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The drive changed every half hour as we towed the cargo trailer home from Fairbanks to Palmer after the show.  It started out sunny with a frosting of fresh snow on the landscape and clear, dry roads.  We were ecstatic!  Then, as we approached the Denali National Park area the sky grew dark and delicate snow flakes swirled, pushed by strong winds.  Windy Pass lived up to its name and the roads became slick with packed snow.  An hour later we were in the conditions shown in the photo above that I took through the front windshield of our vehicle.  We were doused regularly with a wet, sandy, ash and salt mixture.  The good news was that the fresh snow blanketed and smothered the ill effects of the volcanic ash fallout from Mt. Redoubt.  Later the roads were dry and only an inch of snow covered the land.  Back home at the studio with temperatures around 30 Fahrenheit, Bob hooked up a garden hose to the hot water faucet and rinsed the frozen mud-salt-ash paste off the exterior of the cargo trailer and took the car through the local car wash.  Now all is well, everything parked back in their respective storage spaces and we are ready to collapse into bed.

It was a lot of work but worth it, a very good show.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaskan artist

It has been a very busy show in Fairbanks this weekend, so much so that it has been hard to find a spare moment to visit with some of the lovely people who stop to say hello.  Well, we finally had a little lull Sunday afternoon and had the chance to talk to a charming couple, Pat and Sheila Carter,  who were married on the very day Alaska became a state 50 years ago!  They shared many interesting memories and facts about historic buildings in and around Fairbanks.  Half the fun of doing these shows are meeting the people!

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska painter

What a whirlwind, just five days after returning from our long trip to Australia and New Zealand we were on the road for the six hour drive to Fairbanks for a show.  Our drive was timed perfectly between eruptions of the volcano, Mt. Redoubt, and we avoided the falling ash which can do destruction to the car and engine parts and could seep into the cargo trailer full of art.  The volcano erupted two hours after we departed and the ash fell in the opposite direction of our travel.  We are still concerned, however, Redoubt is very active and we could be delayed due to the ash on our way home.

It is quite a shock to come from warm summer weather with flowers in bloom to the snow covered landscape with below freezing temperatures.  Today we set up the booth inside the Carlson Center while a gentle snow frosted the landscape outside.  On the plus side is the nearly thirteen hours of daylight bringing the promise of Spring.  The show opened at 2:00PM Friday and goes through Sunday until 5:00PM.  We are looking forward to seeing our good customers and friends and getting back into the swing of things again.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

I’m still thinking about the landscape and countryside in New Zealand, there is no question they are gorgeous.  All of the Harry Potter films were shot in the Marlborough country, and I can see why.  This is a sheep and cattle ranch near the town of Dunedin.  I hope to visit again someday.  But now, it’s back to work.  We are on our way to Fairbanks for a show this weekend where we will have a booth of my paintings and prints.

Gail Niebrugge, painter of the land

The botanical gardens in New Zealand are amazing, during our recent trip we visited a number of private gardens that were unequaled in their design and careful care.  This privately owned yard is a stunning example of a very formal garden, not shown are water features and sculptures strategically placed for interest and beauty.

Gail Niebrugge, Landscape painter

Looking back on my recent travels, I think I enjoyed the botanical gardens in each town as much as I did the scenic countryside or wildlife.  The rose garden at Christchurch was equaled only by the color and varieties of the dahlias.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Wildflower Artist

The last three days of the cruise were sea days from Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia.  The sea conditions were “moderate” and the pool sloshed out onto the decks off and on, but the weather was warm and sunny.

The last day at sea the captain announced that one of our engines quit, and we would be returning with only one engine.  With the rolling sea our time would be slowed and arrival time in Sydney delayed.  We are grateful that we allowed an extra day before our flight home.  Some passengers with tight connections are very stressed.

I am writing this at the Sydney MacDonalds using their free WiFi.  Most internet along the way on our trip was slow and expensive.  On board the ship it was $55 US for 100 minutes!  So I have been very thrifty with the use of internet.

I’m looking forward to returning to Alaska, even though it is still cold there and quite hot here.  We are on our way to summer in Alaska, and Fall is approaching over here.

I will miss this beautiful land, and am forever grateful that I was blessed to be able to take this trip.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

With the ship pool and hot tub finally filled with warm water our last three days at sea were spent sunning, reading, and people watching in the proximity of these amenities.

A funny thing, I’m noticing my speech is slowly slipping into the local dialect, sort of mimicking what I hear.  It is rather amusing, actually, that I do this almost unconsciously.  Bob can’t understand anything when someone is speaking with a heavy dialect and I’m constantly interpreting for him.  But I’m not having any problem and find the word pronunciation almost lyrical.

In Australia every one says “G’day” and “No Worries”.  Aside from these common phrases, for many ordinary words they seem to put the emphasis differently on a syllable.  Like pahwrk for park, or bawrding the feery for boarding the ferry.

New Zealanders use the words “wee bit” to describe something small or little, and I’m doing that too.  For ordinary words their emphasis on the syllable is similar to the Aussies, but even more extreme.  The fahwrms and heels are quite lovely these days, meaning farms and hills….

The one thing the locals all seem to have in common is a fierce pride in their country and a friendly competition between them.  We were looking for a New Zealand wine in a New Zealand liquor store when an Australian customer approached us and tried to get us to buy a “better” wine made in Southern Australia.  It is fun and sort of wonderful.  As a people they are all very friendly and down to earth.  And, without exception, when they find out we are from Alaska they all ask us to send our greetings to Sarah.  Actually, even the folks on the cruise, which is 50% American and the rest either Australian or New Zealanders, ask us to tell Sarah that they love her and to hang in there!  It is quite amazing how much they know about the United States.

It is very easy and fun to travel over here, and the landscape is stunning.  We will miss this beautiful place.

Gail Niebrugge, Coming home to Alaska

After the Auckland passengers departed the ship in the morning, we decided to go ashore and explore the city and its sights on our own.  The ship is docked right down town, it is only a five minute walk to city center.  We finished our souvenir shopping and decided to go to the ferry terminal for a 15 minute ride across the bay to the city of Devonport at the tip of the peninsula.  Once there we boarded a small bus for an hour tour of the quaint town and spectacular views from the top of an extinct volcano.  We enjoyed our visit and reluctantly headed back to the ship for a 4:00PM final boarding.

Gail Niebrugge, Landscape painter

Our ship Captain had a wonderful plan for us today and needed daylight hours to see some scenic volcanic islands and the Hole in the Wall Passage, an alternate route to the Bay of Plenty.  An extra bonus was beautiful sunshine, clear weather and calm seas.  Pictured is White Island Volcano the most active volcano in New Zealand.

Dinner this evening was a celebration, waiters juggled and made flamboyant food presentations, the mood was jovial.  It was the final night for passengers disembarking in Auckland.  I was very disappointed that when the Baked Alaska was served it was not lit in flames, apparently new regulations ban this activity.  During the evening we enjoyed an evening with a male soloist who had an excellent voice.  We entered the port of Auckland during the night.  All disembarking passengers had to have their suitcases packed and ready for an early morning departure.  I’m glad we are staying on three more days and don’t disembark until Sydney, Australia.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

Our stay at the dock in Tauranga was long, we arrived at 6:30AM and we didn’t sail until 5:30AM the next day.  There was a reason for this timing, but I won’t go into this now.  Suffice it to say we had plenty of time to take a nine hour tour and still explore the town.

Bob and I did separate tours, he went to the famous geo thermal reserves at the Rotoura and visited a kiwi reserve, I went on a super long bus ride to underground caves and saw beautiful formations of stalagmites and stalactites.  A river flowed through the bottom of the caverns and boats were waiting for us.  We boarded in the pitch dark, it was a wee bit eerie.  As we silently floated in the dark we saw overhead, clinging to the cave ceilings, thousands of glow worms each emitting  a tiny point of neon purple light.  It was quite amazing.

After the caves we had a lovely lunch in the beautiful gardens of a large dairy farm called Crosshills, in Otorohanga, and toured the gorgeous French Provincial homestead.  Afterward we visited a wildlife preserve and saw the nocturnal kiwi.

This area is rich with cattle and sheep farms, and lots of agriculture.  The weather was quite comfortable and we saw the sun shine most of the day, a welcome sight.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, landscape painter

I can’t decide if I love Napier more than Dunedin, they are both wonderful places, and decidedly different from each other.  Unfortunately due to the extreme tides at the port following Napier, our visit was limited to 5 1/2 hours, the length of our Gannet tour, and left no time to explore this interesting town built with Art Deco architecture.

But the tour to see the largest coastal Gannet colony in the world was worth every minute.  We took small 4 wheel drive busses out to Cape Kidnapper, an hour and a half from the docks, and watched these magnificent birds fly and feed their young from two different sites.  They are wonderful to watch, and we were able to walk among them.  I wish we could stay a week in Napier, there is so much to see and do.

On the drive back to the ship we were stopped by sheep being herded by a shepherd and his dogs.  It is a beautiful sight touring along the coastal bluffs covered in green grass, with steep canyons and drainage’s to the sea, hawks flying overhead with cattle and sheep grazing in the pastures.  Yes, I’m in love with Napier too.  I really need to visit New Zealand again and stay longer next time.

Gail Niebrugge, landscape artist

Wellington is only 45 miles from New Zealand, but the sea between the north and south island is extremely rough and home to many sunken ships.  Our captain warned us of rough seas and we had them, fortunately for only a few hours.  We docked in Wellington during the night and the gangway was lowered at 7:30AM.

The highlights of our day included the Museum of Wellington City and Sea with live documentary film footage of a sinking ship in the harbor and evacuation with life boats resulting in 54 deaths, and touring the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa where we toured the exhibit featuring paintings by Monet and the Impressionists that are absolutely stunning!  All in all we found Wellington to be a rather large, somewhat dirty city and not very user friendly.  Pictured is a sculpture made of wire installed along the waterfront.

Cautiously we boarded our ship to sail to the next port of Napier.  I dreamed of sinking ships all night.

Gail Niebrugge, impressionist pointillism artist

The night was relatively calm fortunately we missed the forecast rough seas and we woke to see a charming small town outside our cabin window.  The walk into town is only five minutes and is well marked by a painted blue line on the walkways.  The town itself is lovely, very user friendly and clean.  Main street had three or four galleries, the same number of real estate offices, more restaurants and some pubs.  I liked this town very much.

We took a tour over the mountain range and through the Marlborough valley to a beautiful sheep and cattle ranch with stunning gardens.  We watched a sheepherder demons
trate the use of his sheep dogs to round up sheep using voice and whistle commands, then he showed us how to shear a sheep.  After an excellent lunch on the ranch house lawns we toured the well maintained gardens.  This region used to be known for its sheep and cattle ranches, now the ranches have been converted to vineyards for wine production.  Later we toured another private garden owned by a couple who restored a 100 year old victorian house.  The husband builds custom furniture in the shop situated in the middle of the gardens.

We really enjoyed Picton and the surrounding Marlborough region.

Gail Niebrugge, wildflower artist

The weather turned favorable and we rode the free shuttle through the 1 1/4 mile long tunnel from the dock port to the beautiful historic city of Christchurch, New Zealand.  We decided to explore on our own, first stopping at the information center and then asking questions of the many ambassadors stationed around the town square.  We decided to spend the morning walking through the city botanical gardens where the Avon river meandered, flanked by century old trees and rock gardens.  I’m pictured standing under a 140 year old tree planted by the Duke of Edinburgh.  The gardens are astonishing in their variety, design, and beauty.

The day grew comfortably warm, and we decided to take a three hour walking tour with a personal guide in the afternoon.  It was very informative.  Christchurch has so many things to see and do it would take at least a week to explore it all.  We chose very low key activities, although were tempted to ride gondolas and parasail down the mountain, float the white water in a raft, and ride in hot air balloons.  Regrettably, those things are for another day, another visit.

The ship was scheduled to sail at 6:30PM, but at 5:30 the captain announced that a squall was arriving and was visible across the harbor.  We watched it approach kicking up a fine sea spray with its 50 mph winds, followed by sideways rain.  The captain delayed our departure until the winds slowed, then he announced that we might experience rough seas on our way to Picton sometime during the night.  The weather in New Zealand can turn on a dime.  We have learned to wear layers, and always have an umbrella handy.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist on tour

It was love at first sight the moment I looked out the cabin window at daybreak, stunning cays and wee bays surrounded by hillsides lush with green meadows dotted with grazing sheep and cattle.  A magnificent pastoral country coastal scene capped by a sky of towering clouds and rainbows  The homes are well built, clean, freshly painted and had histories, most enjoyed sea views and many had window bays.  The streets are narrow, winding and steep.  The land is well loved and cared for, and very clean and neat.  The people are hardy, dressed in well made study outdoor gear.  My kind of place!

We toured by bus, the driver was merciless toward the Aussies on board.  A strong, friendly rivalry exists between Australia and New Zealand.  The people are spontaneous, unpretentious and friendly.  Our destination was at the Taiaroa Head an adventure with Argo vehicles, 500 private acres where a colony of Furs Seals and Yellow Eyed Penguins reside and nest.  This is an impressive place, the naturalist guides used the utmost discretion and care to protect the animals from being disturbed.  Blinds were used to view the Penguins, so that they never saw a human.

As our ship sailed in the evening sun we saw cliffs covered with hundreds of Albatross nests that are clearly visible from the sea.  This area clearly rivals any coastal nesting area for sea birds and sea life that I’ve seen in Alaska, and I’ve always felt that we had the best of the best.  Well, now I know there is another place, one that will stay close in my heart!

Gail Niebrugge, in love with Dunedin

Our ship made a scenic cruise of this remarkable part of the Te Wahipounammu World Heritage Area of New Zealand.  Unfortunately we had rough seas, strong winds, low clouds and rain, so most of the spectacular vertical cliffs were partially obscured.  This area receives over 300 inches of rain a year and most of it runs off in the form of waterfalls.  In the Milford Sound the rain has created a permanent fresh water layer above the warmer sea water 10 to 13 feet deep.  It is a very dramatic, interesting region.  I’ve given up wishing for sunny, calm days.  If it happens, great, otherwise we are wearing our Alaska jackets and carrying umbrellas.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska wildlife artist

My fantasies of cruising while enjoying a soak in the hot tub and laying in the sun around the pool have been severely crushed.  We’ve spent at least three days so far in high seas, and the ship really battens down the hatches, all the pools and hot tubs are drained and the central elevators are shut down.  At night all exterior deck lights are shut off because the light attracts birds and they crash into the ship to die.  Along with the predictable problems with walking like a drunken sailor, the sounds of dishes and crystal crashing and breaking are common.  I think I’ve grown used to the pitching and rocking and stopped taking sea sick pills.

Of course it is not advertised in the brochures about this trip that the Tasman Sea is one of the most rough in the world, they did finally post it today in the daily news delivered to our room.  The high seas have severely impacted activity onboard.  Those hearty souls who are able to function are moving about cautiously, and we see very few people anywhere.  Last evening I tried to walk the promenade deck 3 where 3 1/2 laps equal a mile, and it was hard enough to navigate with the pitching and rolling but the deck hands chose that time to test the fire hoses and wash out the life boats overhead on deck 4.  I managed to get in two miles before giving up, stepping gingerly over fire hoses and dodging unexpected waterfalls from overhead lifeboats.

I have to admit this is not one of my favorite parts of cruising, on board in gale force winds.  Tomorrow we cruise the Milford Sound in New Zealand, and hopefully it will me sunny and calm.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist at sea

At the Cradle Mountain National Park we were able to see a number of Wallabies that I mistook for baby Kangaroos, they are about half the size of a Kangaroo, and fat, fuzzy Wombats.  The creatures of Australia and Tasmania are much smaller than I imagined.  I kept scanning the open meadows for something large like I am used to doing in Alaska.

Pictured here is a Wallaby.

Gail Niebrugge, wildlife paintings

Wow, I’ve never been aboard a ship during high, very rough seas, and really don’t like it too much.  Actually, the captain warned us to be prepared but I don’t think anything can prepare for sailing over rough seas you unless you have done it before.  The good news is that I took my Bonine tablet before bed, the bad news is that I didn’t fall asleep until after 3:00AM because I was not used to the swaying of the boat and the sounds of the sea as it crashed against the sides of our vessel.  The floor above our cabin is the lower promenade, and in the morning I discovered the source of the crashing and banging noises overhead.  All the wooden deck chairs had come loose from their constraints and were tangled all over the walkway.

But, in the morning we docked at the town of Burnie and soon forgot the night before, except for the frequent yawning and fatigue.  Our tour left immediately, the final destination Cradle Mountain Lake St. Claire National Park, but first we visited the charming town of Sheffield known at the “Town of Murals”.  I was especially interested in this place because I recently designed a mural for the town of Seward that claims to be the mural capitol of Alaska.

The story we were told about Sheffield was that years ago the economy was poor and the residents were seeking a way to boost revenue and came upon the idea of having artists paint murals on the sides of the historic buildings.  There are many excellent murals, and finding them was fun somewhat like an Easter egg hunt.  The subjects depicted early life in the Kentish district, and were very enjoyable.  In the “Mural Park” were a number of freestanding paintings each protected by a metal awning.  These murals are replaced each year with new ones.  An energetic and commendable enterprise.

I am especially charmed by the mural on the side of the Sheffield Bible Chapel, note the bird on top of the tree.