Blogs from New Zealand, Oceania - page 12

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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Greymouth December 8th 2022

This morning we left Richmond where we have spent a fabulous week with our dear friends Robin and Sandra. We have really enjoyed their company and their hospitality but … it is time to start heading home. To fit in some more sightseeing before leaving NZ, we drove west over the Southern Alps on State Highway No. 6. We stopped to stretch our legs at Hope Saddle Lookout and to photograph the Buller River at Gowan Bridge and Kilkenny Lookout. We finally glimpsed the Tasman Sea at Charleston before continuing south along the west coast with stops at Irimahuwhero Lookout and Coghlans Lookout, where we saw two pukeko chicks. Here I think we call them swamphens, which doesn’t sound quite so exotic? NOTE: I am reliably informed by a New Zealander (thanks Robin!) that these chicks ... read more
The Buller River from Gowan Bridge
The Buller River from Kilkenny Lookout
The view from Irimahuwhero Lookout

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Nelson Region December 7th 2022

We’ll be on the road again tomorrow so decided to have a quiet day today. This morning we popped back to the Eyebright Country Store to buy a few more Christmas decorations. An added bonus was spotting the perfect Christmas gift for Kerry. We can’t imagine how we missed it on our last visit to the store, but then, perhaps, they put more stock out since we were in last week? Since we were in the area we returned to Old Factory Corner to buy some avocados at Conning’s Food Market. There was left over roast chicken in the fridge so we needed the avos to be able to make toasted chicken, avocado and cheese sandwiches for lunch. Yum! We took Robin and Sandra out to dinner at Aki Kitchen (Japanese) restaurant to thank them for ... read more
The 2022 winners of the Trans-Tasman Bolivia Ashes

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Nelson Region December 6th 2022

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas … This morning Tracey helped Robin and Sandra decorate their Christmas tree and was given the honour of placing the star on top. It was also deemed appropriate that an Australian should put the Christmas kangaroo and the Christmas emu on the tree! After lunch we drove into Nelson to take a look at historic South Street. Originally settled in the 1860s, South Street is the oldest fully preserved street in New Zealand that people actually live in. The street features cobblestone paths, quaint Victorian cottages, lantern-style streetlights, planter boxes and white picket fences. It was certainly very picturesque. Our next stop was Christ Church Cathedral, an Anglican cathedral located on Trafalgar Square in Nelson. There has been a church on this site since 1887, but construction of ... read more
The Christmas Kangaroo
The Christmas Emu
South Street

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Nelson Region December 5th 2022

This morning the four of us walked the Jimmy Lee Creek Circuit, a short walking trail through native bush that begins on the other side of Robin and Sandra’s street almost opposite their house. Woo hoo, I actually started the day with my exercise ring well underway before lunchtime! After an early lunch Robin and Sandra headed out to play Mahjong and we drove to Pic’s Peanut Butter World for the 1.30pm tour of the factory. The peanut butter factory was founded by Bruce ‘Pic’ Picot in his garage in 2005 because he couldn’t buy peanut butter at the supermarket without added sugar. In 2008 he started selling his peanut butter at Nelson’s famous Sunday Market, but almost immediately could not keep up with demand so it was time to open his first factory. The company ... read more
Cows on the hill
Walking back down along the stream
Birds

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Nelson Region December 4th 2022

A busier day today, there’s been too much lazing around! This morning Sandra and I went to the Sunday market at Gardens of the World, a beautiful venue in itself on such a glorious day. Thinking that the market started at 9.00am we left home about 9.30am and were shocked when we drove straight into the car park at 9.45am where there were plenty of car spots to choose from. For a moment Sandra was worried that she had the day wrong, but it turned out it was only the start time that was wrong … with the market due to commence trading at 10.00am! What a fortuitous mistake, though, it meant that we were able to get close to all the stalls without having to jostle around amongst loads of other shoppers. Some of the ... read more
Water Garden, Gardens of the World
Looking over the garden to the market tents
Willow Bank Heritage Village

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Taupo December 3rd 2022

Sorry! I have been so busy doing nothing that I didn't get around to completing my story of our travels to Norway and England. As we have been home for 4 months I will try to remember what where and when we did things. After spending our 4 weeks with Pete and Helen in Corsham we traveled by bus up to London where we took up residence in the St Giles Hotel situated close to the world famous London shopping street, Oxford St. We were joined at the Hotel by our friends, Lydia and Michael, from NZ and were very lucky to have their company for our 4 days in London. Lydia and Michael were in London to visit their daughter and her new twin daughters. Great excitement for them as they had been hanging out ... read more
Canal Boats.
Di With Her Cousin Chris.
An Evening Walk.

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Nelson Region December 3rd 2022

This morning the weather was perfect for taking the boat out to fish. Robin knocked on our bedroom door about 6.00am to let Bernie know that the fishing trip was on. Sandra and I stayed in bed until a much more civilized hour for a Saturday! After breakfast we headed into Nelson for the Nelson Saturday Market. Sandra and I enjoyed browsing around the market stalls without husbands asking ‘Are we done yet?’ The market had the usual mix of produce and handcrafts. There were some stunning handcrafted timber items but, with baggage limits in mind, I managed to restrict myself to some handmade cards and a pair of earrings. After lunch the afternoon was spent processing snapper! Robin filleted and do-boned then Sandra weighed the fish and popped it into bags that I put through ... read more
Storm in the distance
Red Robin returning to the boat ramp
The catch

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Nelson Region December 2nd 2022

The boys were going to go fishing this morning, but it was too windy so … another lazy day was had by all. We ventured out briefly to the collection of shops on McShane Road near the highway. There was a lovely craft shop with loads of gorgeous wool and knitting patterns, but I managed to resist buying anything. I already have a knitting project to finish (two actually!) AND yarn that I purchased during the last lockdown that I haven’t even started on yet … There are some lovely gourmet food shops at this complex so Robin and Sandra stocked up on a few of their faves. Before returning home we called in at the Eyebright Country Store. A year round gift emporium it specializes in all things Christmassy at this time of the year. ... read more
Wendelton Guinea Pig Village
Wendelton Guinea Pig Village
The lake at Eyebright Country Store

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Nelson Region December 1st 2022

A very lazy day today. After a sleep in and a late breakfast the four of us drove over to Cable Bay for lunch. Its original Māori name was Rotokura before the Europeans gave it the inauspicious name of Schroders Mistake after he stranded his cutter on the sandbar in 1843! The name Cable Bay arose when it became the site where New Zealand’s first overseas cable link came ashore. In February 1876 the international telegraph cable that came ashore at Cable Bay established a connection with the worldwide telegraph network via Sydney. From the cable station, messages were sent to Nelson via telegraph wire. This new service meant that communications between New Zealand and Europe took only four days instead of up to six months for letters. We drove home via Nelson Back Beach and ... read more
Cable Bay
Looking across Cable Bay from the Pepin Island end of the causeway
Nelson Back Beach

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland November 30th 2022

Bonjour à tous, Le souper hier au soir, belle déception, la miss Ruby, ne travaille pas en début de semaine. Moi qui pensais que c'était la patronne, en tout cas elle en avait le comportement. Ce n'est qu'une serveuse. Je commande mes linguines que je n'avais pas eu la veille, je ne fais pas attention, la recette n'est plus la même, ce soir elles sont sauce chili, plus???, ce qui m'emporte la bouche. Du coup, j'ai pioché ce qui me convenais dans l'assiette. Je crains ce qui est trop "hot", et en plus la veille de passer 35H dans les aéroports et avions. La dernière demie journée en NZ, la route pour Auckland. Il faut que je rende la voiture vers 15H. 7H30, je prends le pdj, avec 2 autres clients NZ, ils viennent spécialement et ... read more
Auckland Kuala Lumpur




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