Home sweet home 03/05/2008
 

Wow - seems like a few of you are actually reading these ramblings so here is another dose of drivel for you to muse over.
Its a bit late so excuse me if I repeat myself but last time I wrote I think we had got to Rotarua and the luge/bubbling mud. I wish we had lingered a little longer there as the volcanic activity was pretty wild to see. But, we didn't (what a surprise!) but we will definitely be back for a holiday some time.

From Rottenrua (as the locals call it thanks to the smell) we headed down through Taupo (lovely lake area, very pretty even at speed) and eventually ended up just North of Palmerston North in a place by the coast called Levin. I've uploaded some pics of us on the beach here to Flickr. All the coast on the West of NZ is pretty wild, big wide beaches, wind. We stayed here for a couple of days as Lisa had an interview with the recruitment agents and we were a bit sick of traveling. The interview went well and we re-charged our batteries with a couple of wild walks and lots of coffee and cake. I had a chat to some local kids and ended up sucking the seeds out of some weed that grew on the sand dunes with them (the whole family were out picking the stuff for preserving and spreading on toast apparently but it just tasted of salty sea water and pips - not the free delicacy I was hoping to have discovered). Lisa's interview went great and we had a date of 6 March for her first real interview in Nelson with her perspective new boss - so it was back into the car and South towards Wellington and the ferry.

We stopped just North of Wellington the next night in Upper Hut - very nice and some good weather to enjoy but other than that pretty uneventful place (though I heard there was some pretty wild mountain biking to be had in the vicinity - shame my bike is on a boat somewhere in the boot of our car - that wont arrive for another 4 weeks). From there it was into Wellington (the smallest capital I have ever been too - it was tiny but very nice) and onto the ferry and through the Cook Straits to Picton. The ferry ride took about 3hrs and was pretty uneventful apart from trying to keep Buster from falling overboard (which he came close to doing at least 5 times!) and the lovely scenery that we seemed to skirt past with very little room to spare.  Got to Picton then decided not to take the 'Tourist Route' but head a bit cross country to Nelson - what a mistakea to makea. For the next 3 hrs we averaged about 20mph as the road snaked its way around the unbelievable scenery past all of the bays and inlets. Beautiful but soooo slow. Hairpins every 10 meters = a very sick feeling driver, co-pilot and baby. Ah well - we got to Nelson eventually and the sun was blazing. We have been chillaxing today down by the deserted beach collecting shells and generally feeling pretty smug. I will post some pics rather than wax lyrical but its as good as we had hoped.

We will be here for at least the next 3 weeks and, if things go well for Lisa tomorrow, probably the next few years.

Thats it for now - I'll hopefully be a bit more subjective next time I write but the weather looks like being hot, hot, hot for the next week and I haven't got much to do but enjoy it so I wouldn't bet on it.

Ciao for now - thanks for the comments, its nice to know your having a read.

Click here to go to the pics on Flick

 


Comments

JP

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:25:45

Damn you Jennings, it looks like you've hit lucky again as usual. It looks ace, but not very sunny. There does appear to be a passing resemblance to Scotland in the 1970's, are the Bay City Roller's big out there still?

Tell me when you meet up with Jimmy Cranky will you? He's a woman really you know, but its quite convincing.


 

Kay

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:30:01

Pictures look fab....saving up for my first holiday already. Good luck Lisa with your job interview xxxxxxxx

 

Roy & Mum

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:42:12

Dad's still drooling about your car...he wants one for his birthday....He's been online and reckons it would cost £29,000 for a new one in U.K.
I don't know about wishing you, Lisa, luck with a job interview.....I'm wishing PAUL good luck with HIS job interviews!!?? Or are you planning to be a Kept Man for the duration Paul!! Lisa, put your feet up lass, and have a damn good long period of R&R.
You can bet we are reading your Diary, I'm checking it out morning and night, it's is fascinating us, following the map, so do please keep it up Paul. There may be a future for you out there yet......writing a book. XXX Love and hugs all round.

 

Tracey

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:44:46

Hiya you lot,
Looks like you having fun, bet you glad to be finally there.....Lisa good luck for your interview tomorrow, or is it already today!? anyway hope it goes well and remember to kick your lazy husband out to work asap!!!

Trace xxxx

 

celia

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:42:27



Paul, can you give us some gen on the accommodation you are in now, is it in Nelson? What is it, flat, cottage, or cabin?? And also, is Nelson area as beautiful as we've all been led to believe. Is rented accommodation expensive, and plentiful?
Must be lovely to be having some warm and sunny dry weather, Kath reckons it's like Siberia back ooop North. XX

 

kay

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:59:23

Blimey Paul.......how much stick are you getting about being a lady..oops I mean a man of leisure!!!!!!!!! xxxxxx

 

JP

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:04:45

Yes, you lazy fop, you've not worked for nearly a year now....................

 

Grandparents

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:14:31


As soon as you have all details of your new permanent address, we'll be able to send something out to BUSTER for his THIRD Birthday, it's coming up soon....he'll be able to have a Party on the Beach....hope there are some other kids living around and about. Your Cottage on the Coast sounds just lovely. XX

 

jem

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 02:01:25

All sounds ace!!

Hope the interview went well Lisa. Looking forward to seeing photos of Nelson.

 

Drum Head

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 02:03:36

Looking good down there. And a hellavalot more beautiful than Kuwait! We went for a drive yesterday - we thought we'd head for the Iraq border to take a photo of ourselves by a buttle-ridden 'Welcome to Iraq' sign - and the countryside out of the city is barren. Actually it's not as interesting as barren sounds - the word implies some sort of rugged, yet still attractive, countryside. Kuwait is simply crap! Plus the car overheated so we never actually made it. We're sticking to our apartment from now on!

Love to you all!

XXX

 

JP

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 10:29:53

There's been no update for a while Peej, have you already gone all Steve on us?

 



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