Always In Motion

Having been in NZ for over a week now, there is something that I've noticed and learned about this country that I did not previously realize. I had no idea this was such an outdoor oriented country. It seems like everybody is outside doing one thing or another. Regardless of age, shape, or size, they are all about anything that incorporates adventure into athleticism. I see fifty-something women getting into some serious mountain biking, teenagers skydiving, guys in their twenties making a weekend of cycling 150K to and from a campsite. Even in the most remote areas, I regularly see people running laps around their farm property or in full triathlete gear running besides the highway. Maybe it's the fact that NZ is an adventure capital to many--a detail of which I was unaware before I arrived. Bungee jumping originated in Queenstown, jetboats were created here, and pastimes of residents are often the more extreme sports, from paragliding and windsurfing to snow boarding and endurance runs. Even in a sleepy dot on the map town whose main street was only three blocks, the first sign I noticed when rolling through was one pointing to the skate park.

Coming from a background in nutrition, this drew my attention to a detail that is often neglected in the states. Activity for the experience and not just (or even) the physical or physiological benefits. Men with lovehandles and women with extra padding are capable of keeping a very good running pace. They could care less about how they look in their exercise gear, although their are outdoor apparel stores everywhere. People take their kayaks out to the lake or beach before work, and go for a run and a swim in the early evening. Or their work involves such activities. I was camping with a Kiwi the other night who works at a summer camp in MA during the summers, and his campers refused to believe that it was acceptable to teach kayaking as a profession--they wanted to know what his real job was. It makes sense to build jobs around the present landscape rather than to landscape to create jobs, especially in a country of such diverse scenery.

Well, I'm going to go ice my ankle now. I twisted it jumping off rocks into the river just after I completed a river surfing session. ;-)