Rangitoto Island

Monday, June 6 was a holiday.  We work in the Area Office so when there is a holiday it is okay for us to to take a day off too.

We had an adventure to Rangitoto Island. We drove over to Devonport and loaded onto a ferry that took us over to the island.

There is a trek to the summit. It takes about an hour.  The path is well-groomed. We started out a little fast but it was gradual and very interesting. Lava rock beds lined both sides of the trail with vegetation growing around the rock.

Rangitoto appeared as a volcano about 600 years ago. So the purpose of the trek is to reach the rim of the volcano - providing a 360 degree view!

The path eventually began to really climb - it was very steep and challenging. We made it to the top where we were able to rest and enjoy the view while we caught out breath.

It was a wonderful view. We could see several outlying islands, sailboats everywhere, Auckland skyline, the bridge to Auckland from Takapuna, the tall buildings by our office building, Takapuna Beach and Mount Victoria in Devonport to name a few of the sights.

It was windy and chilly but we warmed up with the hike. One interesting fact - there was a picture of the volcano about 200 years ago - totally barren. Now trees and foliage have grown up filling the volcano hole and covering much of the island. It's crazy how all those plants can grow amidst the lava rock. One of the main trees that covers the island is the Christmas tree. So from December to March the island is very beautiful with those trees in full bloom with their red blossoms.

The trek down was great and much faster. There is no running water on the island and no electricity.  There are a few bach's left over from the late 1930's. If you go there to camp you have to get permission and haul in all your supplies.

We ferried back to Devonport. Enjoyed lunch at Manuka. I bought yarn at the Wild and Wooly yarn shop for a striped knitted afghan. It was a very enjoyable day!

Where We Spend Most Days - In the Office

The Church owns an office building in Takapuna, an eight minute walk from our flat. There are over 100 employees and 20 senior missionaries who work there everyday.

The Public Affairs Department is on the top floor along with the Area Presidency, the legal  department, Family History, membership statistics, the area mental health counselor, the area doctor and missionary department infield representative.

There are two Pubic Affairs senior missionary couples in the Pacific Area Headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. Our companion couple is Elder Barry and Sister Su Preator from Alpine, Utah. There could not be a better couple!

Although we work together on many assignments, we are each assigned various geographic areas in the Pacific.  We are responsible for supporting public affairs efforts in Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Tahiti, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands and the South Island of New Zealand.

The Preators are responsible Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and the North Island of New Zealand. Austriala, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea are supported by two couples in Australia who are part of the Pacific Area Public Affairs team.

Map of the Pacific Area of the Church.

A list of our upcoming projects. Several on the list are projects outside our geographic areas of  focus - flexibility is something that is needed everyday.

The work space in the building is tight.  We share a cubicle with two desks.

Stopping at the reception desk on the ground floor.  Buildings in NZ have a ground floor, then a 1st floor, 2nd floor and so on.

Excursion to Kitekite Falls and Piha Beach

Saturday morning, 30 January 2016, we got up early and headed west. We were headed for a track to Kitekite Falls and Piha Beach.

Though we were following Sister Garmin, we struggled to find the best place to park and start the hike. We pulled off one place, jumped out of the car, started down the trail, going great, downhill then came to an intersection. . . Jeff recalled that the hike should be on a gravel trail and flat?! What?! We went back to the car and tried again.

We realized that we needed to drive to Don Esk road. We started the trek there and it was perfect. Nice trail, pretty flat for most of it and totally in the shade. The trail followed the river and the trees and foliage made the hiking not too hot. It was green and lush.

The Falls were very beautiful. They were tall, cascading down the mountain over rocks into a pool. We arrived just before the crowd. There were a few people swimming and enjoying the falls.

We saw that you could go to the top of the falls. We didn’t know where the trail was so we started climbing up the side of the mountain, grabbing anything we could to pull ourselves up. It was a bit muddy and steep, when we reached the real trail. The rest of the way was easy sailing.

At the top we saw a group of young adults getting ready to repel down the side of the falls. We could just imagine Max wanting to do that.

We hiked back down to the pool. More and more people were arriving. We headed back to the trail. We stopped at a lookout to watch the repellers. Pretty cool.

We drove down the road to Piha Beach.  It is one of New Zealand’s beautifully rugged beaches, with black sand, the beach stretching along the coastline forever and gradually disappearing into the horizon. There were lots of people surfing, swimming, body-surfing, and building sand castles. The holiday had brought lots of people to the beach.

Lion’s Rock has a path to the top. We were tired and hungry by then so we opted to head home instead of hiking to the top. 

Public Affairs Training in Suva, Fiji

The blessing of being in Public Affairs is meeting new people. We were privileged to attend a Public Affairs Training in Suva, Fiji.  Joining us there were our Director, Richard Hunter; Assistant Director Robert Dudfield, from Australia; Manager of Public Affairs Kim Woodbury, from Salt Lake; along with Directors of Public Affairs (DPA) from the New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

We had two days of training.  Wednesday morning started off with guest speaker S. Gifford Nielson of the Pacific Area Presidency. He talked about the importance of having a PLAN: Pray, Learn, Assess, and Navigate.

Kim Woodbury addressed us the first morning too. Each DPA participated on a panel discussion ranging from Government and Strategic Relations, to Media, to How to Build a Self-Reliant PA Council. A breakout session was also held to address issues concerning the different areas. Success stories of projects and events were shared by the DPA's.  Dinner was served that evening at Tikos Floating Seafood Restaurant. A game of "I have never, ever, ever" was played with lots of enthusiasm.

The following morning we all drove to the newly renovated Suva, Fiji Temple.  Kim Woodbury took us on a tour of the Temple.  The Open House was to begin that day for dignitaries and special guests, with the official Open House beginning the following week. The Temple is beautiful inside and out. The Temple would be rededicated in February by President Henry B. Eyring.

After the tour, we gathered with all the Sister missionaries from the outlying islands to meet with their respective DPA from their country.  Photos were taken and hugs were exchanged.

A little tender mercy. A teacher from Sunset Elementary in St. George, Utah who worked with Talia was serving in the Fiji Mission Office. We were able to meet her and give her a hug from Talia. Sister Gerri Alldredge was busy helping with the Sister missionaries.

Yummy wraps were served in a sack lunch. We returned to the hotel to be taught by President Kevin Pearson of the Pacific Area Presidency. The message of his presentation was that it is crucial that each of us align our will to the Savior's will. When we are in alignment we will be able to accomplish great things.

Dinner that evening was at the Governor's Restaurant. It was very historical, with pictures and memorabilia from generations past. It was interesting. It was especially exciting to see how the group had bonded over the two days we were together. Each person sharing ideas and just good old getting acquainted. It was a great experience.

Friday morning we all headed our separate ways. Leaving with a greater understanding of who we were working with and some ideas of how we could be more helpful.

Jeff and I were able to spend the rest of the weekend in Nadi. Jeff had made arrangements for us at the Hilton. It was right on the beach with a gorgeous view looking out to sea from the pool. The weather could not have been better. We spent that whole day relaxing and enjoying the beauty around us.

Saturday we went on an excursion. Took a boat ride out to a private island. You could walk around it in 10 minutes. Just before docking we were able to go snorkeling.  I haven't been for such a long time and it was very interesting. Then to the island for lunch, tanning, swimming and kayaking. We also got to feed the baby sharks. The boat ride home was an adventure.  A wind had picked up and the sea was quite wavy. I do love a good boat ride.

Sunday we went to church. We went to one closest to the hotel. We realized that the one we were at was all Fijian speaking. The one most people go to is a little farther away but English speaking. We stayed anyway. We were able to share our testimonies during Sacrament meeting. I went to Relief Society, and one hour of Primary. The Primary teacher drew pictures on the board so I knew the lesson was about Lehi's dream of the tree of life. After primary, I took selfies with the children. They showed me how to pull the stamen out of a flower and suck the nectar.

Monday we returned to Auckland. It was a great weekend. We were rejuvenated and ready to get to work.

Church Public Affairs training in Vanuatu

Throughout the Pacific Area the Church has 21 members who are called to serve as a Director of Public Affairs (DPA) for their region, country or stakes. As senior missionaries we support them in their work, dealing with media, opinion leaders and government leaders.

A new director was called for Vanuatu, James Tounguen.  He will be assisted by his wife Christiane. We traveled with Richard Hunter, the Pacific Area Public Affairs director and with associate director of Public Affairs Robert J. Dudfield, to train James in his new assignment. We were being trained ourselves on how to train a DPA.  We were met there by Kim Woodbury from Church headquarters.

Part of the training consisted of  meeting with local newspaper, radio and TV reporters, including Lilyrose Welwel from the national TV station.  She interviewed Robert Dudfield and James.

While in Port Vila, Robert - who is also an Area Seventy - conducted a fireside for members.  We participated on a panel and responded to questions.  The saints came out to the meeting in large numbers and welcomed us warmly.  There are about 7,700 members in Vanuatu, with the largest concentration in the capitol of Port Vila.

Meeting President Yvon Basil of the Port Vila Vanuatu Stake. 

The stake center is a standard church meetinghouse for the tropics.

The stake center is located in the capitol city which is on the island of Efate.  There are three Church meetinghouses on the island built to modern standards.  Below is one that is not.  It is a bush chapel for a branch on the opposite side of Efate from the capitol.