Myelinating... Wanaka, NZ

The word myelination is an interesting word. I first read about it a few years ago when my friend Barb gave me a copy of the New York Times Sun. magazine. It had an interesting article about Super-Athletes. They became "super" from myelination that took place in their muscles/brains over years and years of practicing their sport. Basically, deliberate practice = time = myelin = talent/skill.

I thought of this word again when Bob started driving the car. As soon as he went to turn on the turn signals, he actually turned on the windshield wipers! After a bit, he got the hang of it. When I started driving the car, the exact same thing happened to me! The second thing that made me think of the words myelinate/myeline/myelination was when I would go to the wrong side of the car to get in the passenger seat. Also, small things like automatically grabbing for the seat belt on the wrong side. And... when pulling out of parking spaces looking for oncoming traffic for example, turning our head to the right hurt our neck muscles (our muscles on that side of our neck/eyes were very stiff and did not react accordingly.) Why had this all occurred?

My guess is that it's due to myelination. Years ago, our brains were myelinated for driving and getting into a car in the US. We have been driving on the right side of the road, getting in on the left side to be a passenger, turning on the windshield wipers on the "other side", etc. etc. since we were 16 yrs. old! For over 40 + yrs. of deliberate practice the workings of our myelin sheath helped turn us into skillful drivers in the US.

When we're young, myelination gave us super-powers of learning. Not to fret though, after one month of steady driving in NZ, our driving "oopsys" have stopped. The more we drive, the more we "automatically" turn the signals on and not the wipers.

Luckily, when we're actually driving down a highway in NZ, it's easy to stay on the correct side of the road because the steering wheel is on the right side of the car, plus the rental car has a little sticker to remind you to drive left! Luckily, the New Zealanders know many drivers are from abroad. They have cleverly painted big white wide arrows on the correct/left side of the road. Whenever you pull out of a sideroad back on to a major highway that arrow is a good reminder.

On a sad note, my friend Barb no longer saves articles for me from the NYT because she reads her news on a Kindle. My brain is still myelinated to holding, touching and smelling the newsprint. Will I ever remyelinate my brain to a Kindle or an iPad? I'm hoping to do so soon!

Wanaka... South Island, New Zealand

Wanaka has a population of about 5,000. In the heart of the Southern Lakes, Wanaka is set on the shores of New Zealand's fourth largest lake---- beautiful Lake Wanaka. Except for the townsite, Lake Wanaka goes for miles and miles with unspoiled shoreline. Wanaka is surrounded by snowclad mountains, ancient beech forests and pristine lakes and rivers. It's a four season town. Right now, we are experiencing the beginning of autumn--- nice sunny days with cool evenings.

The Clutha River, the largest river by volume in NZ, spills into Lake Wanaka as does the Matukituki River; both rivers are a draw to some serious fishing. Alpine fishing is also available in nearby Mt. Aspiring Nat. Park. If fishing for brown or Rainbow trout is your dream come true, this is the place for you!

If skiing is your thing, there are four international alpine resorts nearby. Our USA ski team trains here in our summer months.

So why are we here for the month of March?

In 1998 I took a leave from teaching and did a 2 week bicycle trip on the west coast of the South Island from Nelson to Wanaka. Bob flew in to Christchurch and took a bus to Wanaka and met me at the end of my ride. Because we had plans to drive around and see more of NZ we were in Wanaka for only 1 day. We both fell in love with it and said that someday we'd return for a longer stay.

What do we like about it?

The air is clear, the golf course is awesome ( more are just down the road) and the mountains surround us! ( Wanaka is surrounded by big HUGE rock mountains! ) The bike paths go on and on for miles and miles along the shore of the lake or by the rivers. Hiking paths are right out of our door! Daywalks are everywhere. Some tracks are down the road a bit in the hinterland, but accessible by dirt road. Adventure tramping awaits in nearby Mt. Aspiring National Park. Mt. Roy Peak is a drive away and waiting to be climbed. Mt. Iron is right outside of our door.

Although Wanaka has grown in the 11 yrs. since we've been here, it stills maintains its beauty and is a perfect spot for us to spend our last month in New Zealand. It's uncrowded and a nice place to hang our hat.
We are very glad that we came for a longer stay.

Wanaka... South Island, New Zealand

We arrived in Wanaka after our circuitous weeklong car trip from Queenstown to Invercargill to Duedin, through the Otago Peninsula and back to Wanaka. We enjoyed our trip, but it's nice to be settled in our apartment. We're happy to be in one place for a month. The views from our patio are great!

We lucked into a one bedroom apartment (attached to our landlord's house) just outside of town. We have gorgeous views and are spending our last month in a very quiet lovely location. Julie and Peter, the owners of the house are great people----- so typically Kiwis----- friendly, easygoing, down to earth, nature-loving and seeing everyone as a potential friend. We enjoyed wine/cheese/crackers on their deck the other evening. Peter has his own flying company (www.learntoflynz.com) and also owns a vintage Tiger Moth (www.classicflights.co.nz). He takes people up to experience the beauty of the area in a truly unique way. Julie is the Wanaka i-SITE Visitor Centre Supervisor (www.lakewanaka.co.nz). That's how we found the apartment. We inquired at the i-SITE about long-term rentals and viola!