Birthdays, Anniversary and Christmas pressie! - Early April 2015

It has been a busy time as always with lots of celebrations, both our birthdays and our anniversary all within 9 days! So some excellent meals out and treats - including some unseasonal early Autumn weather in the south island!

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Shona also made use of her Christmas present - a glider flight over Tauranga, which was spectacular. She 'flew' to 3000 feet where the views were amazing - she even managed to fly the glider along the coast up to Mt Maunganui. It all looks quite different from up there, but familiar too. Here are some shots of our local town.

Both of us had fun the next day when we had a go at Blow Carting - a bit like sand yachting but an a circuit. Very exciting and takes some practice to keep them 'sailing' fast

The following weekend we were supposed to go on a Te Puke Forest and Bird trip to Mayor Island, a volcanic island off Tauranga where there is obsidian and lots of birds as it is now predator free. Unfortunately the bad Autumn stormy weather put paid to the trip, hopefully we can get there another time but organised trips are rare.
We did visit an amazing waterfall - gushing with full force after the rain near Matamata ie Hobbiton!

Easter means Autumn!

It can be quite hard at times to get your head round which months are in each season! and North being hotter than South! I wrote a newsletter for my Envirohub work and called it the Easter Spring Newsletter! My colleagues laughed!

 An Awesome Easter with Graham and Diane in the Bay of Islands - just sparkling! (after a misty start at Opua pontoon. We even saw a house move and a way to fly!

 

G&D are lovely hosts and were so encouraging that we both really enjoyed being on the helm even when the big spinnaker parasail was making us fly!

They even managed to persuade Shona to climb the mast!! - so 2 fears conquered - helming a big boat with a wheel and heights after throwing a wobbler on Crib Gogh Snowdonia!

 

 The water was warm, the walks just SOOOOO beautiful.

 

 

and to cap it all DOLPHINS came to play in the wake and say hello. They seem much larger than any we have seen in the waters off Beaumaris.

On our way home we popped into the Waitangi Treaty Ground - a core NZ historical place

 

A Year Already!! 29th March 2015

Amazing  - we have been here in this beautiful country a whole year!

We had a lovely walk with Steve and Jen at Bowentown.

This last week has been quite a busy time for us and NZ.

• Hamish wandered off to Wahiki, then home for Easter on 1st April. Rhian and Callum are visiting the Jeffcotts (and Callum had a great time in Amsterdam with his two best mates Connor and Jack). They also visited Nani, who is doing well, and Rhian is also camping in Ryader during this beautiful UK spring!
• NZ got through to the final of the Cricket World Cup - a scintillating finish between NZ and SA in the semi down to the last ball! then a whitewash by Australia in the final with the WHOLE country watching. But you can't dismay the Kiwis, immediately they were saying how well they had done to get to the final for the first time ever. What brilliantly positive people they are down here!
• We watched the Chiefs beat the South African Cheetahs
• The clocks in UK and here have both changed so we have gone form 13 hours ahead to 12 hours for 1 week and now 11 hours ahead - does your head in!!
• Shona finished working at Envirohub in the Historic Village (still volunteering once a week though), she is starting back at Prendos after Easter.
• We roasted autumnal sweet Chestnuts which were abundant on a walk with Janet up on Summerhill where they used to have their farm