We missed a blog last week as we had a quiet weekend in Tauranga with Malcolm not feeling too well with a cough and head cold, it seems we have no resistance to the bugs from the other side of the world!
It has been just lovely to talk to friends on Skype over the last week or so and to hear that summer is coming for you. We had the first day of winter down here, but in Tauranga the sun is lovely during the day but it is cold at night and gets dark now about 5pm!
I have started volunteering at the local Waipuna Op Shops (Charity shop) in Te Puke and at Mt Monganui on a Monday and Friday mornings, it is quite fun and lovely to meet the other volunteers. I am there in the picture!
I popped over to Hamilton with Malcolm when he went for work last week, there is not a lot about the place and the claim to fame seems to be that the chap who wrote the Rocky Horror Show worked there as a hairdresser! They even have a town statue to him, which emits free wifi from the gun!
On the way back we stopped to sus out the Hobbiton Movie Set attraction, $75 pp to get in , we decided to leave it till the kids come out!
This weekend was a bank holiday for the Queens Birthday!
We were in Napier, apparently it was the only part of the country which was overcast with rain! Napier was flattened by an earthquake in the 1930's so it is now a lovely Art Deco centre, one of the nicest building was the Tobacco Company building in the docks.
Being in the centre of Hawkes Bay that famous wine growing area we had to try a few tastings, this is something that we will do more thoroughly over several visits as about 3 vineyards in a day is about right. We tried Craggy Range, Black Barn and Te Mata, next will have to include the delightfully named Crab Beach and Elephant wines! Malcolm was not left out he found a local tasting Ale and Cider brewery to try as well! the first proper beer he has had!
We found an amazing art shop selling very clever sculptures - price was clever too!
On the way back we checked out the Polynesian Spa and a craft centre in Rotorua, where they have literally 'dressed' a tree, in knitted clothes. and we found an amazing place to sit in Macdonalds - yes you can sit in the plane!
Next weekend we are off to Auckland to see the All Blacks play England!
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