New Zealand -- Say Yes To Everything

 A few days ago I was standing on top of a cliff an hour west of Rotorua.  Thirty feet below was a lake – blue, clean, perfect.  Between the water and me were two trees, which I would have to clear to avoid spending the rest of the week in a New Zealand hospital.  I said to my buddy Michael, “Man I don’t think I can do this.  I’m too old for this shit.”  Mike smiled and said, “Pete, say yes to everything.”  Then he jumped. Who am I to argue with logic like that?  I followed him over the edge of the cliff, landing safely for my first New Zealand swim. 

Mike’s words became true north for orientation.  Raft class five rapids?  Yes.  Crawl through coffin sized caves a hundred meters below the ground? Yes.  Show my new friends how Aquinas boys shake it at Rotorua’s hottest dance club?  Absolutely.  To make a long week short, orientation was non-stop and amazing. 

Now I have arrived in Dunedin.  I live in a flat with both international students and Kiwis.  Dunedin is a college town.  It’s crazy.  The University of Otago makes Eau Claire look like a Mormon ice cream social.  It is not an easy village for an elderly man to call home.  But I’ll try my best.  Yesterday we went to the beach -- swam in the ocean, napped in the sand, and burned away winter skin.  Here is a photo to let my snow babies know what they’re missing.  

Remember, it doesn’t matter what side of the Pacific your on, keep saying yes.