Tuesday, March 2nd Yesterday's cloudy weather was nowhere to be seen today. The sun was out in full force and we spent our quiet time sitting in our new camp chairs, enjoying the sun and the quiet. We had another great jog followed by some tea in the morning sun. In an email mom Mariana pointed out that she never saw a picture of the newly restored red phone booth at the holiday park in Karamea. Well, there's a good reason for that; it not red yet. The last we saw of it, it had a couple white under-coats on but no red. Talita took it hard because it had been her baby from the start, but there wasn't much we could do about it. Who knows, things move so slowly in Karamea that we might ... read more

Wednesday, February 24th The wind just got stronger and stronger during the night, at times heaving the van from side to side. It was almost like being parked right next to a highway where trucks slam past at 120km/h every few seconds, but we slept well regardless of the rumpus. After a slow morning we left camp late. Soon after being on the road Ferdi noticed that the Boesman was getting a little "hot under the collar". It got worse as we climbed through a steep section and we pulled over at the first convenient spot. We could hear water boiling somewhere and realized that the radiator must've all but run dry. We had a cuppa while we waited for the water to cool down, then found that our suspicion was correct; there was very little ... read more

Thursday, February 18th The day dawned wet and rainy so we didn’t venture out to the track. Instead we spent the morning working on the seats and doing a bit of sanding on the exterior of the canoe. Sean and Sala came by for a visit and to look at our canoe. We had a long chat while little Sala cavorted in the canoe. She’s so cute it must be illegal! Now Talita desperately wants a little Japanese baby. Anyway, we were seriously contemplating where to go next week. Talita’s cousin Sally and a friend of the family, Lucy, are both in Christchurch for a couple weeks and Talita really wanted to meet up with them. We decided on a scenic route through Arthur’s Pass instead of the quick way to Christchurch. After lunch Talita continued ... read more

Friday, February 12th We woke before dawn, dragged from our deep sleep by the sound of our alarm clock. We dressed, brushed our teeth, then set off for Westport before the sun peaked over the hills surrounding Wangapeka Valley. An hour and a half later we dropped the Boesman at the garage in Westport for a minor service and to get its WOF done. We had an hour and a half to kill and we were starving. We had burgers for breakfast then walked around the still sleeping town. Most of the businesses only opened after 9am, but luckily the Mitre 10 was open so we had a leisurely stroll through the shop. We got a foam roller to help apply the last layer of resin perfectly as well as a few more disposable brushes. Back ... read more

Saturday, February 6th We managed a good pace all the way up the Zig Zag Track and got to the top with only one very short rest stop. We really like this kind of exercise. The fresh, early morning smell of the jungle make our senses tingle. Back home we inspected the inside of the canoe and sanded down all the little bumps we found. We’d expected this to be a big task, fighting clogged sanding paper and working our arms to the brink of exhaustion, but it turned out to be easy, not to mention fun and satisfying. Before long Paddy made his appearance. He was looking good and brought us ice-cream again. We’d secretly been fantasising about Magnums for a week now, and can you believe it? Here came Paddy with a yummy Magnum ... read more