Tuesday, November 30, 2004
"Top 10 or Lance"
The weekend in Nelson was fantastic. We had glorious sunny weather after a trip up the coast without the sun, and we were able to catch up with Pete, Karen, kids, and Geoff. We were in definite need of some rejuicing, especially me and possibly Mike, though I shouldn't speak for him in this. I was in heaven to be in one place for three whole nights, not using my sleeping bag, not packing Lance to the brim every day (oh yeah, Lance is the name of our beloved transport aka the brown Lancer shown in an earlier blog), and being able to leave my shampoo etc in the same shower three times in a row. I know, such simple pleasures, but I'm a simple girl and I don't ask much-usually.
Just a quick recap, although Julie did touch on Friday and Saturday in her note son the previous blog. Friday night we arrived late, yet still beat Geoff home from his work. Poor Geoff with all the craziness and hassle of starting a business operation from the ground up with obnoxious superiors in Auckland making life hell, and no one to vent to!! Mike and I pinned our eyelids open with clothes pins and managed to have a lovely chat with Geoff til after midnight--and two cups each of the world's greatest tea, courtesy of Geoff.
The next morning I bounced out of bed at about 6:30, I know sick. But it was fabulous to have our stuff exploded all over the house and the ability to wander around in my pjs for a wee while. Julie put us all to shame by heading out for a run when she got up. Mike and I opted to dash over to the Muir's really quick to give hugs and say hey. Unfortunately Pete was already out and about doing important things, but we managed to catch Karen unawares (doesn't happen terribly often mind you!). She was gracious enough not to tell us to come back at a more decent time and we ended up chatting away happily for close to an hour. When we got back to the ranch, we hopped back into Lance (an much lighter, happier Lance, without all the gear) and headed towards Nelson to see and show Julie our old haunts. We first made a beeline for Redwood Cellars to buy some delightful treats and to taste a couple things at a horrible hour of the morning.
Just after that we arrived at the kiwi orchard. Now unfortunately, this entire weekend was one that Mary and Phil had planned to be away to the Marlborough Sound area and so we weren't able to catch up with them at all. Rotten timing since had they been around, Phil had promised to let me feed his bees, ah well, maybe next time. We did wander into the orchard though and the vines were all in full, glorious bloom. The male plants had streaks of pale orange on the blooms, while the female blooms were white and dainty. We cheered for the bees and were quite excited when we saw them doing their thing and landing on the female flowers, maybe there'll be fruit where we pruned after all!
Next stop Nelson proper to take a quick wander in the market. A few things were already closing up but we got the general idea and had yummy lunches from the booths. Mike opted for his final Bosna Griller from the German Bratwurst stand, yum, and Julie and I got sucked in by a large wok of scrumptious Thai noodle and vege stir-fry. We then blogged (obviously as it was pre-the last posting) and did the email thing. That done and our minds cleared we simply had to have an ice cream for the return trip home.
As we headed home via Richmond, we got sidetracked just a little by good ol' Pak n Save and had to run in for essentials like beer, wine, and bread for dinner. When we finally got back to Jeanette's we found Geoff had no other prior engagements and so the four of us ate lots of spaghetti, salad, bread, and of course our alcohol of choice. Great conversations and much laughter later, we all teetered to our warm beds (second night in a row in the same one yippee).
Sunday morning was a little slower going, and we had to begin the dreaded re-pack. About half way though the organization, Pete, Karen, Indigo, and Safari showed up ready to begin the day. We all set off down along the beach to Kina Peninsula and wound our way back via the golf course--talking non-stop the whole way.
At the end of the walk we ate a delicious picnic on the lawn at home and then lay there contentedly still talking and catching up. A couple people faded away into naps, and Safari had a blast hauling out all the pool toys to splash around for a few minutes. (it was warm, but maybe not quite warm enough)
"Has anyone else seen Karen in one place for this long?"
At 3:30, the All Blacks v France game was on TV and Julie was ready and a-waiting. We ended gathering around the TV at home instead of the pub since we were so enjoying the company of the Muirs that we didn't want to leave. With beers in hand we all enjoyed the Haka and a quite rousing game of rugby that ended satisfyingly with New Zealand completely stomping the French on their home turf!
Much wooohooo-ing going on
The evening we spent at the Muir's for dinner, dessert, a quick photo session, and a final family evening with people we've come to know and love so much. Saying goodbye was the absolute lowest point of this whole adventure, and my least favorite thing out of the whole 7 months, but we hope to see them turn up on OUR doorstep one day to continue the fun times. (cross your fingers)
Monday EARLY we packed Lance to the brim (with even more stuff than before) and headed out of town to catch our ferry in Picton.
Sheesh! is all I can say
Ta ta for now south island!
The crossing was uneventful, just the way we like them, and the sun was out and the waves were down. We grabbed a bite to eat, enjoyed our own contraband beer (which the ferry people happily cleared from our table for us), and a quick nap before arriving in Wellington. Back in Wellington we checked out Te Papa, a huge 5 story museum that we'd heard was a must see. I'm not sure we ended up even seeing it all, but what we did we was excellent.
At this point on our journey, we were low on foodstuffs and beverages so we made our way to the nearest New World to restock. When we were finished and ready to find our lodging for the evening, Julie and Mike spotted some unwanted, unloved ice out back and so headed around to snatch some for our chilly bin. They apparently got some very strange looks from the kids working back there, but it was quite good fun, and free is always a plus.
Goodness but it took us a long time to find the damn holiday park in Lower Hutt. Somehow, working on only 5 1/2 hours of sleep we drove in a huge circle and a couple zigs and zags before asking directions and finally making it there. Good thing they had room for us, cuz no one was up to plan B. The park was quite nice and we even paid the extra couple dollars for the kitchen unit-oooh la la. We made some divine burritos and guac for dinner and the second the sun went down we deemed it legal to go to bed ourselves. What party animals!
Yesterday we trooped back into Wellington and found an internet spot to print off our all important, but not much loved, tax forms and now we have a bit of homework to do, gah! We wandered around just a little bit and squared away our return tickets and decided to then make our way north towards Taupo. As we drove along, we kept changing our minds as to the actual destination for the evening, which resulted in a much longer day in Lance than any of us had bargained for.
Truly this doesn't do it justice, it's VERY squishy!!
Ah well, "sea days" are necessary from time to time in any vacation. A quick note here to say that as much as we are enjoying the north island, I've found that I'm a true south islander at heart. My brain has yet to convert to being here, so that in my mind we are positioned on the map up here rather than just looking at it like a weather map from somewhere on the south island. What can we say? We have taste and know where the cool people really go when coming to New Zealand!
Near the end of our tolerance for incredibly small, moving spaces we pulled into Tongariro National Park looking for accomadation. Even with the gorgeous views of the volcanoes all around us:
Insert volcanoes here...
we read about the gale-force winds expected in the area and decide to turn right around the leave again. *sigh* this was one of those things HIGH on our list to do, so we'll have to come back again one day when it isn't spring or winter! In then end we ended up in Turangi at the lovely motor park we will always fondly recall as "sketcherville" and decided that we will never stay in random parks again! It's gonna be "Top 10 or Lance" man!
This morning we got up and bailed outta that place even without a shower for most of us. (Ok I braved it but it makes for a happier, cleaner, less grinchy Meghan, which is a plus for all) So far in Taupo we have dodged rain showers in order to return to the Huka Falls lookout to show Julie. It's a lot of water! And it's still there. =+)
Just up the road we went to check out Craters of the Moon, which was new to us all. It was a 45min walk through some geothermal craters, mud pools, and vents. Didn't expect to get sweaty today but we managed it as the sun came out and the stinky eggy steam wafted over us at every turn. The boiling mud and the growling and hissing water/steam vents were very cool!
With lunch in the parking lot afterwards we were ready to find a place to dump our stuff for the rest of the day. So now, with Lance fairly skipping along without all of the luggage, we are running around town to blog, find food, find beer, and maybe work out if we are feeling virtuous-we'll get back to you on that one.
Just a quick recap, although Julie did touch on Friday and Saturday in her note son the previous blog. Friday night we arrived late, yet still beat Geoff home from his work. Poor Geoff with all the craziness and hassle of starting a business operation from the ground up with obnoxious superiors in Auckland making life hell, and no one to vent to!! Mike and I pinned our eyelids open with clothes pins and managed to have a lovely chat with Geoff til after midnight--and two cups each of the world's greatest tea, courtesy of Geoff.
The next morning I bounced out of bed at about 6:30, I know sick. But it was fabulous to have our stuff exploded all over the house and the ability to wander around in my pjs for a wee while. Julie put us all to shame by heading out for a run when she got up. Mike and I opted to dash over to the Muir's really quick to give hugs and say hey. Unfortunately Pete was already out and about doing important things, but we managed to catch Karen unawares (doesn't happen terribly often mind you!). She was gracious enough not to tell us to come back at a more decent time and we ended up chatting away happily for close to an hour. When we got back to the ranch, we hopped back into Lance (an much lighter, happier Lance, without all the gear) and headed towards Nelson to see and show Julie our old haunts. We first made a beeline for Redwood Cellars to buy some delightful treats and to taste a couple things at a horrible hour of the morning.
Just after that we arrived at the kiwi orchard. Now unfortunately, this entire weekend was one that Mary and Phil had planned to be away to the Marlborough Sound area and so we weren't able to catch up with them at all. Rotten timing since had they been around, Phil had promised to let me feed his bees, ah well, maybe next time. We did wander into the orchard though and the vines were all in full, glorious bloom. The male plants had streaks of pale orange on the blooms, while the female blooms were white and dainty. We cheered for the bees and were quite excited when we saw them doing their thing and landing on the female flowers, maybe there'll be fruit where we pruned after all!
Next stop Nelson proper to take a quick wander in the market. A few things were already closing up but we got the general idea and had yummy lunches from the booths. Mike opted for his final Bosna Griller from the German Bratwurst stand, yum, and Julie and I got sucked in by a large wok of scrumptious Thai noodle and vege stir-fry. We then blogged (obviously as it was pre-the last posting) and did the email thing. That done and our minds cleared we simply had to have an ice cream for the return trip home.
As we headed home via Richmond, we got sidetracked just a little by good ol' Pak n Save and had to run in for essentials like beer, wine, and bread for dinner. When we finally got back to Jeanette's we found Geoff had no other prior engagements and so the four of us ate lots of spaghetti, salad, bread, and of course our alcohol of choice. Great conversations and much laughter later, we all teetered to our warm beds (second night in a row in the same one yippee).
Sunday morning was a little slower going, and we had to begin the dreaded re-pack. About half way though the organization, Pete, Karen, Indigo, and Safari showed up ready to begin the day. We all set off down along the beach to Kina Peninsula and wound our way back via the golf course--talking non-stop the whole way.
At the end of the walk we ate a delicious picnic on the lawn at home and then lay there contentedly still talking and catching up. A couple people faded away into naps, and Safari had a blast hauling out all the pool toys to splash around for a few minutes. (it was warm, but maybe not quite warm enough)
"Has anyone else seen Karen in one place for this long?"
At 3:30, the All Blacks v France game was on TV and Julie was ready and a-waiting. We ended gathering around the TV at home instead of the pub since we were so enjoying the company of the Muirs that we didn't want to leave. With beers in hand we all enjoyed the Haka and a quite rousing game of rugby that ended satisfyingly with New Zealand completely stomping the French on their home turf!
Much wooohooo-ing going on
The evening we spent at the Muir's for dinner, dessert, a quick photo session, and a final family evening with people we've come to know and love so much. Saying goodbye was the absolute lowest point of this whole adventure, and my least favorite thing out of the whole 7 months, but we hope to see them turn up on OUR doorstep one day to continue the fun times. (cross your fingers)
Monday EARLY we packed Lance to the brim (with even more stuff than before) and headed out of town to catch our ferry in Picton.
Sheesh! is all I can say
Ta ta for now south island!
The crossing was uneventful, just the way we like them, and the sun was out and the waves were down. We grabbed a bite to eat, enjoyed our own contraband beer (which the ferry people happily cleared from our table for us), and a quick nap before arriving in Wellington. Back in Wellington we checked out Te Papa, a huge 5 story museum that we'd heard was a must see. I'm not sure we ended up even seeing it all, but what we did we was excellent.
At this point on our journey, we were low on foodstuffs and beverages so we made our way to the nearest New World to restock. When we were finished and ready to find our lodging for the evening, Julie and Mike spotted some unwanted, unloved ice out back and so headed around to snatch some for our chilly bin. They apparently got some very strange looks from the kids working back there, but it was quite good fun, and free is always a plus.
Goodness but it took us a long time to find the damn holiday park in Lower Hutt. Somehow, working on only 5 1/2 hours of sleep we drove in a huge circle and a couple zigs and zags before asking directions and finally making it there. Good thing they had room for us, cuz no one was up to plan B. The park was quite nice and we even paid the extra couple dollars for the kitchen unit-oooh la la. We made some divine burritos and guac for dinner and the second the sun went down we deemed it legal to go to bed ourselves. What party animals!
Yesterday we trooped back into Wellington and found an internet spot to print off our all important, but not much loved, tax forms and now we have a bit of homework to do, gah! We wandered around just a little bit and squared away our return tickets and decided to then make our way north towards Taupo. As we drove along, we kept changing our minds as to the actual destination for the evening, which resulted in a much longer day in Lance than any of us had bargained for.
Truly this doesn't do it justice, it's VERY squishy!!
Ah well, "sea days" are necessary from time to time in any vacation. A quick note here to say that as much as we are enjoying the north island, I've found that I'm a true south islander at heart. My brain has yet to convert to being here, so that in my mind we are positioned on the map up here rather than just looking at it like a weather map from somewhere on the south island. What can we say? We have taste and know where the cool people really go when coming to New Zealand!
Near the end of our tolerance for incredibly small, moving spaces we pulled into Tongariro National Park looking for accomadation. Even with the gorgeous views of the volcanoes all around us:
Insert volcanoes here...
we read about the gale-force winds expected in the area and decide to turn right around the leave again. *sigh* this was one of those things HIGH on our list to do, so we'll have to come back again one day when it isn't spring or winter! In then end we ended up in Turangi at the lovely motor park we will always fondly recall as "sketcherville" and decided that we will never stay in random parks again! It's gonna be "Top 10 or Lance" man!
This morning we got up and bailed outta that place even without a shower for most of us. (Ok I braved it but it makes for a happier, cleaner, less grinchy Meghan, which is a plus for all) So far in Taupo we have dodged rain showers in order to return to the Huka Falls lookout to show Julie. It's a lot of water! And it's still there. =+)
Just up the road we went to check out Craters of the Moon, which was new to us all. It was a 45min walk through some geothermal craters, mud pools, and vents. Didn't expect to get sweaty today but we managed it as the sun came out and the stinky eggy steam wafted over us at every turn. The boiling mud and the growling and hissing water/steam vents were very cool!
With lunch in the parking lot afterwards we were ready to find a place to dump our stuff for the rest of the day. So now, with Lance fairly skipping along without all of the luggage, we are running around town to blog, find food, find beer, and maybe work out if we are feeling virtuous-we'll get back to you on that one.
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