Sunday, December 25, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tauranga Harbour, December 20
On Tuesday, after overindulging at a scrabble club Christmas lunch, I walked along the foreshore of Tauranga Harbour. What a glorious sight it was, with Mount Maunganui very impressive across the sparkling water. I came upon a small group of people in whiter boiler suits, painstakingly cleaning the sand and rocks of oil, spilt from the wreckage of the Rena, just beyond Mount Maunganui. Apparently there are only a couple of places where it has come right into the harbour. The affected rocks were being taken away to be cleaned and would be replaced the next day. The sand is so white and sparkling. It would be disastrous if it is spoilt.
Young people were doing their best to stay upright on their sail surfboards. The red sails looked spectacular skimming across the harbour. All this only about three minutes drive, or ten minutes walk from the centre of Tauranga.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Palmerston North to KK 8 December
Our return journey was on a gorgeous blue sky day and the drive through the central North Island was stunning.
The road is fantastic, wide and with plenty of passing lanes, very necessary when there are so many ups and downs on the way and it is a major north south route.
The Mangaweka Gorge views are worth a stop. It was tempting to set off on a walk along the gorge but we were due back in Katikati for ukulele practice at 7.
At Irene’s we picked up a bag of iris plants she kindly left for me hanging on the front gate.
It was so exciting to get a first glimpse of Mount Ruapehu in the distance, peeping over the nearby hills covered in yellow broome. This time the mountains and the snow were in full glorious view, with just a few patches of cloud to add interest.
We had picked up some delicious croissants at the Brown Sugar Café in Taihape and stopped again at Robert’s favourite spot on the Desert Road. Despite the sunshine there was still a cold wind off the mountains. I am in the woolly jacket, Robert is made of sterner stuff! A hot cuppa from the thermos was most welcome. What a great place for a picnic with the three mountains, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro laid out before us.
Lake Taupo was also looking its best. This time we didn’t take the new bypass but went through Taupo. Along the lake side people were sunning themselves and some hardy souls were in swimming already. It looked very tempting and the water may even have been warm, as hot springs come up through the lake in some places. We detoured off the road to visit the impressive Huka Falls and spotted the jet boat, doing wheelies in the foam at the foot of the falls.
Our afternoon tea stop was beside another pretty little lake fringed by flax bushes between Taupo and Rotorua. This new travel blog down under is opening my eyes, to just how lucky we are to be living in New Zealand.
Even here in the North Island, there are a lot of exciting places waiting to be explored. No need to rush off to the South Island just yet!
The road is fantastic, wide and with plenty of passing lanes, very necessary when there are so many ups and downs on the way and it is a major north south route.
The Mangaweka Gorge views are worth a stop. It was tempting to set off on a walk along the gorge but we were due back in Katikati for ukulele practice at 7.
At Irene’s we picked up a bag of iris plants she kindly left for me hanging on the front gate.
It was so exciting to get a first glimpse of Mount Ruapehu in the distance, peeping over the nearby hills covered in yellow broome. This time the mountains and the snow were in full glorious view, with just a few patches of cloud to add interest.
We had picked up some delicious croissants at the Brown Sugar Café in Taihape and stopped again at Robert’s favourite spot on the Desert Road. Despite the sunshine there was still a cold wind off the mountains. I am in the woolly jacket, Robert is made of sterner stuff! A hot cuppa from the thermos was most welcome. What a great place for a picnic with the three mountains, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro laid out before us.
Lake Taupo was also looking its best. This time we didn’t take the new bypass but went through Taupo. Along the lake side people were sunning themselves and some hardy souls were in swimming already. It looked very tempting and the water may even have been warm, as hot springs come up through the lake in some places. We detoured off the road to visit the impressive Huka Falls and spotted the jet boat, doing wheelies in the foam at the foot of the falls.
Our afternoon tea stop was beside another pretty little lake fringed by flax bushes between Taupo and Rotorua. This new travel blog down under is opening my eyes, to just how lucky we are to be living in New Zealand.
Even here in the North Island, there are a lot of exciting places waiting to be explored. No need to rush off to the South Island just yet!
Palmerston North 7 & 8 December
Robert was born in Palmerston North and lived there for his first few years. He showed me around the town, before going off to the funeral. We visited the Council Chambers and tracked down a photo of his grandfather, Mr Edwards, who was mayor for a short time. The council buildings are very grand, as is the central town square in which it sits. Well kept gardens and fountains, surrounded by some interesting buildings from the early days. The area is rich dairy country and very flat.
The small but very interesting Te Manawa museum and art gallery were also impressive. We visited Santa’s Cave, which was originally in a department store. Farmers was recently demolished to make way for a new shopping mall and Santa has taken up residence in the art gallery, along with a ukulele band! It had a wonderful old fashioned style and brought back vague memories for Robert. I am sure it continues to delight many youngsters and us oldies too.
I also found a retrospective exhibition from Tauranga Art Gallery, of Lynley Dodd’s art work! Her books are always a favourite with children even today. Jennie and I loved My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes and the original art work from all her books and cartoons was on show, including of course, all the delightful Hairy Maclary books.
While Robert slept on the floor of his cousin’s home 20 minutes south of town, I found a home away from home with Servas hosts Kevin and Noeline, just 5 minutes up the road. The farms are on the flood plain of the Manawatu River. I declined politely Kevin’s invitation to get up at 3.30 to help milk the cows. Instead I was able to relax have a lie in and tuck into free range eggs and bacon at a more respectable hour. I had a delightful farm stay. The three free range hens were highly entertaining and very free ranging!
As often happens when a Servas traveller, I found myself joining in a special family occasion. We all went out to the Lone Star restaurant in the centre ville for dinner, to celebrate Gerard’s birthday, along with grandchildren, sons and daughters and partners. We had a fun night and I enjoyed meeting all the young people.
Like all the wonderful Servas hosts I stayed with in Europe, Kevin and Noeline took me in to their home (at very short notice) and made me feel very welcome.
And in a very short time I have made new friends. As I always say, there are no strangers only friends we haven’t met yet!
The small but very interesting Te Manawa museum and art gallery were also impressive. We visited Santa’s Cave, which was originally in a department store. Farmers was recently demolished to make way for a new shopping mall and Santa has taken up residence in the art gallery, along with a ukulele band! It had a wonderful old fashioned style and brought back vague memories for Robert. I am sure it continues to delight many youngsters and us oldies too.
I also found a retrospective exhibition from Tauranga Art Gallery, of Lynley Dodd’s art work! Her books are always a favourite with children even today. Jennie and I loved My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes and the original art work from all her books and cartoons was on show, including of course, all the delightful Hairy Maclary books.
While Robert slept on the floor of his cousin’s home 20 minutes south of town, I found a home away from home with Servas hosts Kevin and Noeline, just 5 minutes up the road. The farms are on the flood plain of the Manawatu River. I declined politely Kevin’s invitation to get up at 3.30 to help milk the cows. Instead I was able to relax have a lie in and tuck into free range eggs and bacon at a more respectable hour. I had a delightful farm stay. The three free range hens were highly entertaining and very free ranging!
As often happens when a Servas traveller, I found myself joining in a special family occasion. We all went out to the Lone Star restaurant in the centre ville for dinner, to celebrate Gerard’s birthday, along with grandchildren, sons and daughters and partners. We had a fun night and I enjoyed meeting all the young people.
Like all the wonderful Servas hosts I stayed with in Europe, Kevin and Noeline took me in to their home (at very short notice) and made me feel very welcome.
And in a very short time I have made new friends. As I always say, there are no strangers only friends we haven’t met yet!
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