Category: Uncategorized
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BACK IN HAWAII
Dianne and I arrived for a second winter of exploration and warmth sandwiched around my easy work schedule at a new clinic. We are in MILILIANI now and that puts us farther from the ocean but nearer many trails including a great 5 miler we did together yesterday. Last winter we were on the other…
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Dianne stays on the mainland, 4 brothers visit me on Oahu
We came back to Iowa to do our taxes and then I went back to Hawaii to finish my last month of doctoring and entertaining 4 of my six living brothers. We Ruggles are pretty low maintenance so weekdays they spent time exploring Pearl Harbor and nearby trails and beaches as I had clinic duties.…
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More Observations
Hawaii has birds that are new to us. The Red-crested Cardinals pictured below are smaller, bolder and (may I say) prettier than Northern Cardinals, though the Iowa variety can boast superior songs. On our walks these guys are not shy and will gladly stand firm 2 feet away from us before sauntering away. The males…
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ADAM WORKS FROM OAHU
Adam has been doing psychiatric telemedicine around the Americas for several years. After his 2023 tour of South America, he returned to Iowa and other North American spots for 2024 and started 2025 with 2 months of home-basing in Hawaii on the west (Honolulu) side of our island while we are on the east coast…
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NOT AS PRETTY
Lest you think we are in utopia, these pictures show there are homeless folks in our area. The politically correct term per the internet is “unhoused” or “unsheltered”. Honolulu has more problems but our town of 40,000 is affected as well. At least the risk of hypothermia is low. One of my female patients is…
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HAWAIIAN ODDITIES
We’ve noticed some differences here: “Snowmen” are made of different material. We didn’t construct him (?her?) but did enjoy seeing him/her on a beachwalk near us. Firetrucks are equipped differently. This was parked on the street where I am working. Not a big need for surfboard rescue in Iowa, but in Hawaii……. You might have…
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Settled in Hawaii
Danger lurks outside our rented condo as the picture below shows the warning about falling coconuts and their blocked off landing zone. Christmas is a bigger deal here than in New Zealand. I only had a bright yellow sweater to wear when I posed with my Kailua Clinic mates on “ugly Christmas sweater day”. What…
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HAWAII-only half as far as New Zealand
Hi friends and family. We chose to stay closer to home this winter with a 4 month stint at a Kaiser-Permanente Clinic in Kailua, Hawaii. We are just 30 minutes from Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Our first visitor was the gecko that appears in this picture. They are harmless creatures that do a…
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ONE LAST GO AROUND
The final Kiwi week was a frenzy of work, activities and parties before we headed home to the states. My final ride with the Malvern Hilllbillies bikers took us up through the Malvern Hills, quite appropriately. I felt especially strong that day and we all agreed it was a reward for following them in exploration…
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A TASTE OF THE SOUTH POLE
Last week Dianne and I spent a day visiting the International Antarctic Center near Christchurch Airport. Presentations included getting up close to some Northern Husky dogs of the same breed as those who once played a large role in early explorations. Another area included a storm room with cold temperatures and blowing air simulating polar…
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QUIZ NIGHT CONQUEST
New Zealand pubs have a tradition of weeknight trivia contests. Our local establishment, Grain and Grape, draws customers in most Wednesday nights for a highly organized 2 hour event. We have a team of 7 people who have been participating during our 4 months in Dafield. It was a great night for “Team Mumps” this…
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RUGGLE and the WIGGLES
After the Iowa Hawkeye women won their 3rd consecutive Big Ten tournament championship in overtime, I decided to wear their colors in a show of appreciation. I walked into the medical centre that day only to have multiple nurses immediately chortle, saying I reminded them of “Greg” the lead singer of The Wiggles,an Australian television children’s…
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LOCAL ELITE ATHLETES
I had not realized what a local legend the pharmacist (chemist) owner is until a patient told me that he was on the 2006 New Zealand Olympic bobsled team. His business is the lone drugstore here in Darfield and fills 95% of the meds I prescribe. A visit to his place of work and I…
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Local Items
Being imbedded in Darfield affords us the chance to see details, get to know our neighbors and participate in novel events. The first picture is a posting on the fence gate around the corner from our house. That family likes their privacy and a good laugh. The next photo shows Dianne hanging at the sheep paddock fence…
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BIKING ALPS TO OCEAN
The 185 mile ride from the base of Mt. Cook to the eastern coastal city of Omaru is the most celebrated of the 23 Great Rides of New Zealand. My best friend from medical school, Doug Reding, came for a visit and together we did this beautiful but challenging trek over 4 days. Heading to our…
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SIMPLE PLANE FUN
On Jan. 7th I was offered a ride on 2 small, single engine aircraft. My clinic boss, Dr. Johan Vlok and his 83 yo friend were each flying north to Lake Sumner and I got to go along. Fred took me outbound and let me steer a bit after we were up between nearby mountains going “low…
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SUMMER CHRISTMAS #2
We stayed close to Darfield during the holidays and the highlight was a long video chat with Adam and Brian the morning of the 25th. Later on Christmas day we reprised our lunch meal at Eleanor and Malcolm Campbell’s home with a main course of ham instead of lamb. Malcolm had heart valve issues in 2023 but…
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WARM CHRISTMAS
We are at 80 degrees this Christmas Eve afternoon a few hours before “Midnight Mass”. Last year’s sermon by the old Irish priest was most unusual so we are interested to hear his comments this year. We sing carols prior and some of their lyrics border on the macabre. There have been a few nice sunsets…
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KIWI TRAINS ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Last weekend we chose a new means of travel here and we loved it. Taking the 4 hour journey to a favorite town of ours on the west coast was beautiful and stress-free. These trains have viewing cars that allow for great photos. We went from our town of Darfield walking 3 blocks from home…
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BACK TO WORK
We finished our cruise only to have Dianne contract a mild case of Covid. This mirrors our first trip to NZ a year ago when we both caught it flying over. This time I stayed healthy and Dianne has fully recovered. She played tennis today with the town team and represented herself well among her…
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CRUISING CAN BE A RACQUET
The first morning on the water leaving Sydney in our wake found me borrowing a pickleball raquet and playing with both upstarts and experienced players. I played 16 hours over the next 8 days and even won in one of the abbreviated doubles tournament on board. This first picture shows the diverse group. The nicest…
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WE AGAIN GO “DOWN-UNDER” November 2023
Dianne and I are reprising our New Zealand adventure but are starting with a cruise of Australia for 9 days before reporting back to Darfield, NZ for a 5 month assignment. Needless to say, we enjoyed my clinic work and our assorted adventures and expect this second trip will be equally successful. We flew into…
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Home ( for 6 months)
We made it home 6 days ago and have been getting the house back up to speed. It is great to see friends at the clinic and around town. I am not working here at this time but will need my stethoscope for Camp Lincoln duty for 2 weeks in late July and again for…
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Half Nelson
Last weekend we flew to Nelson, New Zealand for a long weekend and were met with 6-7 inches of non-stop rain. We saw the downtown river swell out of its bank and carry some mighty tree branches downstream. This curtailed our plans but we were still able to see half of the sites and do…
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FISHING SUCCESS
After more than a dozen trips to various rivers, I finally caught fish. Don, pictured along the slippery slope of the Rakaia River, is the guide who took me out on his home waters one day before salmon season closed. We began the day spin casting for king salmon and on the first cast I…
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Mallards Return
Soon after arriving in Darfield in November we happened upon a drake and hen mallard with 7 ducklings in tow. We watched them grow till early January then the little ones must have fledged as they were suddenly gone. Now 3 month later the original parents (we presume) are back in the same waters where…
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FEIJOAS-a new fruit for us
Our next door neighbor across the fence is Judy who treated us to some perfect Bartlet pears from the her scrawny tree a few weeks ago. Her pear harvest was so good, a limb broke from the weight of the pears. This week she gave us more fruit-feijoas, saying you either like them or you…
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Fall Colors on a Wednesday
This is a picture of our street that shows fall colors in the distance and bright colored waste bins in the foreground ground. Every Wednesday we take a red bin (rubbish), a green bin (compostables) and a yellow bin (recyclables) to the curb and trucks drive by with robotic arms to empty these with extreme…
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Cricket Kids
Trees are turning to fall colors and temps are dropping noticeably so scenes like this youth Saturday morning cricket match are less common. Back home you get the same vibe at soccer games with interested parents coaching and cheering. The rules of cricket escape me still but I can confirm kids and their parents are…
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Beating the Odds on the Rainy West Coast
We returned to Hokitika for Easter weekend and had 2 days of sunny weather where rain falls about 200 days a year. We went with the other locum doctor working at the Darfield Clinic, Dr. Keith and his wife Jackie. Riding bikes on the West Coast Trail took us to a tree top observatory one…
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Lost in Bottle Lake Forest Park
Good Friday found us exploring bike trails just north of Christchurch, an hour away. The bikes were securely strapped to the back of our little white car as shown in the first picture. The park has wonderful trails but lacks good signage. The map describes the strategy to find your way out when (not if)…
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Upside Down Moon and Stars
I noticed last week that the waxing gibbous moon was lit on the left side here (see the first photo) where I know it is lit on the right side in the northern hemisphere. I consulted google and found the explanation that appears in the second image. The moon actually appears to be rotated 180…
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FERN SUNDAY?
At Mass this morning on Palm Sunday, we were given the ferny foliage shown below to use for the service. As my church friend, John noted “the church needs to work on their botany”. They may be just using what is available as you encounter ferns everywhere but I don’t recall seeing any palms. John…
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Kiwi County Fair
Today we went to the Malvern A&P Show in the nearby berg of Sheffield. “A “stands for agriculture and “P” stands for pastoral (though they call their pastures paddocks). We visited friends who were manning the Lion’s Club sandwich tent at this area event which mirrors our county fairs in the Midwest. We bumped into…
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GOOD VIEWS FROM HOME
Our kitchen window looks west and the view is quite interesting at times. The first picture is sunset over the neighbor’s fence and home. The second is a double rainbow Dianne spotted out the same window. I quickly composed a picture that showed it over our house. Double rainbows are special to us Ruggles as…
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Gorgeous Water of Hokitika Gorge
We had seen pictures of the milky, teal-colored water of this place but it is even more stunning in person. Fine crystals produced by the moving glacier add the color. A nice trail takes you along this waterway and you cross it on swinging bridges. Only Julie, Lily, and Dianne could upstage the beauty of…
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HOKITIKA
Our favorite town on the west coast is Hokitika. It is a bright, energetic place with artist galleries and an annual Wild Food festival where people eat crazy things like beetles and grubs. It just happened to be held the day of our visit. We skipped that event but saw many costumed characters at our…
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Glacier Gallivanting
Our first exploration of the west coast took us to the famous Fox Glacier. We got a peak at it from some distance but it was partially obscured by the clouds on the mountains. The trail at nearby Lake Matheson is pictured. Nearby Franz Josef Glacier was not visible this day at all-disappointing to me…
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Unique Lodging
Our first road trip with Julie and Lily was to the west coast of the south island requiring a 3 hour drive across the Southern Alps. We stayed in a former school reminding us of “one room schools” in a rather remote location. There we found some textbooks that exceeeded 100 years of age. The…
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Julie and Lily Arrive
Dianne’s ssiter, Julie and niece, Lily have arrived from Kansas City for a visit. First order of business was to introduce them to our favorite area restaurant, Two Fat Possums.
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FALL SEASON APPROACHES
The daylight hours here are slowly shrinking as we approach fall. The Southern Alps have had 2 good snowfalls and the pictures show the snowcaps. Closer to sea level we are enjoying nice weather with average highs of 70 predicted for this week and next. Today we rode bikes across town to our favorite destination…
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DAY FIVE
After the epic day at Mt. Hood doing the Hooker Valley Trek we ate in the town of Twizel and then stayed the night at 2 small cottages on a small, working farm. We awoke to the sights and sounds of chickens at our door and sheep and alpacas in fenced areas a few steps…
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DAY FOUR
Our long drive on gravel was worth the journey to see the Clay Cliffs near Omarama. Ancient lake deposits from 20 million years ago have been lifted up by a nearby fault then erosion has carved it beautifully as shown in these 2 pictures: Next we moved on to Mt. Cook which holds the distinction…
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DAY THREE
Another adventure out of Queenstown followed with a trip to Milford Sound and a boat ride on the fjord with stunning views of water, mountains, and waterfalls. The next picture does not do justice as it is just a fraction of what you can see of the enveloping vista from the deck. We enjoyed the…
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DAY TWO
I learned the flightless New Zealand bird, the Moa was driven to extinction by humans just 600 years ago. They ranged in size from as small as turkeys or 2 meters high as depicted in the sculpture. Because they were tasty to humans, the “moa is no moa” Queenstown is an adventure destination so, while…
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South Island Day ONE
We started out on our ambitious plan to traverse the sites south of Darfield and visited the Moreaki Boulders on the eastern shore. These 50 spherical rocks are the “Stonehenge of New Zealand” and can be 2 meters in diameter. and are concretions 60,000,000 years old. Later that day we accessed Tunnel Beach near Dunedin.…
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Our “fish whisperer” son, Brian
After 2 days on the north island we came to our home of 6 months-Darfield which is inland on the south island. I set up a chance for Brian to fly fish for trout at a spot where my local friend, Hamish previously showed me rising fish. I couldn’t catch any but thought Brian might…
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Auckland Activities
After our Rotorua day, we returned to Auckland to tour the biggest city in New Zealand. We enjoyed a free, guided downtown walk learning the locals call their country “Noo Zillon”. We filled out our day going to the Mt. Eden crater on the edge of town (first picture) and finished with an evening meal…
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Brian and Missy visit
Brian and Missy visited for 8 days and flew out this morning heading to Tahiti on their way back to the USA. We met them in the Auckland Airport on the north island and immediately drove to Rotorua to see the public geothermal park where the water boiled, the mud bubbled and the air smelled…
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Washpen Falls Track
Sunday found me golfing at the nearby Horarata Golf Course with my next door neighbor, Chris. I rented clubs and played 18 holes on a beautiful morning. The course is a good test of skill and I pulled the “trundle” with my “hired” clubs with my scores ranging from a birdie to a 6 over…
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Highlight Day of Soaring
Just 20 minutes from our home is the Canterbury Gliding Club which keeps several 2-seater gliders for rides and instruction. After several delays because of unfavorable weather, I had a perfect morning for my flight. The pictures show (1) me standing along the wide winged craft which just happens to to be marked at the…
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Dianne and Adam “hop” over to see the Australian Open Tennis Tournament
While I stayed back in Darfield to work, Adam and Dianne flew to Melbourne and enjoyed the first 4 days of this major tennis event. Weather was nice a majority of the time but they also had a hot day, and a cold and rainy day but they enjoyed it immensely . One highlight was…
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Beautiful River
Today I took Dianne and Adam to the airport for their 6am flight to Australia where they will watch tennis at the Australian Open these next 3 days. I stayed back in New Zealand for work later this week but today was treated to a 37 km trip up and back on the gorgeous Waimakariri…
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Darfield Delights
Adam is with us and we are traveling to area attractions but there is good stuff right here in the town where we live. In the first picture, Adam stands in front of a house a few doors down with exceptional curb appeal with its modern exterior. The second shows a repurposed fridge now used…
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Rare Clear Evening Sky
Dianne, Adam and I just came in this Sunday from seeing the Southern Cross Constellation. Most evenings are cloudy on our side of the mountains but perfectly clear skies and 52 degree temps an hour after sunset gave us a chance to see Jupiter, Mars and the stars vividly. This was a fitting end to…
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West Coast Trip
We did the 4 hour trip west across the Southern Alps to Greymouth and enjoyed a meal at a local eatery and saw the Tasman Sea crashing against the shore. An industrious soul gave us a tour of his “air conditioned” beach house made fromwashed up debris. It was a rather rugged adventure for these…
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Adam arrives on New Years Eve
We have been here almost 2 months and our first US visitor came in at year’s end. Good flights routed through Fiji brought him here for the last 10 hours of 2022. He brought Nintendo Switch game equipment and his mother, Dianne, is picking it up quickly-me, not so much. Those 2 go off to…
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Christmas Dinner
Dianne met Eleanor Campbell at the Darfied tennis club and they became fast friends. Eleanor and her husband, Malcolm, invited us to their house for a wonderful Christmas meal of lamb, roasted vegetables and luscious cheesecake. Their place is beautiful and the grounds are even better, as you can see in the photos. Random thought-the…
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No White Christmas
Summer is coming on in our area of the south island of New Zealand so the only snow we see is on a rare peak or ravine of the Southern Alps an hour to the west of us. We read blizzards are hitting Iowa just before Christmas but we know the folks back home are…
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Local Favorites in Darfield
We are finding neat businesses and nice people right here in our town of 2,900 people. The Fat Beagle Cafe is within 3 minutes by bike and has wonderful coffees and desserts (like their chocolate almond slice). Another lunch spot is the Bakery Cafe where Saturday our group of 10 mountain bike riders finished our…
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Wineries are a bust
Last week we went in search of a wine-tasting venue only to come up empty. The first stop was unavailable as they were hosting a wedding. Our second choice had liquidiated though it remained a high match with an internet search. The third was roped off with a “closed” sign and no other explanation. The…
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Seeing Patients
I was finally able to work at the Darfield Clinic starting Nov 29th and got up to speed quite quickly with the help of the head nurse, Jordyn. I saw 12 people the first day and am up to 20/day now. Visits are shorter and documentation more concise so I can see more here than…
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Local Treasure Discovered
We are doing great after Covid but still need to isolate through tomorrow. Luckily, outside exercise separate from other people is allowed. We ventured to a local park that is a small, old growth forest just 2 miles from our house to hike “tramp” there this morning. Its trails have a fairy theme if you…
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Early priorities: banking and biking
During our first full day in New Zealand (BEFORE we knew we were going to get sick from Covid) we got a local bank account opened and bought bikes at Around Again Cycles in Christchurch. The bikes are expertly refurbished and a good value, if not the prettiest transportation. Kiwis really know how to reuse…
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Covid reality check
Despite our precautions, we both got mild Covid for the first time 3 days after the 15 hour trans-Pacific flight. That delays my start at the Darfield Medical Centre by a week. There is a lot of rain this weekend so it is easy to sleep and recover.
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Sheepish Grin
We have a nice 3 bedroom house in a residential area. The empy lot across the street contains a small flock of sheep. Notice them over Dianne’s left shoulder in this picture. We should have expected this as the sheep outnumber people 7 to 1 just as in Iowa where pigs outnumber people 7 to…
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First Glimpse of NZ
We saw the tip of the northern island from the plane at the end of a 15 hour flight and immediately knew we were in a great place (or on another planet as one former physician visitor had remarked).
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Send-offs
Our New Zealand mentors, Dr. Darrell Jebsen and his wife Jolene, met us for supper and told more stories of their 2017 adventure there for Darrell’s 3 month stint at a north island clinic in Stratford. These friends of over 40 years clued us in on following their footsteps and supplied invaluable advice and encouragement.…
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Hospital honors me
Last week Mercy One -Newton Medical Center (formerly Skiff Medical Center) had a ceremony where they presented my named engraved on a plaque near the hospital entrance commemorating our 41 year affiliation. I had forgotten I had authored a limerick for the occasion but will include it here after the fact: Dr. Ruggle Retirement Limerick-…
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Expert Advice
Our world traveling friends, Randy and Josena Wadle, recently shared pictures and recollections of their trip to both islands of New Zealand. We were enthralled at their escapades and photos. Other friends tell us their November cruise includes the port of Christchurch a mere 25 miles from our residence so we hope to meet up.…
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Visas approved
Our visas have finally been approved after submitting lots of documents corroborating our marital status, of all things. Airfare is purchased and we leave Nov. 14 but don’t arrive until the 16th because of the 28 hours travel time and the fact we cross the international dateline losing a day going out. Jet lag seems…
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Logging miles on the bike near Newton
Today I bicycled 40 miles with Bob Kuhn and Pat Edwards as training for the renowned bike trails in New Zealand. I wore my new NZ jersey and had 2 strangers make nice comments. Pat mentioned the stars on the jersey signify the Southern Cross and I will attach pictures to convince you.
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Aurora Borrealis and Aurora Australias
Dianne and I are vacationing in International Falls, Minnesota in search of the northern lights which led me to investigate “southern lights” and I find they exist and are sometimes seen in NZ so that is something else to anticipate. Conditions look bad for seeing the northern lights this week because of the full moon…
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Winding down at the Newton Clinic
My official retirement letter is going out to about 900 families next week with this blog site address. My last day at the clinic will be Halloween 2022 and it has been suggested I dress up in a costume-maybe I will be a New Zealander that last day. I will google “Kiwi clothes” to get…
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Next Steps
We soon begin our VISA applications and travel arrangements can then follow. We like to do puzzles when flying so I am stockpiling some big Sunday crosswords to occupy us during the 17 hour flight from the U.S. to Auckland, New Zealand.
New Zealand Sabbatical 