dunedin.
He owns the hills in which the water supply is located, but when he retires, he plans to donate to Dunedin City the vast expanse of land between that water source all the way to the city. Thought that this was one way of looking at life. He took us around until it got dark.
A day of rest. Team members will spend the day celebrating Mother's Day with their host families.
May 12 (Mon.) Dunedin to Milton
Visited Holy Cross College (a Catholic seminary) at 9:00 in the morning,
and at 10:30 went to the largest factory in the area, Fisher and Paykel
Company (microwave ovens, dishwashers, etc.). In New Zealand, 80% of the
homes have microwaves, and 30% have dishwashers. Went to Milton in the
afternoon. Visited Tokomario High School on the way. Met with one Japanese
exchange student (a boy) from Osaka Konohana Gakuen. Attended the Milton
RC meeting at 6:30 p.m. Were very nervous giving our first presentation
in English.
Visited a large wool factory at 10:30 in the morning (Wrightson Co.). This company deals with 65% of the wool exported from New Zealand. Two years ago, they handled 72,000 bales (1 bale = 160 kg), but last year this dropped to 45,000 bales, due to the lower price of wool. Left there before noon, and headed for our next stop, Oamaru. Saw some amazing rock formations along the famous Moeraki beach. The rocks, which are natural formations, looked like monstrous eggs. Met Oamaru RC president David Rudd there, and he took us to Oamaru. In Oamaru, had a reunion with Margaret Williams, team leader of the New Zealand GSE team to Japan.
Went to see the famous Parkside Limestone Quarry at 9:00. The city is filled with buildings made from this limestone, especially all the older buildings. There are many buildings in Dunedin and Auckland (the North Island) as well that are made from this limestone. During our visit there, became the topic of one reporter's article for the Oamaru Mail newspaper. The photo he took was in the next day's morning paper.
From 6:00 p.m., attended a joint RC meeting with the Oamaru RC and the neighboring Waitaki RC where we all gave our presentations in English.
At 9:00, visited the Summit Wool Spinners Company (wondered if the name Summit had anything to do with the fact that the company was owned by the Sumitomo Group and I founed out "yes"). Met with the president, Takahiko Nagao. What a help it was to be able to talk to him in Japanese!
In the afternoon, left for our next destination, Waimate, and arrived there around 3:00. Watched some sheep shearing, and got to see some cows being milked. It was amazing and interesting to see several hundred cows standing there waiting in line to get milked with an automatic milking machine. Saw how they irrigate their pastures. Taken to host families' homes around 5:00, and attended the Waimate RC meeting that evening at 6:00. Had a reunion with Karen Keith, one of the New Zealand GSE team members.
Gave our regular slide presentation there. Felt like we were becoming comparably better at expressing ourselves in English. Stayed only one night.
Around 9:00 in the morning, 10 of us went to the Waitaki River, and took a jet-boat ride. Left for Timaru about 2:00 in the afternoon. Went to Temuka to attend a gathering of the Maori (the original inhabitants of the islands), which was a very rare experience.
Went to see New Zealand's most famous tourist attraction, Mt. Cook, by sightseeing plane today. Weather was perfect no clouds or wind. Mt. Cook, with its layer of ice and snow, was very beautiful. Had a barbecue lunch along the shore of a lake.
Left at 2:00 for Haldon Station, a 20,000 acre ranch with 14,000 sheep, 6,000 deer and 900 cows. The largest ranch in the region (most efficient, largest area, highest usage) and maybe the largest in the nation.
A day of rest. Spent a relaxing day with host families.
Went to Temuka, the farthest north we will get on our trip. Arrived at an emu farm (a small ostrich-like bird). Emu farming is a venture business in New Zealand with uses ranging from food to cosmetics. Attended the Temuka RC meeting at noon. At 2:00, went to a potato farm (300 hectare, which is large). Next we visited a beekeeper. At 4:30, we visited the Alpine Dairy Factory where Lynair Ryan (a New Zealand GSE team member) works, and she took us around the factory. They export many products to Japan.
At 9:30, visited "Port of Timaru" (the private company that operates the port of Timaru; used to be a public entity before the administrative reforms). Met with the executives. In the afternoon, visited the Timaru City Hall. Met and talked with the mayor and city executives, and exchanged opinions regarding city administration. The sociable mayor then took us to see the oldest building in the city (it's now a beer hall) where he treated us to some locally brewed beer. Attended a joint RC meeting of the Timaru and South Timaru clubs, and gave our presentations. Tomorrow, we leave for another city, so packed our luggage.
Left for our next destination, Wanaka. Wanaka is out in the country, but it is also a beautiful resort area. Stayed only one night, however.
Left Wanika for Queenstown, the nation's most popular resort. On the way, we stopped at a bungie jumping spot. Went out on the bridge very cautiously and peered over the side to the river 100 meters below. We were encouraged to take a jump, but politely bowed out in the end! After arriving in Queenstown, split up and went to our respective host families.
In the afternoon, got in four 4-wheel drives and went to see a mutual development area that was still under development (it also included some land in the high-country region preservation trust). Also took a walk around Queenstown. Since it is still before the ski season, there aren't many people around, and the place is rather quiet. Still, saw more than 10 people who appeared to be Japanese tourists. In the evening, attended the Queenstown RC meeting, which was very lively. The Rotary Club here in this famous resort town has 4,000 banners hanging around the meeting hall. This region has 2,000 banners more which are not in display. After 9:00, we began our presentation, which was well received. The governor and his wife also attended. During this meeting, the new club president was installed, so the meeting ended up finishing just before 12:00 midnight. Got home after 12:30. Starting tomorrow, will all be staying together at the apartment of GSE committee member Ross Wesley for two days, so we're looking forward to this. Haven't had an opportunity to be together to relax and talk since arriving in New Zealand.
Have free time now, so everyone except the team leader went to Kelvin Heights Golf Course to play golf. In the evening, we got together for a curry meal. Kawamura and Yamamoto bought the curry in Japan, and Sugai brought it to New Zealand. Then Ninagawa, who prides himself in his culinary skills, prepared curry rice for everyone. After dinner we discussed the plans for the second half of our trip.
A day of rest. Went sightseeing to the mining town of Arrowtown and to Skipper Valley.
Left for Alexandra. Visited a mutton packing plant on the way, and saw part of the meat packing process. Felt a bit sad for the sheep. Also stopped by the massive hydroelectric power plant, Clyde Dam. A local newspaper reporter was there to interview us and take our picture, and the article was in the next morning's paper.
At 10:00, we visited the Lauder Satellite Tracking Station. They measure the depletion of the ozone layer here, one of just 5 places in the world. Said it wasn't safe to be in the direct sun here for more than 15 minutes. After lunch, paid a visit to the Central Otago City Hall, discussed local government administration, and presented them with a banner and souvenir from Japan.
At 8:00 in the morning, when the mist was still hanging over the water, we boarded two fishing boats (owned by Rotarians), and, with the cold breeze in our faces, headed down the Clutha River to our next destination, Roxburgh. Team leader Nakajima was just coming down with a cold, so he went by car.
Arrived at the Jimmy's Pie Factory of local R.I. district representative Dennis Kirkpatrick. After looking around the plant, left the boats behind and visited a farm in the high country. Wondered if they fertilized the meadows by airplane. Anyway, it was a vast ranch with hill after hill stretching out before us. At 3:00, visited the region's only school, Roxburgh Area School. At 6:00, visited the Roxburgh RC, which had not been on our schedule. About 35 people were in attendance. After giving our presentations, sat around and talked in a relaxed atmosphere. Then spent the night in Roxburgh (this was also unscheduled). Guess we'll run out of souvenirs to give to other clubs now ...
In the morning, visited a place where fruit is gathered for distribution. This region specializes in apples, many of which are exported to Japan. In the afternoon, left for our next destination, Gore. Our host families met us around 4:00 and took us to our respective homes.
Today, each team member visited a different school. How cruel to make us go alone! Wanted to visit some schools, but having our wish granted this way ... ! But in the end, we all got through our visits without any problems, and even saw our self confidence increase. Visited the Gore City Hall around noon, and greeted the city council members and executives.
At 3:00, visited the Mandeville airplane factory, and then attended the Gore RC meeting at 7:00 in the evening. There were about 30 people in attendance. Showed our video and gave our presentations. The time went very quickly, and everyone was wonderful.
Left Gore for Winton. Met host families from the Winton RC around 11:00, and divided up to go to their homes. Everyone had free time that afternoon. But it is so far out in the country (sorry about that!) that it was hard to even get a letter mailed. As a matter of fact, for a long time we'd all been carrying around letters we'd written and addressed previously because there was no opportunity to mail them.
Met at 7:15 in the morning, and left for Milford Sound (a famous tourist spot) in 3 cars. Toured the area for about 90 minutes in a sightseeing boat. The sights were just too beautiful to capture accurately on film.
Today is the "Queen's Birthday," a national holiday. Thought we'd get a day of rest too, but at 11:00 headed off to Bluff, in the southernmost part of the nation. Around 6:00, attended a potluck meal at a Rotarian's home, held in our honor, and exchanged banners. Had reunion with New Zealand GSE team member Samantha York, sang our national anthems; it was a nice, relaxing time.
Left for our next destination, Invercargill. Visited Southland Girl's High School on the way, and met 4 girls from Kun-ei Girl's High School in Osaka. The high school is doing "business." Heard in all the places we visited that schools must try to recruit students from abroad whose tuition can help pay school operating expenses. At 10:30, we divided into 3 groups for our vocational study. Team leader Nakajima and Sugai went to Southland College and Southland Polytechnic Institute (although it was more like a trade school). Kawamura and Yamamoto visited the Invercargill Sewage Treatment Plant, and Ninagawa visited Sports Southland (a gym association). After 12:00, attended the Invercargill RC meeting, and because of time constraints only introduced ourselves and exchanged banners. In the afternoon, visited the Smelter Aluminum Refinery, the number one plant in New Zealand (with over 1,000 employees). On our way home, stopped by a beach with 30 km of beautiful sandy shoreline. It was magnificent, but wondered if it will remain untouched by pollution in the future. Met our host families at 5:00, and went to our respective homestays.
First, visited the city hall at 9:30, and talked with the executives. At 11:00, went to the Southland Regional Council Office, met with regional chairwoman (like a governor) Marion Miller, and after interviewing her, had the chance to meet and talk with executives working in each of our respective fields of expertise. In the afternoon, visited the southern region's largest meat packing plant. At 6:00, attended the South Invercargill RC meeting (about 40 people attended), and gave our video, slide and personal presentations. Atmosphere was free and relaxed, and seemed like we'd finally gotten used to life in New Zealand, ... although we may only have been deceiving ourselves into thinking so!
Departed for our next stop, Balclutha. Stopped by the Rayonier Fibreboard Factory on the way, and headed for Balclutha afterwards. In Balclutha, some Rotarians took us to the Balclutha River and across it, before returning to Balclutha. This is the river that Captain Tsukigawa once navigated. The tale of Captain Tsukigawa's heroic rescue is still going strong. At 6:00, attended the Balclutha RC meeting, and had reunion with New Zealand GSE team member Nigel Udy. Meeting him again meant we had finally met with all of th confidence increase. Visited the Gore City Hall around noon, and greeted the city council members and executives.
At 3:00, visited the Mandeville airplane factory, and then attended the Gore RC meeting at 7:00 in the evening. There were about 30 people in attendance. Showed our video and gave our presentations. The time went very quickly, and everyone was wonderful.
Left Gore for Winton. Met host families from the Winton RC around 11:00, and divided u Peter Jackson to discuss tomorrow's conference, and then went to see the conference place (the city hall auditorium). After dinner, rehearsed our presentation for the next day. We are all a bit nervous.
Today we give our presentations at the district conference, and are worried more than any other time this trip. But, this is our last formal public presentation here in New Zealand. Meet at 12:00 for our last consultation before the presentation.
Went to the boat. The sights were just too beautiful to capture accurately on film.
Today is the "Queen's Birthday," a national holiday. Thought we'd get a day of rest too, but at 11:00 headed off to Bluff, in the southernmost part of the nation. Around 6:00, attended a potluck meal at a Rotarian's home, held in our honor, and exchanged banners. Had reunion with New Zealand GSE team member Samantha York, sang our national anthems; it was a nice, relaxing time.
Visited with the mayor of Dunedin, a young, attractive Indian-Kiwi woman. Went to see Otago University together at 11:30, and had lunch at a cafeteria on campus. In the afternoon, went sightseeing at Taieri valley. Enjoyed our first Japanese dinner in a long time at a Japanese restaurant with our host families.
Went sightseeing around Dunedin with GSE chairman Jackson as our guide. Dinner was a farewell barbecue with our host families. Was a pleasant gathering with our host families, as well as governor and Mrs. Heinz, chairman Jackson, and GSE team leader Margaret Williams. The governor shared some farewell words, team leader Nakajima expressed our gratitude for everything and everyone, and we all parted promising that we would meet again someday. Were all reluctant to part, knowing that we would be leaving the South Island the next day.
A 9:50 a.m. flight to Christchurch. Governor and Mrs. Peter Heinz, chairman Peter Jackson, Mr. David Gamble saw us off. After arriving in Christchurch, did some sightseeing.
In the capital city of Wellington, went to see the Parliament Building, and after looking around the assembly hall, had a specially arranged (by Rotary) meeting with parliament member Murray McClean and two others. After this, went sightseeing around Wellington.
A morning flight to Auckland and then to Japan (8:30 take-off on NZ 97).
Arrived at Kansai International Airport.
