Seddon in the Awatera valley

 New Zealand is a very special place,but it is also a place where every home has an earthquake survival plan.

A couple of years ago when Sylvia and I traveled extensively in the South Island for some three months we were impressed by the way people shared their pain and needs and responded to our offer of prayer in the name of Jesus. More recently I have been most encouraged with the openness of people to the Gospel.

We trained 30 people to share their faith in Blenheim in 2 churches of different denominations. The response to our efforts in the local market were most encouraging. 

Perhaps it is because people are aware of the natural dangers that people are so responsive. In Western Australia we have had responses, but not as positive. The hardness of people in the West is most evident, and yet people are otherwise so very similar in culture and outlook.

 These two shots of a vineyard in Seddon are the same, shot but processed differently, Black and white images always show the composition elements so well.

This difference is like the difference in the people across the 'ditch' and across this island continent.

Some of the differences that are immediately noticeable are those of language and I am not just talking about dialect, in NZ people are accustomed to use Maori words in every day speech and the 'Wh" present in so many words is pronounced as an 'F' sound.