Angie and Steve Blake
It was the first week of August and we had all but signed the papers on a rental house in the nation’s capital, where we were going to relocate for a year or two on a Parks Canada assignment. The next Monday the entire plan was on hold and by Friday the Ottawa ship had sailed. No bother, we really like living in Jasper anyway.The Biketoss World Tour
Then the life altering call . . . Angie, calls and says: “Why don’t we take that year off and travel to New Zealand like we’ve always dreamed of?”
I gave her a nervous laugh and said “Great idea!” all the while shaking my head. Two weeks later we had the wheels in motion and the leave papers signed from our jobs. During the next 6 weeks we developed the framework of a plan, amassed the travel documents and on October 16, 2006 we were off to the races.
Thanks for following along with us!
Travel Blog Posts
August 8th 2007
We departed NZ in a terrible rush. Our connecting flight from Whakatane our hometown while in NZ, to Auckland had been cancelled at 730 in the evening before we were suppose to leave. That left us scrambling to organize a new travel plan to Auckland, a 5 hour drive away as well as get our other affairs in order. We did however have the big ticket items looked after; sold off things we no longer needed, shipped home the rest ($1000 in postage - ouch!) and sold our two vehicles. The Proton Saga, Malaysia’s pride and joy garnered the most interest with three unsolicited offers. There is very little risk making an offer on a car with a value of well under a grand. The Toyota Previa however, would require a bit more work to fetch ... read more
August 7th 2007
Matariki is the Maori New Year and winter solstice; a time when a unique cluster of stars can be seen on the horizon of the southern sky. Looking back on our time in New Zealand we see 8 months of adventure, awesome landscapes and most important… lasting friendships. A life experience we will never forget. During this retrospective time it is impossible not to ponder all the things we’ve missed back home in Canada. Everything has a cost and the opportunity cost of our trip includes missing weddings of good friends, the birth of new babies, nieces and nephews birthdays, a brother’s fortieth and an uncle’s passing. People have moved and houses have been renovated while some renos remain works in progress. Careers have changed, seasons have passed, grey hairs have multiplied and everyone (well most ... read more
May 25th 2007
THE KIDS Travelling with kids is ultimately one extraordinary pain in the butt. They expect to be fed, they expect to be sheltered and they expect to have the latest new release DVD rentals at their fingertips. Not only are they expensive, they are noisy, high maintenance creatures that want to sit in the car when it’s time to walk and they want to walk when its time to sit. That’s putting it mildly, not only do they want to walk when it’s time to sit in the car, they want to run, jump, pinch, pull, writhe and wrestle when its time to drive. On the bright side it’s not always like that. Sometimes they sleep! Often, well almost often, there is a harmony between Jordan and Quin that does surprise even us. Be it hours ... read more
Life in Ohope
Published: August 7th 2007Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Plenty » Whakatane
March 17th 2007
Whakatane (Fuk-a-taw-nee) Paddles like a man . . . long story Ohope (O-ho-pee) Love Bach - (bach) beach house, cottage Ange - (Ang-ie) Kiwi spelling Sweet as - awesome Tamarilo - tree tomato, half fruit, half vegetable, all good Gallon - approx 4 litres Long line fishing - 2 km long mono filament line that is deployed by paddling out in the Bay of Plenty in a kayak. 24 baited hooks are attached to the line unless you get dumped on your way out to sea, then use the 19 remaining baited hooks. We first cruised through the Whakatane- Ohope Beach area in late November. It seemed we had been in NZ for ages at that time, almost a whole month, and we were ready to settle. A month and a half later Ange started work ... read more
February 17th 2007
The guy was not impressed that the newspaper referred to him as a middle aged man. We thought the assessment was very kind;, if he hadn’t reached middle age yet that meant he would certainly live to be 100! I was not impressed that the newspaper neglected to mention how charming the Canadian nurse, who had controlled the deadly bleed, was. She is, let me assure you, very charming indeed! Quin was not impressed with the antihistamine cream; he was up all night scratching. I once read that New Zealand’s most famous mountain guide is a Tasmanian. I can’t rank the level of fame of any of the NZ mountain guides, but there is no denying that Geoff Wayatt is a well known mountaineer in these parts. He has guided Mount Cook dozens of times and ... read more
January 17th 2007
Christmas is the biggest holiday in New Zealand. It’s the only day that businesses that are normally open seven days a week, actually close. And, as big as it is, it seems more low key than an average Canadian Christmas. Maybe it’s that the season is mid summer, maybe it’s that the longest day of the year is close or maybe it’s the lack of snow that gives the impression of less glitter. Sandals and board shorts are traditional Christmas dress, and why not? The day is most likely spent at the beach or around a BBQ. Most people have Christmas trees, the majority artificial. Trees are decorated a little more randomly than we are accustomed, with few garlands and lights. Feasting with family and friends is definitely a common theme shared between Canada and NZ ... read more
On Tour in New Zealand
Published: December 13th 2006Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Plenty » Whakatane
December 13th 2006
They say that New Zealand has 4 million people and 40 million sheep and almost as many cows. If anything we’d guess those figures are low, there are sheep everywhere. On one occasion we lamented about driving past a very picturesque green field, with many sheep grazing without stopping for a photo. An hour later we were held up in a kiwi traffic jam….a heard of 400 sheep, which were being shepherded from one pasture to the next down the main highway! As we roll around the country we are greeted by a landscape that presents itself after every curve in the road just as a postcard, even better than a postcard, more like a two page spread in a coffee table book. Rolling hills that seem three shades greener than the colour green naturally occurs. ... read more
November 8th 2006
Remember, remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot, I see no reason why gun powder treason, Should ever be forgot.” The Gun Powder Plot was foiled on November 5, 1605 but the memory of Guy Fawkes lives on as the single biggest kiwi fireworks event, next to New Year’s Eve. Our best local information sent us packing on a 7 km walk to Mission Bay where we learned on our arrival that all fireworks are outlawed. We did find an excellent Indian restaurant and enjoyed a scenic stroll along Auckland’s picturesque harbour front. The second denial on our efforts to see the public fireworks displays saw us bundled up in Albert Park just off of Queen Street, downtown. There were no fireworks from the Sky Tower as promised but the unofficial show put on ... read more
November 1st 2006
We reconnected at LAX after jumping on separate flights on a very snowy morning in Calgary. The first leg to LA was easy; the 11.5 hour all-nighter was still to come. In the end, arriving in Fiji at 3:00 am local time, which was essentially 9:00 for us, was not too grueling and the excitement of the adventure gave us the energy we needed to get processed by customs and checked into our hotel. After a few hours rest we made our first trek into town. A wide eyed awakening, we strolled through the village of Namatomoto. We would later learn that this was a fairly “affluent” village, but the cinder block and corrugated metal shacks that lined the street definitely spoke of a different story. Nadi (pronounced Nandi) is a bustling city with all shapes ... read more
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