A Kiwi Christmas in Florida

                       Welcome home party tomorrow with a Kiwi Christmas celebration flavor!

        Babysitting my niece Evie what a little angle she is full of wonderment for the world around her!

Happy Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM FLORIDA

             On Marco Island for Mayo Clinic Echo Conference with Bonny. Happy Holidays!

The Coromandel Peninsula, Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Beach and The Pig Man!

We spent last weekend on the Coromandel Peninsula, a two hour drive east of Auckland.

We stayed at Hahei Oceanfront B&B. 

After breakfast we headed out for Cathedral Cove.

                                         Cathedral Cove is the most Beautiful Beach in the World!

           It was a one hour  walk along a cliff with a brilliant blue sky above, down to the golden                                                                                                      
                                                        sand of Cathedral Cove.

We encountered a unreal combination of  different shades of light, color, purple flowers and gentle waves. New Zealand blows us away yet again. You could not design a more amazing beach! 

We got down to the beach and saw the cove towering above us.

                               We entered the cove with waves crashing on the walls all around.

Yet the beach on the other side was very peaceful with gentle rolling waves.

                     By now it was low tide so we headed for Hot Water Beach to dig our own hot tub.

We began digging with alot of fellow free spirits so we could have our own hot mineral water pool on the beach.

Sandy and Bonny enjoying the hot mineral spring.

Some japanese decided to bury their friend in the sand.

                        The next day we headed up a gravel road called the 308 to meet the pig man.

The pigman is a good old soul who just loves pigs. He proudly showed us a new born piglet.

When Bonny asked if he sold the pigs, he stated "oh no they are me mates".

Swimming with the Dusky Dolphins in Kaikoura, New Zealand

We have a vistor from Florida, Sandy Cook so Bonny and I decided to pull out all the stops and go for it! We took her to the most beautiful place in the most beautiful country on earth, Kaikoura NZ ,to swim with the Dusky Dolphins.

Bonny,Sandy and I with the Dusky Dolphins.

The day dawned bright and clear it was "brillant". We went for a drive along the coast and spotted fur seals sunning on the rocks. 

We drove up the mountain and Bonny and Sandy got out to pet the horse.

It being a stunning Sunday at the beach in New Zealand we knew

that means only one thing , "The Tractor Boat Launch".

Then it was off to the Dusky Dolphin Encounter to get in our wet suites and swim with the dolphins.

This is a unique experience with wild dolphins in their natural environment. They invite you in to experience nature with them. What a titillating thrill it is to make eye contact with a wild dolphin!

Surfing the bow of the boat.

Oh and one more thing if you go to Kaikoura you have to go for fresh lobster on the beach at Nins Bin!

Kia Ora from New Zealand.

Weekend with Al Brown at Poronui

This weekend Bonny and I drove up to Poronui Lodge for some rainbow trout fishing and culinary experience with famous New Zealand chef, Al Brown.

                         Phillip collecting watercress for salad in fresh water stream Poronui Lodge

                                                        Al going over the dinner menu.

Hayden and Al working their magic in the kitchen.

         
                                                                 New Zealand clams!

             Celebrating a wonderful dinner with Al Brown and Duncan from Man O' War Vineyards.

Hooking up with the big one that got away.

Bonny fishing for rainbow trout.

Missing our home in Florida

Daughter, Kirsten and Niece's Kelly and Vianna at our front door Ponte Vedra              

Beach Florida! Will be home in December for the holidays already ordered the Christmas tree.

America's Cup go Team New Zealand!

Now watch the race tomorrow while playing the New Zealand artist Lorde's song Tennis Court or Royals and you will feel the exquisite pleasure of being a Kiwi. Im doing this for the thrill of it , killing it! Never not chasing a million things, I want. Im remotely young as the minute is, full of it. But I know they will never own me. We don't care, we didn't come for the money we will never be caught up in your love affair.

What an amazing country New Zealand is it deserves the title as the "greatest small country in the world". 

Judder Bar Flutter

On rounds the other day I was presented a case of a elderly gentlemen with chest pain who had a episode of "VFIB/VTACH" while being transported by the Ambulance Service to the Hospital. The notes from the Paramedic state that the patients vital signs were stable with a BP of 136/74. The notes also state that he looked remarkably well during this rhythm disturbance. At the bedside the patient told us that they had taken a especially rough and bumpy road to the hospital. Looking at the rhythm strip I notice normal sinus rhythm followed by wide undulating complexes that return to sinus rhythm. The QRS complexes march out so I concluded that this was artifact caused by the ambulance going over a rough patch of road or a speed bump. Speed bumps in New Zealand are called judder bars. So I explained the house staff that this was judder bar artifact. One of my colleagues suggested I write this up and call it "Judder Bar Flutter". So this is the world premiere of a new rhythm first described by Stephen Stowers MD FACC Senior Consultant in Cardiology Palmerston North Hospital. Cheers from Palmy on the North Island of New Zealand!

Cardiac Society Of Australia and New Zealand 2013

Educational experience in the sun, surf and fun of the Gold Coast of Australia.

Welcoming ceremony between the Maori of New Zealand and the Aborigines of Australia. During the meeting we were able to enjoy live feed satellite cases from all over the world.

Mitral valve clips delivered under TOE guidence by venous catheters via the intra- atrial septum.

                  Residual moderate mitral regurgitation after first clip so second clip placed.

Out to dinner with family and good friend and cardiology colleague from Melbourne, Nathan Better.

It's back to work on Monday with a new sense of excitement after a pledge of software support from Siemens for a research project using cardiac CT.  Cheers from Australia!

Diving Great Barrier Reef Australia

Bonny, Jeffery, Kirsten, Gloria and I flew to Lizard Island this weekend to go diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Jeffery, Kirsten and I

took a refresher dive course this morning then it was off to the famous Cod Hole. Our instructor Emma was great and she helped Kirsten through her first dive. We really enjoyed seeing the giant fish up close.

                     

                     Giant Clams are a endangered species and protected from being harvested

Cheers from Australia!