Wellington

Mum and I went on a day trip today to Wellington, the capital city of NZ. We arrived at the airport at 8.10 just in time to jump on the plain. I had checked in online on the computer at home so we just had to board the plain. The flight to Wellington is fairly short - 35 minutes but it can be quite bumpy at times - Wellington is very windy. We had a few bumps before landing but it was fine really. Mum is becoming quite an experienced air traveller now! We caught a shuttle into the centre of town and booked a city tour at the tourist centre. It was perfect timing really as the tour left at 10am (we were there at 9.45am). The tour started with a visit to The Beehive which is the common name for the modern parliament buildings. "They look a lot better than the Scottish Parliament buildings" was mum's opinion. From there we headed around to the botanic gardens for a walk in the Lady Norwood Rose gardens. The flowers were beautiful. Unfortunately while we were there it started to drizzle - Scotch Mist the driver said! And it didn't really get much better. It was a real shame as it meant there wasn't really much of a view at any of the other viewpoints on the way around the city. It was OK though and it certainly saved our feet traipsing to all the attractions.

When the tour was finished we had some lunch then headed for the cable car for a short trip up to the top of the Botanic gardens. After that we walked around the Harbour to Te Papa Museum to finish our day with a whirlwind tour of some of the exhibitions.

All in all it was a good day out. Shame about the weather though. What was even more irratating was that it had been a gloroius hot, sunny day in Nelson! The boys had been for a bike ride and a swim and generally enjoyed the good weather. They had fish'n chips waiting for us when we got home.

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Monday - The countdown is on! -

3 days to go!

Quiet day again today. Another hot one though 33 degrees on the temperature clock on the main street at 5.30pm. Washing and house work in the morning (yawn, yawn!) then a visit to the library to try to get a book on looking after rabbits. Unfortunately they were all out. (I think it might be something to do with the 3 litters of rabbits which the breeder's rabbits produced just before Christmas.) Niall is beginning to get quite excited - so is everyone else if the truth be known. The hutch arrived yesterday, the hay today, food is in the beer fridge(!!) and the rabbit arrives on Wednesday. Still hasn't got a name so any suggestions will be considered. Just click on comments below and you should be able to leave a message.

On the way home from the library we popped into my friend Sue's to have a look around her garden and have a catch up. She has invited us around for a BBQ on Thursday so that will be nice. She has a pool so the boys love going there as they get it all to themselves.

Did the grocery shopping in the afternoon then took Findlay to the Doctors. He has had a cough for about a week and it has been driving us all mad during the night (well only me really as I am the one who gets up to him!) Doctor thinks he just has a viral infection but has given him antibiotics to help clear it. It is years since he has had antibiotics so the doctor was happy to prescribe them.

Mum and I went for a drive in the evening up the Aniseed Valley to have a look at the river where we go swimming and admire the view.

Big day out tomorrow - Mum and I are off to Wellington for the day. No pictures today but here are some taken last Friday night at the beach.

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Farewell to G & K ....again!

Beautiful sunshine again today ...How long does summer go on for (I hear you ask) ?...... Oh until about April. Another 2/3 months.....Great!

Gordon and Kay continued on their travels today. A whirlwind tour of the South Island. They have been very impressed with what they have seen so far so I hope they get good weather next week so they can see the South Island in all its glory. The South Island is far more scenic than the North... or at least we think so! The scenery is much more extreme, humongous mountains, sparkling clear rivers and awesome rugged coastlines.

Before Gordon and Kay left this morning Findlay and I took them up to the lookout behind our house. You don't have to go far to get some stunning views over the Tasman district. It is quite a steep climb, but it is good for the leg muscles. We ambled up slowly collecting fossils (yes, millions of years old fossils!) and taking photos of plants and flowers.

Back home for lunch then Bon Voyage to G&K. The rest of us spent the afternoon in the garden. In the evening Mum and I walked down the road to post the postcards. - Hopefully they will be popping through your letterboxes in about a weeks time. Mum was quite insistant on posting them all at the same time so that you can all compare when the arrive. So just remember to take note ...because you will be quizzed!!

Saturday Market

Saturday - Market Day.

We all headed off into Nelson this morning to visit the Saturday Market. The Market in Nelson is a real mixture of craft stalls, food and vegetable stalls etc. We weren't there quite as early as the week before with Gordon and Kay so it was beginning to get busy but we managed to stroll around and Mum had a good look at all the stalls. Again it was hot and sunny, so hats and sun screen were a must.

We came home via some of the old buildings in Nelson for Mum to have a look at. They are only about 140 years old but in NZ terms that is real history!

We had quiet afternoon in the garden, then a BBQ for tea while we waited on G&K returning from their tour of the North Island. They arrived about 7.30pm and we had a lovely evening hearing about their adventures and looking at their 700 photographs!

A day at the races

Well the sun has come back to shine on us today. Lovely warm sunny summers day. Lawson phoned to say Mum has been given a cold weather payment to help with her heating bill as it has been so cold in Scotland! Tom thinks she should hand it back as the temperature here has not been below 20 degrees!

You may have heard that Niall is getting a rabbit for his Christmas. It was born just before Christmas so we are not getting it until next week but we went to have a look at some Rabbit hutches this morning. There is a chap in Nelson who is going to make one for him. While we were in Nelson we went to visit the Miyazu Japanese Gardens.

The Miyazu Garden celebrates Nelson's relationship with its Japanese sister city. As soon as you walk through the gate made from old timber recycled from the port, the street noise is screened out with an immediate feeling of enclosure. Still reflective ponds, trickling bamboo spouts and melodic cascades enhance the sense of serenity. Very nice!


Having had quite a leisurely morning we decided to "go the races" in the afternoon. There is a trotting/harness racing track here in Richmond and they have races 3/4 times a year. I had text ed Gordon and Kay in the morning and Gordon had instructed me to put $5 on the favourite on the third race. We arrived just has the first race was finishing but had time to put some money on the second race. $1 each way, for each of us! (about 40p!). Well there was great excitement as Mum's horse came with a late run at the end and finished 2nd! First time mum has been to the races and put money on a horse and it comes up trumps! Her winnings were $2.60 (1pound 4p!). Not exactly the jackpot but mum was happy. The next race was the 3rd race so I did as instructed by Gordon to put money on the favourite. Wasn't quite sure what all the numbers were on the board meant so had to ask a local punter which one was the favourite! Stir the Pot. I decided that it may be safer to put $3 each way on the horse rather than risk $5 on a win. Well Gordon's horse set off well - leading from the start, leading at half way although Mum's horse was gaining but then just in the last 200m my horse (Barmy Army!) made a surge from behind and finished with Gordon's for a photo finish! Gordon's horse won by a whisker (do horses have whiskers?) Winnings this time $9 (3 pounds 60) for Gordon, $2.60 for me. Needless to say I haven't heard the end of it from Gordon as I didn't follow his instructions to the letter!

Race 4 - again great excitement. Niall's horse winning and again I got second. The race meeting was going on all afternoon and evening but we decided to leave on a winning note and left after the 4th race. It was very hot and Findlay got a bit of a coughing fit so was feeling rotten. We were home in time for tea.

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Visit to Natureland

View from Princes Drive - Mum, agapanthus and Hulashore Island.


A bit overcast today but it is a good drying wind! Still warm though. Tom had got a free family ticket to visit a small local zoo so we decided to go there this morning. Natureland is a small animal park next to the beach in Tahunanui. It has lots of birds, some farm animals - pigs sheep goats as well as monkeys, otters, a wallaby, turtles and tuataras. Findlay took along some rice crispies as you are allowed to feed them to the animals so rather than buy a little packet there we took our own. Findlay has been there a couple of times with the school so he enjoyed being the guide and telling us all about the animals.

When we came out of the park we went to the cafe by the beach for lunch and enjoyed some very prompt and efficient service! Mum and Niall had a BLT and Findlay and I shared some wedges. The boys of course had to have some ice cream too! When we had finished we went for a walk along the beach. The tide was in so there wasn't much beach to walk along but mum enjoyed looking out for shells and among the jetsam and flotsam.

Before we headed home we went for a drive up the Port Hills to have a look over Nelson Bays and enjoy the view. There are some great lookout points and although it wasn't too clear today we could still see quite far. Back home for another lazy afternoon and to catch up with the housework!

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Wednesday January 9th - Sunny again

Well the rain has stopped as expected and the garden is looking much livlier after the soaking. Unfortunately that also means the weeds will have had a good watering too!

After visiting our friend Raewyn this morning for a cup of tea and a walk around her garden we went to the shops in Richmond for a look around. Richmond has a good variety of shops. In the Mall there are the usual clothing shops, shoe shops, chemists etc but on the main street there are some gift shops, newsagents, sports shops, green grocers etc so there is a good variety. Mum, Findlay and I had a look around while Niall met some of his friends and "hung out at the mall!" - which seems to be the thing to do when you are 14! We got home for lunch and had a lazy afternoon then Mum and I went to the local berry farm to pick some raspberries and boysenberries to have with the pavlova for pudding after tea. Yummy! I had meant to take a picture of it but it was eaten too quickly. This is all that is left!

Tuesday - Trip to the museum

Well it was still raining this morning. And it rained and rained! Good for the garden though! (I won't be saying that if its still raining tomorrow!)

Since it was wet we decided to go to the Museum in Nelson this morning. There is a Da Vinci Machines exhibition on which was interesting but we probably didn't appreciate it as much as some. Da Vinci was quite an amazing inventor - invented all sorts of things which i didn't realise! We were pleased we went early morning as lots of other people also thought it was a good way to spend a wet day so it was getting quite busy by the time we left. We had a look around the shops and by the time we got home at lunchtime the rain was beginning to ease. By 3pm the sun was shining again - yahoo!

Not much more happened today. Mum and I went for a walk around the immediate streets around here in the evening - Findlay came on his bike. Nice evening although it is now a bit hot and muggy after all the rain. G&K getting on OK. Had a text to say they are at Opoutere tonight. The rain has reached them and I think they will have a wet day tomorrow then the forecast is for better weather which is good. I am sure they will be very comfortable in their Mecedes campervan though!

Mum and Niall at the Provincial Museum

Monday in the rain

Well the rain arrived today although it hasn't been as heavy as we had expected. Its good for the garden but it has meant we have had a day mostly indoors. We did venture out to the Mall to get some bits and bobs but that was as far as we got. Granny bought some postcards and a jigsaw to keep the boys busy. So they day has been spent tidying up, doing the jigsaw and reading the paper. The forecast isn't good for tomorrow either so we will have to think of some wet weather things to do.

Sunday in the Garden

Again another quiet day in the garden. Forecast is for rain though and its been overcast all day. I hope it does rain as the garden really needs a good soaking. Its just started to drizzle now (8pm.

We did venture out to a couple of garden centres to have a look around, Mum made some scones and I made 2 pots of soup to use up some of the veg from the garden but apart from that nothing exciting today.

Some broccoli and courgettes from the garden!

Gordon and Kay start their Adventures

Well another hot sunny day today. This weather has been more like February weather (mid summer) than early January ....but we are not complaining!

It was an early start this morning for Godon kay and I. The were picking up their campervan in Picton which is a 2 hour drive from here and were booked on the Interislander ferry at 1.15pm. We left here at 7.30am so that we could stop off at the market in Nelson to have a look. The market takes place every Saturday and is a mixture of fresh foods and lots and lots of local crafts from local artists. It was great being there so early as there was room to move and browse at ease. I have never managed to get there before 9am so it was all very noval for me too!!

The drive through to Picton is about 1 hour 45 minutes so we gave ourselves plenty time to ensure we were at the campervan pick up point by 10.30am. Its a pleasant drive firstly through the hills north of Nelson (lots of pine trees!), then the dairy farms of the Rai valley and the last 20 odd kms are through the Marlborough vineyards (Montana wine etc.

We arrived at Picton with plenty time to spare and picked up the campervan without any hitches - well apart from an almighty scrapping noise as Gordon drove the van out of the drive of the hire office!! It brought everyone running but luckily no damage was found. We think it was just the step of the van hitting the kerb. The have a very nice new Mercedes 3 berth van with only 3000km on the clock. It has a toilet, shower, mircrowave and even a TV with a DVD player and a little satelitte dish on the roof! Not that Gordon and Kay will have anytime to watch the telly!

Once we picked up the van we went to a local cafe for some coffee and chocolate brownie and then they were off! I left them queueing up to go through the checkpoint before they got on the ferry. I forgot the camera so don't have any pictures but Gordon has some - I will post them on the blog when they get back.

Mum and the boys (including Tom) had a quiet day in the garden pottering around. Late afternoon they all went down to the school swimming pool so the boys could cool down.

Rest Day - Friday

Well after all the excitement yesterday we decided to have a quiet day today and just lounge around the house. Mum had a little fall yesterday so her knee was just a bit stiff so we thought it best not to walk too far. G, K and myself went to the local library to get some guide books and went to the Mall to do some shopping. Mum stayed at home with Tom and the boys. She played monopoly with Findlay (and won!), helped him with a jigsaw and did some gardening. Late afternoon Kay, mum and I went down to Washbourne gardens, a local council park to listen to some Jazz in the Park. There is a Jazz festival on here just now and there wee some bands playing at a free open air concert in the park. It was very very busy with lots of people having picnics etc. Kay was very impressed. There was a real summer garden party atmosphere with lots of families having a very relaxing time. Unfortunaely nobody took a camera so no photos to publish. We didn't stay too long and we had decidedto go out for a meal before Gordon and Kay headed off tomorrow.

For a meal we went to the Honest Lawyer in Monaco - between here and Nelson. It was also very busy so we had a bit of a wait for our meal but there was someone entertaining us with very good guitar playing and singing - Mum really enjoyed it. In fact she was nearly getting up to dance! I think she must be missing the tea dances! Again no photos as yet - Gordon has them and we haven't down loaded them yet.

Abel Tasman 3

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Abel Tasman 2

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Abel Tasman 1

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Day 4 - Abel Tasman National Park

Today was a pretty full on day. Mum, G&K and myself set off around 9am and headed west to the Abel Tasman National park. Abel Tasman National Park (established in 1942) is renowned for its golden beaches, sculptured granite cliffs, and world-famous Abel Tasman Coast Track. Abel Tasman is New Zealand's smallest national park. It is named after Abel Tasman, who in 1642 became the first European explorer to sight New Zealand. The scenery is quite breathtaking and we feel very lucky to live so close to such a beautiful place.

The trip to Marahau at the South end of the park takes about 1 hour. We had booked a water taxi for 10.30pm. The water taxis in Abel Tasman are like no other water taxis I have experienced. You start your journey on the boat, on a trailer pulled along the road and into the water by a tractor! The tide was on its way out so we had to get taken quite far out from the beach before we were launched into the sea. As you can see from the pictures it was just great!

We headed north, very quickly ("its the fastest boat I have EVER been on!" quote granny) stopping off at a few bays to have a bit of a commentary from the skipper as drop some passengers off. We stopped at Tonga Island to see the fur seals and were lucky enough to see some cubs too.

Our second last stop was Awaroa. The Awaroa Estuary can only be crossed close to low tide. We dropped G&K off at 12noon and had thought low tide was around 12.30pm. They were going to walk across the estuary and walk the last 5km to Totaranui where Mum and I were getting dropped off at 12.15pm. Mum and I arrived at Totaranui and waited for about 20 minutes before Tom and the boys appeared. They had drove the 160km from Richmond (2 1/2 hours) to meet us there. The plan was that G, K, Mum and I would then drive home and Tom and the boys would get the water taxi back.

There is a DOC campsite at Totaranui and our friends Jeanette and Bill had been staying there since before Christmas. It is Jeanette and Bill's house that G&K are staying in. We met up with them at the campsite and had lunch with them - bacon and egg pie followed by freshly made scones. All cooked on an open fire! Amazing. It was very very hot at Totaranui so we had to spend the majority of the time in the shade. Mum's hat was coming in very useful.

Gordon and Kay were due to meet us around 2pm but by 3pm they still hadn't appeared. We were beginning to get slightly anxious but knew there wasn't really anywhere they could have wandered off the well marked path. The appeared at 3.10 just in time to see Tom and the boys jump in the water taxi and head home! Kay and I had a swim in the sea then we headed home via a town called Takaka and a few viewing platforms on the way. I will add more to this tomorrow - its late now and I am very tired. Just one picture to wet your appetite for more to come!

Day 3 - Wednesday 2nd January

Another day of glorious sunshine greeted us early this morning. We had a fairly quiet day really. Kay, Gordon, Mum and I headed off to Mapua this morning for a look around. Mapua is a coastal village about 20km from here. (http://www.nelsonnz.com/nelson/mapua.motueka.and.moutere) We stopped off at the Serious Straws factory shop to buy some hats. (www.seriousstraws.co.nz)!
Mum came out with a lovely blue one and Gordon and Kay came out with 2 each!! (Pictures will follow tomorrow). We then stopped off at a new cafe for coffee and scones and had a leisurely morning tea break. We headed home via The Grape Escape to look at all the local crafts and sample some wines. (http://www.grapeescape.co.nz/)
Home for lunch then a trip into Nelson in the afternoon to visit the tourist information and buy Gordon some swimming shorts. Kay had found Gordon's old ones in the loft but when they went to pack them they realised the fresh air had caused them to perish!!! Haven't got a picture of Gordon in his shorts yet but maybe tomorrow!
In the evening we had a BBQ and invited some of our friends around to join us. A very pleasant evening chatting and laughing. It is a very hot night tonight so its not going to be so easy to sleep. Boys are still unsettled and it is nearly 11pm. We have a big day tomorrow - heading over to Able Tasman National Park for a boat trip and some sight seeing. Its going to be a BIG day and we are all looking forward to it. Haven't taken many pictures today but there will be lots tomorrow that's for sure

Day 2 (cont) At the Beach

Rabbit Island is about 15minutes drive from here. It has 8km of beach, much of it safe for swimming. There is a public picnic area with all beach facilities in the middle of this Council owned island which is used primarily for foresty. Today was one of the busiest days as lots of families go there to have a BBQ and swim in the sea on the public holiday. We left it until later in the afternoon (5pm) before we went there as we knew it would be busy and it was quite hot today (26 degrees). The boys played frisbee and cricket (Tom and Gordon included) and the girls just enjoyed the warm weather and had a paddle in the sea! Niall and Findlay had a swim but the rest of us decided to leave it until another time. Home for a New Year's Day dinner of roast lamb and veggies followed by pavlova NZ syle. All washed down with a lovely champagne and NZ red wine. All in all a very relaxing and enjoyable first day of the new year. Everyone is tucked up in bed now to get recharged for some more adventures tomorrow!

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Day 2

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Lovely sunny day today - first day of 2008. Everybody is still recovering a bit from jet lag etc so we have just had a pottering about day. Headed to the "Gardens of the World" this morning which is in Hope - about 4 miles from here. It was a lovely place to wonder around with lots of plants/trees from all over the world. Then it was home for a leisurely lunch, short siesta then head off to the beach for a paddle..