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NZ day 15 & 16
Aahhh- the serenity- how’s your serenity? Ours is good to thanks. We left Nelson on Mon morning after a wee little bit of shopping- gotta love bargains. We then headed back to Blenheim & a much nicer drive it was- no water falls across the road & the land slips had been cleared- which was a good thing as we were now competing for road space with the semis again ( they had been quiet over the weekend). In fact, it should be noted, that for the first time EVER, we overtook a semi!!!!!!! Can you believe that- I couldn't I can tell you & I put it off until the semi behind me nearly pushed me past, but we did it!!!! Not once, but twicw- or more maybe. We were faster (go road runner) on the uphill, & he was faster on the downhill....so we would let him go past. Was an interesting game of cat & mouse for an hour or so. Not only that, but Raymond had gotten the shits when I took the keys & started driving- he obviously thought he was quite able to drive again, even though he couldn’t bend
his knee without wincing! So, I drove until we hit a wee (still got the Kiwi accent/language happening) little town.We stopped at a lovely little coastal sound for lunch & then Raymond started driving again.
Back past the vineyards & wineries- & no we haven’t been to a winery yet, but still sampling the local product. We reckon they train their vines up differently than ours & we only saw one vineyard that had started pruning. Back through Blenheim & on to Picton to await our ferry ride to the north island. We were due to go over on Thurs, but have changed it to sail at 10-30 tomorrow (Wed).....hoping for a window of good weather!!!! We still have drugs tho, so drugs for breakfast it will be. We went for a walk into town after finding a quaint little park that only takes motor homes, but no campers. The walk was great, but surprise, surprise, guess whose knee has blown up again this morning???
Picton is a lovely little town on the Queen Charlotte Sound- right on the water. I was hoping to do some walks, but they mostly involve getting on a boat, being dropped off & then
picked up later in the day....all equals money really. On top of that is the fact that this morning Ray couldn’t walk without difficulty again.......gggrrrrrr......I know he is not putting it on, but it then restricts what we can do together. I went for a walk to the Interislander terminal so that I know where to go tomorrow. We then did the house work & washing- stuff me dead- I’ve never done so much flippin’ washing!!!! Had to do the sheets & remake the bed again today & that is a work out in itself. We reckon the bed is made of latex as it is very heavy, but very comfortable. And because someone can’t bend his knee (well that is his excuse today), guess who has been getting to make the bed each time (yes I know it is an excuse, but hey- he is 10 years older than me). Never mind, I need a workout if I can’t go for a walk.
This morning we met a lovely couple from NSW- up Port Macquarie way if I recall correctly...can’t recall their names tho- but that is nothing new. They pulled into the park we are in & we
started chatting- as you do. They also are on 4 weeks holiday & are heading north tomorrow. They have been to some of the same spots & some different. They are a little more adventurous than us & have camped out for nearly half of the time.....but they also have a gas heater......& no-one that requires a breathing machine. Still, you never know- we still have 2 weeks to go, so there is hope yet. We did go back into town this afternoon- I drove so that Ray didn’t have to walk too far- & we have hopefully purchased some drugs to help him- to be honest he doesn’t enjoy the pain, or the inability to walk around etc.
On return we swapped views of our motor homes with the NSW couple- they have a Kea......both are quite different, but have their own advantages. We organised to meet in the ‘communal lounge’ for afternoon tea....OK- for a couple of beers & a wine or two. Turns out that he is a retained fire fighter with the NSW brigade....& he gave me a shirt!!!!!! How cool is that. Tomorrow when we are on the boat, I will get his address so
that I can send him a CFS shirt. He does all the driving- she only drives a car around the town. They/he has driven over 3,000kms. We have so far driven 2,200 approx. So we swapped stories on where we have & have not been, & then a guy from Melbourne (a coach/bus driver) came in to watch the weather.....we told him it was going to change every hour, so he didn’t bother turning on the TV- instead we all chatted & then his wife came looking for him. It was after 7pm when we came home to cook tea- all in all a very enjoyable evening. The Melbourne crew are in a 4 berth Alpha (same as us, although ours is 6 berth)- he is also very happy with their motor home. They are crossing tomorrow morning too, but with a different company. We did discuss the different routes we can take....we are still not decided, but have 24 hours before we need to get too worried. We have to stop in Wellington & get our lights fixed- tried today, but the guys here didn’t have the parts required.
So- am looking forward to hearing from you guys- your
comments make us feel as though someone out there cares about what we are doing.....maybe not cares, but is interested. There won’t be too many photos tonight- I thought perhaps I would give you an ‘up close & personal’ tour of our home just so you have something to look at!
Take care & love to all
Ray & Terri xoxoxoxox
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Steph Bowen
non-member comment
Amazing pics Terri
Hi Terri & Ray, It has been enlightening following yr blog. I've read a few others on Travelblog.org and they are just plain boring compared to yours which is by far the most hilarious and well written! Also, your photos are downright stunning. I remember now that you were the best photographer at Jen's 40th so it's no great surprise I guess. Thanks for the updates and safe sailing in the morning. Steph :)