January - and home again for a different reason

 One night we got a very important txt message - Bradley and Jingjing had set the date for their NZ wedding in 10 day time!  It was into fast mode we went trying to organise a way for us both to get home but sadly only one of us could go. This is how the day unfolded.  Congrats guys - we are very proud of you!

North Island leg of our trip home.

We arrived, drove the short distance to the campervan park and we weren't disappointed.  Ideal location, clean ablutions with hot showers!

We were a short walking distance to the main shopping and business area.  Te Papa was also just down the road and we even managed a short visit before we met up with Bradley and Jingjing who had the biggest grins on their faces that  we had ever seen.  The reason was that they had just got engaged and we were lucky enough to share the day with them.

We celebrated by drinking a toast with a wine from Cloudy Bay, thanks to Lloyd and then off to dinner with them.  We spent the next couple of days catching up with them whenever we could.  Arranging for them to join us at Paekakariki Holiday Park for a couple of nights.

We found a yellow pohutukawa mingling with the red one.

And we also found the perfect pet!  We spent a couple of days walking along this coastline enjoying the fresh sea breeze...although Wayne did tell me it was 'cold'.

During these walks I was concentrating on getting some good photos of our local flax flowers.

But who can resist the bunny tails?

 

The views along this coast were breathtaking.  Luckily for us Jingjing and Bradley had brought dinner with them and taught us how easy it was to cook dumplings (we have since cooked them back here in KL).

The next morning it was pack up time to move onto our next destination.  Taupo.  The drive took us on some roads we had never been on.  Views we had never seen.  It am always amazed at the scenery we see in NZ, surely some of the best in the world and in such a small country.

Next stop Thames, where we get lovley sunsets off our balcony and time to spend without cat, Silky.

Next stop was to see my parents where I played with my camera in Dad's garden.  

Then it was off to have lunch with Jo and Samuel and of course Beth and Claudia tagged along.  Cuddles with our great nephew were awesome.

One have the highlights of going home is to have fish and chips on the beach.  Well we were almost on the beach...it was sea water beside us but we just happened to be sitting at the wharf in Thames enjoying a coffee and fish and chips and yes they were wrapped in paper - the only way to have fish and chips.

Sadly we had to leave Thames to go to Rotorua to spend Christmas with Wayne's brothers.  We stayed with David at his lovely place at Hamurana.  It was so lovely to be able to do this and to catch up on all the news from his side of the family.  And of course being a property that has some land we were able to play with our cameras.

Lilly, Craig and Danni's daughter.

Lucas, their son.

 DINK1E - my dinkie toy car...it was wonderful to be able to drive her around.

David has some very photogenic animals!








Boxing day saw us go and visit Nana and Poppa at their tree.  Such a special place for our family that we always make the time to visit this spot whenever we are in Rotorua.

But only after having a bbq lunch, thanks to Ian and Katie.  Such a yum way to eat fresh crayfish!

 Our trip home was drawing to a close.  It was fantastic to catch up with family and friends.  They are invaluable times and memories.

South Island during our trip home

Christmas in New Zealand…we know when it is Christmas here as you see the pohutukawa out In flower…it is stunning.  We will see that as we drive further north.  We flew into Christchurch airport at about 12.30 a.m. By the time we were through customs where the man was very abrupt it was after 1 pm.   We picked up a taxi at the rank and were asked where we from!!!   Funnily enough the driver was from Korea!  Our motel knew we were arriving late and had kindly left a note on the door to tell us which unit was ours and that she would see us in the morning.  Being 1.30 a.m. in New Zealand meant it was still 8.30 p.m. in Kuala Lumpur and we weren’t tired at all.  We did manage to read our books and watch TV, listen to the radio and then finally sleep until around 8 a.m. when it was time for a coffee.  Unfortunately we didn’t have any food so that had to wait.  We met up with the owner and paid for our room and she kindly orgainsed a taxi to take us to pick up our Escape Campervan.  Krispy was a delight to deal with and we had our pick of vans but really there was no choice…The Batmobile.

Then it was breakfast time.  We found a lovley little café that serviced the workers in the area and had our extra coffee fix.  Time now to find our way out of Christchurch….we drove around for a while fascinated by the buildings that had been devastated by the earthquakes and consequently missed reading the signs to tell us the way out.  We did a complete circle and then we were on our way.  It was so good to see NZ landscape, green and beautiful.  It wasn’t long before we were hankering to see a beach so the first chance we got one we drove down a side road.

And we were not dissapointed by the view.  Around the corner from this beach was Cathedral Gully.

Back onto the road again following the coast to Kaikoura  where we parked up and had lunch looking at the sea.  The weather had deteriated andit was blowing a cold wind. From here it was a short drive to look at the seal colony there.  Krispy said to go  up the river and there should be baby seals playing but not today.  There were plenty on the rocks and we spent a long time taking photos of them.  They are beautiful but boy did they smell disgusting. They were having fun playing in the water, on the rocks and with each other.

It was only a short drive to Lloyd and Anna's  house in Blenheim.  It was so good to see him and Anna and their new house. They were so proud of their little house and it is lovely.  It does need a lot of work but it will be a real on-going project that will be very worthwhile.  It will keep them busy for a few years.

Seeing our dog Zena was just wonderful.  She is still  fit and wants to walk and be with people.  She still has that lovely nature she has always had.

We were lucky enough to have a built in wine tour guide amongst us and he took us to a number of wineries, ending up at Cloudy Bay.  Was good to see him at his work place and to see how much enjoyed being there.

From here we drove up the coast, the long way, to Picton to catch the ferry across to Wellington to spend some time with Bradley and Jingjing.

We found a tui feeding on the nectar from the flax...was fascinating watching it flick from flower to flower.  Now it was time for the ferry ride...drive the Batmobile on, find a seat...front window view, have a meal - fish and chips - settle back and enjoy the ride.  We arrived in Wellington and parked up at the Waterfront Campervan Park - almost in the middle of Wellington's city centre.