A Chapter Closes: Working in New Zealand 2010-2025

Sometimes in life a very important shift in one's life sneaks up on you and is only recognized in retrospect. Other times, it approaches slowly and deliberately, like a foretold prophesy. Anzac Day April 25th, 2010 (our arrival in New Zealand) was the former. Pearl Harbor Day Sunday December 7th, 2025 is the latter (our departure).

This blog and this volume of my life began in April, 2010 when Fayne and I headed southwest across the Pacific with the intention of working for six months as a locums in New Zealand, and then circumnavigating the globe for the next six months.

Farewell Greek Easter April 2010, Fort Bragg CA

Almost from the outset, the plans started to evolve.

Practicing medicine in Timaru, New Zealand suited me perfectly: mentoring young doctors and students, minimizing paperwork and computer entry time, working with a bright and multicultural group of like-minded general medicine specialists, etc. The feeling was mutual. The hospital community appreciated my contributions and asked me to stay on a few months longer, to which I agreed. This truncated my 2011 post-work travel to four months (see some of the places we visited below). One thing led to another and after a few years splitting time between here and the USA, by 2014 I decided to work exclusively here. 

When this current time I agreed to come back to Timaru for six weeks and help cover while a colleague was on sabbatical, I knew this would probably the last time I would work in New Zealand. I did not comprehend how much the last six weeks would bookend my entire 15 years working in Aotearoa. It has been a great, rich, rewarding journey but I know it is time in my life to return to friends and family in the USA. Even if I wished to continue hospital work here it would not be the same. Virtually all of the physicians I have worked alongside the longest are also leaving for other pursuits. The economy in NZ has not rebounded to pre-COVID levels and there is a lot of stress on the healthcare sector. (US tariffs are an additional burden.)

There are so many things I will always cherish about my time here, in no particular order:

• Experiencing this spectacularly beautiful country, from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island, for my money the most photogenic place on earth.

  

  Dawn over Lake Matheson, West Coast of the South Island

• The constant singing of the birds on daily walks to work through the well-tended Timaru Botanic Gardens and elsewhere.They ruled this place before the arrival of homo sapiens.

  

  A Royal Spoonbill (kōtuku ngutupapa in Maori) in nearby wetlands

• Mid-morning "tea" (coffee usually) with the ward team and the causal but interesting banter. By the way New Zealand coffee is excellent.
• I have had the privilege of getting to know fascinating, interesting, and friendly people from here and around the world. Due to a somewhat sheltered life, I previously never had much close contact with Germans, South Africans, Muslims, the Irish, etc. It has been a great pleasure and an education, one I will always remember. I don't think people are more friendly here, just they are less stressed, over-worked, and competitive than in the States. 

  

  One of my farewell dinners at Sukhothai, the best local Thai place

  
  
• Quizzing regularly at publican Barney's Sail & Anchor pub, a most generous and supportive host.
  
  
  
• Although I mostly worked in Timaru, I was able to work in seven other hospitals on the North and South Islands, and had an opportunity to work with a large variety of NZ physicians and patients. Remember, the population of NZ is about 5 million, similar to the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Eating lunch with Fayne most days. Also, Fayne has had the time and energy to prepare fresh and varied dinners inspired by My Food Bag, a service that once weekly delivers a box with all the ingredients and recipes.
• Exotic stops on our commute to and from NZ: French Polynesia, Australia, New Caledonia, Bali, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Ecuador and the Galapagos, Dubai, UK, Italy & Sicily, and Southern Africa (every adventure covered in prior blog entries).
•  Our "Wee Cottage" that has been our local residence for 10 years. It has been so cozy for us as our "home away from Home". Despite a deceptively small footprint, it contains three bedrooms and two bathrooms (no waiting). At the back left of the yard, Fayne planted two cherry trees that have been there long enough to bear fruit.

  

  The two cherry trees on the left rear and the west wall of the garage

  
  
  
  
  
• I'm thankful for the many Thanksgiving potlucks over the years, some we hosted. This year one of the newest doctors and family, the Williams, welcomed us all to their lovely home. There are a lot of good memories especially when sharing the foreign holiday with Kiwis.

  

  Dr. Hemlock in her traditional garb (which she wears on Thursday hospital rounds every year) and her fella Frank (2025)

  

  2016 at our house

  
  

  

  A custom-ordered Thanksgiving dinner at the classy Oxford Restaurant, 2019

With so many great things to love and appreciate, one might ask "John, why leave now?". The short answer: It's the right time. We are designated Permanent Residents here, so we can come and go as we please, and I feel sure we will return, but I have no specific plans. We never applied for dual NZ/US citizenship as many of the ex-pats here have done. It just never seemed right to me to pledge fealty to two nations, no matter how convenient. Swearing loyalty to Queen Elizabeth II, let alone to King Charles III, was never on my metaphorical bingo card. I would tell people that I commuted to work in New Zealand, which was more truth than jest. When we bought our house, Fayne always thought of it as buying a rental, then renting to ourselves. Now it is on the market for sale, or Plan B to rent it out. Click here to take a tour.

Basically, my priorities have changed over 15 years, as you might expect. I still love and respect my work and know my services can be useful, but work is no longer is near the top of my agenda. I will explore flexible outpatient work options in Fort Bragg, but won't mind stepping away from the demands of acute hospital medicine and night call. Nearly 50 years seems like enough. Also, so many loved ones are no longer with us and I want to more available for the family and dear friends that remain. Both of my parents, my elder brother and sister, Rick and Emma Nestler, June and Betsy Nishikawa, and Buz Graham have all passed in the intervening 15 years and my world is lessened because of that. Plus, a brand new grandson is expected in a few months!

Also, even if I wanted life in Timaru to stay as I remember it, that is not possible. Pictured below are three other physicians and friends I have worked the longest with, all scheduled to retire in 2026.

Clockwise from me: Camille Hemlock, Steve Slagle, and Matthew Hills

I does seem like some cycle for me is being completed. I arrived on ANZAC Day, a sacred WWI-related National Remembrance (lest we forget) and return on Pearl Harbor Day, a WWII-related similar hallowed day. 

On a much more frivolous note, we started pub-quizzing in Auckland, 2012 and our team finally won by one point on our last quiz there, thanks to an image of what we recognized as Caroline Bay in Timaru. We won our final quiz in Timaru December 3, 2025 by one point thanks to this question:

The Answer: Denny's one of Fayne's favorite Fort Bragg restaurants.

Our timing allowed us to join a Timaru-based team, URAMIT (Timaru spelled backwards) for the 2025 national Championship. This was our 4th time participating in Auckland, which gave us an excuse to visit The City of Sails again. In 2016 I was only hoping to represent Timaru and the South Island with a decent upper 50% place so I was delighted when we finished in the top 25% out of 80+ teams.

Auckland CBD with the iconic Sky Tower

 

The first Team URAMIT, 2016 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't participate again until 2019 when were were SHOCKED to win the whole thing by one point, the first South Island team to do so. 

2019 NZ Championship team winners brunch with celebrity guest MC Sean Wallace (3rd on L.) of The Chase UK

This year's NZ Pub Quiz Championship took place November 8th in Auckland at Eden Park, the most famous and largest sporting venue in the country with a capacity of up to 60,000. A bronze statue at the entry memorializes the first ever try from the 1987 inaugural  Rugby World Cup scored by All Black Michael Jones in Eden Park.

In the warm-up to the quiz giant video screens played a loop of prior Champs, including 2019.

81 teams provided stiff competition and we finished in the top 20, similar to 2016: bookends, if you will. (Another example of symmetry was the fact I was humbled that the Kiwi doctor Matthew Hills, my mentor and a legend, asked me to be a reference for him working in Nelson.)

URAMIT scored 77 points, 2nd from the bottom on the first page, but if we managed two more points we would have been 8th equal

After working for three weeks, the last two weeks were allocated for sorting things out including selling or renting the house (as mentioned above) and selling our 2011 hybrid Honda Fit. Generally buying or selling used cars is frequently done and generally quite easy here. However,I had a bit of a snag because on Wednesday December 3 when I shopped the car around, a dealer pointed out there were multiple small "dimples" in the roof from a hailstorm three weeks before. In 2019 there was a much worse storm with golf-ball size and larger hailstones that caused a lot of damage. That time, our car was safely in our garage but the plastic rain gutters were holey like Swiss cheese and needed replacement.

Can you sort the "dimples" from the reflection of the sky?

I had a lot to do in three days to make the claim, get the evaluation and appraisal, and get the final adjudication. The verdict: over $7,000 to repair, car totaled, and a payment of $6,300 and the car turned in on Saturday.

Packing up could have been worse but it was not easy. We were both surprised about how much stuff we accumulated. By far the most cost-efficient approach was to limit ourselves to the maximum of six 23 kg. checked bags for both of us plus two carry-ons each. We had to buy several more large suitcases and make some hard choices, but I think we did alright. Because we weren't sure if we might sell or rent the house furnished, we decided not to strip it bare of furniture, housewares, linens, and appliances. If need be, we will have our agent hire someone to do that for us later.

David N. had to ask brother Mark to borrow his Chevy for the pickup.

I suffer a from an affliction I believe is more frequent in men: I get so involved in sorting the task in front of me that I have a delay in recognizing what my emotions are telling me. I awoke yesterday morning and realized was what I was feeling was sadness. It is the right time to re-immigrate home to the USA for many reasons, but I will always appreciate what a blessing it has been to have an unfamiliar country welcome me with open arms, and how much I have loved my work and the people I never would have met had we not made the leap into the unknown 15 years ago. Part of my heart will be left here and I trust we will return in the future.

However, I have drunk my last ouzo and eaten my last chocolate bunny. It is time to go Home.  

Ka kite anō (until we meet again)

Mā te wā

https://howtosayguide.com/how-to-say-bye-in-maor

Timaru, NZ June 8, 2025

June 7, 2025: A wintry day in Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand

As we prepare to return to the USA tomorrow, it seems like an appropriate time for an update of our last 2+ months for family and friends. Since the March visit of the Matthews and a few days in Wellington, it has been all work for me, mostly in Timaru except two weeks in Nelson. I was glad to have the opportunity to work again at Nelson Hospital, my unofficial "home away from home (Timaru) away from home (Fort Bragg)". 

The city boasts the best weather in the country (true!) and has always been very welcoming to me on my three prior stints. At a time when I was not offered as much work in Timaru as I had hoped, they made me feel very appreciated and respected and left the door open for me to return as my schedule allowed. I worked there enough to even see some of the same patients from year to year, and the staff all treated me warmly and supportively. As an example, the Medicine Department starts each weekday with an educational presentation, and that duty falls to a Senior Medical Officer on Thursday. I was surprised when the topic on Easter Week was a quiz about Easter trivia in my honor. Modesty prevents me from revealing who won the coveted Whittaker's Golden chocolate bunny.

Three bunnies all won at Quiz

My two weeks in Nelson spanned Easter, Greek Easter, and Anzac Day. We enjoyed a delicious roast lamb Sunday roast at the Brick Eatery

Before heading back to Timaru, we spent two nights at our favorite seashore hide-away, Adrift in Golden Bay, part of New Zealand that is most Mendonesian. We also caught up with fellow doctor from Fort Bragg and ex-pat Jon Pace, who has relocated from Greymouth to the area in retirement.

April 25th as always is Anzac Day, the most revered day in the nation commemorating the landing of combined Australian/Kiwi soldiers in WWI to a small cove in Turkey. It also carries a special meaning for us as the 15th anniversary of our first arrival in New Zealand in 2010. Even the tiniest of towns has special sites of honor, Lest We Forget.

Here are scenes from Memorial Park, Tākaka.

On the drive back to Timaru for my final five weeks of work, we overnighted in Hanmer Springs, time for another dinner and another Expresso martini.

So what now? Back to the USA for a busy schedule in California, Georgia, and New York State. I am committed to at least one final session of work in Timaru in November. After that??? 

(I'm open to suggestions!) 

 jtw2

Madness: The Age of Mad King Donald

 If Donald Trump has any true "genius" it is branding. He comes up with catch phrases and insulting nicknames which he repeats constantly until they burrow into the brain like a malignant ear-worm. It is time to give him a dose of his own medicine and label him for what his actions reveal him to be: Mad King Donald!

Here is a real image that was posted on the official White House account.

There is a word for this: Madness

I am of the opinion that in the first sentence of every discussion of Donald Trump it should be pointed out that he is well and truly mad. Madness can be a broad concept but I specifically mean it as "rash or irrational conduct, headstrong passion, extreme folly". I am not talking about any specific clinical diagnosis, but as an accurate description of his words and actions. I hear and read attempts to find a reasonable explanation for his pronouncements, but going back to his 2024 campaign through today he spouts nonstop nonsense. He is mad with Power, an affliction succinctly depicted in this scene from the film Bananas (1971) He is also mad due to his enormous toxic narcissistic ego “like no one has ever seen before”, to borrow a common Trumpism. At nearly 79 there may well be age-related cognitive decline too.

You can make your own list: tariffs on and off, Canada 51^st state, Greenland, Panama Canal, DOGE firing people willy-nilly and cutting funding and eliminating departments, his “vision” for a Gaza with no Palestinians and luxury beach condos, loving Putin, hating Europe and other allies, etc. What takes this from just bad ideas to madness is that he could do all of this legally. He could have his minions in Congress pass laws to reduce government prudently, or he could negotiate quietly with Panama and Denmark to try to accomplish his expansionist goals, but he seems incapable of that.

This madness must be acknowledged daily. If his supporters don’t mind the madness, or even like him because of the madness, they should admit it and not deny the obvious. That’s their right. Yes, his actions are consistent with his desire to rule the world, get as wealthy as possible, seek vengeance on his “enemies”, and have everyone bow down before him. However having a “method in your madness” doesn’t make them sane. He genuinely believes only he can make things right and all of his predecessors were idiots, and talks of ruling beyond two terms and behaves as if he will never die. Perhaps dodging a bullet made him believe he is immortal! Have you ever heard him say anything about his mortality or what will happen to the USA and the world post-Trump? Neither have I.

His chastising Volodymyr Zelenskyy for “not having the cards” is very revealing of his world view. Who else is lacking in “the cards”?  This would appear to include every country except the USA, Russia, and China. Therefore, they should be able to subjugate everyone else they please.

Maybe the Americans who voted him back into office want a madman in the Oval Office. Maybe they don’t care that he will not fulfill the simple responsibilities the Constitution requires: 

1. He shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed; and,
2. To swear I will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Maybe these words from the Declaration of Independence are for “suckers and losers”:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

If you do believe this, then you can’t treat people like vermin and animals and deprive them of basic human dignity and whisk people away to foreign prisons possibly to their death without even a hearing. Remember that he used every legal trick in the book (and more) to avoid his day(s) in court.

As silly as it seems, the new labeling of Mad King Trump will surely anger him, as it did when Tim Waltz called the Trump/Vance ticket "weird". May it will forever be his legacy, as it is for the 19th Century Mad King Ludwig II of Bavaria, and all he did was build a few fairy tale castles. Perhaps as in the fairy tale enough people will realize this Emperor has no clothes.

November 15, 2024 to April Fools' Day 2025: End of Year Whirlwind, Two Massive Losses, & Vistors from Abroad

Aerial view of Aoraki/Mount Cook, NZ

My last blog was posted on November 15, 2024 so its about time to catch you up on the remaining two months in the USA and our time in New Zealand since. As usual we had a lot of going hither and yon traveling about. In November, the San Francisco Opera had a special offer for those very infrequent attendees (me) so I got two tickets to Carmen and asked Athena to go with me. We got to dress up, had a lovely dinner, and overall a very sophisticated time just before Thanksgiving (which we were fortunate to spend with sisters Athena and Cheryl).

In early December, Santa(s) come to Fort Bragg for the lighted truck parade (we also took in a lighted boat parade the next day). We had a nice spot across from the Tall Man Brewery and were only 15-20 feet away from Sofia's childhood friends Shannon and Mahkayla, which we discovered when we were both messaging with Sofia in Georgia.

Mahkayla, Shannon, me, & Fayne

Speaking of the Tall Man, it is a friendly place to have a brew and a pub quiz, maybe even win if you're lucky.

We try to get up to Eureka around Terry Kemp's birthday (and our anniversary- the 47th as I recall). Linnea Matthews is always up for a road trip (much more on her later).

At the Eureka Inn

We were able to share a fantastic dinner at the Larrapin' Cafe in Trinidad. Fayne and I ate there  35+ years ago, and it only has gotten better.

See what I mean?

 

 

We had a lovely autumnal drive back to Fort Bragg (Benbow Inn)

Our US time was getting shorter, but we had to fit in a second trip back to Georgia to see Sofia and the kids. Here is Isaiah displaying (but not imbibing) the local Athena beer, perhaps named after my sister.

 

We were there to honor Kimarra's 15th birthday. As you might expect for a teen, she was more interested in a non-stop slumber party with friends than spending a lot of time with the old folks.

Back to CA for Christmas at the family cabin in the Sierras, we spent another week in Fort Bragg and were able to attend Bijou's birthday party in the 'hood.

On of the great privileges of being around the Bay Area is the opportunity to attend special events, like a screening of A Real Pain in Mill Valley with the actor, writer, and director Jesse Eisenberg. He could not have been more gracious and generous with his time in promoting a project dear to his heart, and one the got Kieran Culkin an Oscar. (Highly recommended!)

The day before we left for NZ I managed to score a highly sought-after reservation to the House of Prime Rib in SF. It helped that it was made months in advance for 5 PM on a Monday, the day after my birthday. The gang, including David N. made it. Here is a photo of the traditional Polaroid the waiter takes to commemorate the occasion. (BTW, it might be violating some State or Federal law to have a prime rib dinner without David.)

The most important thing I did on my birthday was to go down to Watsonville with a mixture of our two families, the Wallaces and the Nestlers. We have been conjoined since the 1950's, and Mrs. Nestler seemed to always have a birthday cake prepared for me, regardless of the date. This time, I relieved her of the burden, and brought not one but two delicious bakery cakes. We all went out to a nearby Chinese restaurant, recreating one of the hundreds of times we gathered and ate over the years.

Unfortunately, that would be the last time I would see her, and she passed away peacefully with family and friends at her bedside a few weeks ago. She was a great lady, a surrogate mother to me. She and Dr. Nestler stayed in Fort Bragg shortly after Sofia was born to help in the transition and always provided support and love through the decades. We will all miss her so much.

Rick & Emma Nestler

Early Nestler & Wallace gathering 1959

Emma's 95th Birthday

Sadly, within the same 24-hour period I lost another long-time friend. I first met Dr. Benjamin "Buz" Graham in 1973 in medical school, and we lived parallel lives since, from residency at Mt. Zion in SF, to being alerted by him of an practice opportunity in Fort Bragg in 1984. Buz's legacy will be felt for a long time and it was my honor to have known him.

A visit with Buz and his wife Pam in 2021

In his last email to his friends and family, this was his advice:

If you wish further reminisces, I heartily recommend my 14 year old Zephyr’s documentary Buz. The Movie:

https://vimeo.com/1029891120

The Matthews come to Aoteoroa/New Zealand

I came back to Timaru, NZ to work, and returned to my old job (which I still enjoy) for a 6 week stretch. However, one of my truest friends finally decided to come visit New Zealand. Linnea Matthews and her daughter Morgan dearly needed a break and felt this was the right time to finally come to the Antipodes. They were with us about ten days so I wanted to make the most of our time without running them ragged.

Christchurch Airport

After we met them in Christchurch we headed down to Timaru for three nights to give them a chance to recover and also to get a taste of our Kiwi life, as well as to enjoy the local sights and culture.

In front of the i-Site at the old Landing Services Building, home of the Maori Rock Art Museum

Tuesday night was Indian dinner with the other doctors, and Wednesday the local museums and parks and pub quiz at the Sail 'n Anchor. We also looked for the local Blue penguins in Caroline Bay, but no luck that night.

Thursday was time for a day trip south. First stop was the Riverstone Kitchen, a complex for a leisurely delicious lunch and walk around the gardens, shops, and the nouveau castle-home, complete with moat.

 

 Driving further south we stopped at the famous Moeraki Boulders.

Morgan, boulder posing

Oamaru was our final stop were we did see a few blue penguins (kororā.) from the colony there. We also saw an unusual Erect-crested penguin pair that had been treated and released from Oamaru's penguin hospital. I was told they normally live on the frigid islands between New Zealand and Antarctica and were expected to soon return there.

Blue penguin sheltering under a rock

The Erect-crested penguin

On Friday March 8th it was time to hit the road for a week. Our destination that day was Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park with a must-stop for famous savory pies at the Fairlie Bakehouse.

Lake Tekapo was the next stop and the gals really wanted to take a scenic flight. In truth, I have wanted to do it for years so I jumped at the chance. Air Safaris has an excellent reputation and seats were available. It was a great day to fly over the Southern Alps to view the peaks and glaciers on out to the cloudy West Coast. It was a highlight of the visit. (The photo of flying by Mt. Cook is at the beginning of this post.)

I was co-pilot!

Post-flight we proceeded on to Mt. Cook village for a night at the Hermitage Hotel and a lovely dinner.

The classic view from the Hermitage

Then it was off to Wanaka for two nights, passing by Tarras to visit the statue of Shrek, the most famous sheep in NZ history.

 

The Annual Wanaka A&P (for Agricultural and Pastoral) Show  was on, It is basically a county fair, but we just caught the tail end of it. Wanaka is always lovely, and I discovered the Espresso Martini as beautifully made at the Edgewater Hotel.

Cocktails may appear larger than actual size.(It was mine, not Linnea's)

From Wanaka it was further south to Te Anau, the Gateway to Fiordland National Park. Day one we were off to Milford Sound, maybe the most iconic vista in the country. We were in luck because there was a steady rain on the drive to the Sound, so along the way and on the cruise we saw a multitudes of waters falling. It was quite spectacular! 

En route to the Sound

Mitre Peak showing through the clouds and mist

I hope this video works. Sometimes it doesn't 😞.

The Matthews were very excited to cruise overnight on Doubtful Sound, so we dropped them off......

...and picked them up the next day after a truly memorable voyage for them.

This left two last night in the tourist mecca of Queenstown before they flew out on Saturday the 16th for the North Island to spend time with Morgan's friend Missy. 

Linnea enjoying a Big Irish Brekkie

A local waterbird lakeside, a white-faced heron perhaps?

When Linnea told me the dates she and Morgan would be in New Zealand, I set a full three weeks aside during that time. When I found out they had a busy schedule planned with Morgan's friend Missy in the Greater Wellington/Lower South Island region, we decided to spend the week in Wellington, catch up with a few close NZ-related friends and enjoy the cultural and gastronomic pleasures of the capital city. (We did manage to liaise with the Matthews on Wednesday at the airport to see them off and wish them safe travels home.)

#1 on our list was to catch up with Kate and her family, a young woman befriended by Fayne from her work in the Timaru art gallery, the Aigantighe. Since those years, Kate has gone on to several locations and jobs in NZ, married, and started a family  We previously caught up with her a year ago in Hawkes Bay, where she was raising a three-year old Harriet, very pregnant with twins, and planning a move to Wellington with her anesthetist husband Stephen. We really wanted to meet the newest arrivals, twins Finn and Juno. It was great to spend time with all of them at their home in the Island Bay district.

Finn (L) & Juno (R)

Kate mothering Harriet post-kindy with Finn joining in

Me with a smiling Finn

As fate would have it, our globe-trotting Irish surrogate son, Florence O'Connell was working a few weeks in Wellington Hospital. Florry has popped up regularly in our lives and this blog since we worked together in Timaru in 2010: NZ, Ireland, Australia, Fort Bragg, and SF. It is always great craic when we meet.

craic

noun

1. Fun, especially through enjoyable company, a pleasant conversation.

Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License • More at Wordnik

Enjoying ice-cream at B&J's

We explored Wellie neighborhoods new to us, went to a few movies, and had two leisurely visits to the great national museum, Te Papa. They had a special display of jewelry from the iconoclastic fashionista Vivian Westwood's collection.

Clockwise from upper L: fishheaded manimal, gateway carving from 1906-7 NZ International Expo in Christchurch, Bertille earrings, snail bracelet, phallus broaches, Bertille bracelet, necklace

That's it for now. Stay safe and sane!

jtw