Blogs from Wellington, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 15

Bonjour tout le monde! Je suis finalement arriver a Wellington, The coolest little capital comme ils disent et c'est une ville vraiment sympatoche, envion 3 fois plus grande que Sherbrooke, elle reste petite pour une capitale, mais elle compense par un tres grand charme. Outre le port (car c'est une ville qui donne sur la mer) pratiquement toute la ville est construite a flan de montagne, ce qui veut dire qu'a plusieurs endroit, il y a des pentes qui rendrait jalouse la ville de San Francisco. La ville est constamment dans le vent, et pas metaphoriquement, des trois jours que j'y ai passer levent alternait entre "beaucoup" de vent et "je n'arrive plus a avancer a velo" beaucup de vent. mais cela n'empeche pas trop les wellingtoniens de sortir profiter de leur NOMBREUX cafes ou pub, ... read more

I hear so many people use this phrase as an excuse.... If only I could afford it.... If only it was available.... If only they hadn't.... If only it wasn't cold, wet, and miserable outside. One of my biggest things is to always push the boundaries of the if only's. I woke at the DOC campsite in the clouds.... literally. Alone, with only the sound of the river below for company, there was a stillness to the air.... a heaviness that was part serenity, part beauty, and all water vapour. It was accompanied by the calmness that is only present when you haven't seen another human being for more than 12 hours. But as much as that was brilliant..... I had wineries to visit!!! Climbing back down out of the mountains, the clouds continued to follow ... read more

Hi to everyone. Yes. The holiday is over. I am back home after spending 3 months having a great time and enjoying missing the winter here in NZ. I am very fortunate to be having these experiences. And, so, back to normality here at home, with things to do, chores that need attending to and generally getting back into life at Bosun Tce. But, of course, I have got a few things to look forward to, with Chris arriving, in Taupo, from Norway, on Saturday for a weeks fishing, a week looking after Holly during the school holidays in Hastings, and quite a few other occasions to carry me through and keep me going. So, I look back on the past 3 months and realize how lucky I am. Over the next few blogs I will ... read more

Saturday morning we were allowed to sleep in, so we got up around nine so that our host sister, Pearl, could take us to the outdoor market. We bought some great food (fish fritters and beef shish kebabs) and some souvenirs- a ceramic Maori flute and a name-painting that says “Buss Family, New Zealand 2013.” Perfect. We met back up with the group and did an impromptu performance at a mall, then did some sight-seeing. Auckland is surrounded by about 50 volcanoes and craters, so we hiked to the top of one. Mount Eden… beautiful view. Had lunch at the top: fish and chips. Most excellent. Took a little tour through Auckland by bus- our driver, Bruce, worked miracles with that bus. Took us down tiny one-way roads through construction, by the docks, above and beyond ... read more

Hello all, Kirkcaldie and Stains department store, the store that I spent the majority of my working life in, celebrates 150 years of trading this year. Mr John Kirkcaldie and Mr Robert Stain opened the doors in Wellington, in the year 1863. It has had an amazing history and is very much a part of the history of this city. This past Saturday I was invited to participate in the parade through the streets to open the celebrations. It was a terrific day and it was great to see the large crowd that turned out to help the store celebrate. It shows how much the store means to the public of Wellington. As I will be away overseas for the next 3 months, and will miss the majority of events, I wish the store a very ... read more