Settled in Dunedin

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If you wish to read our whole blog the address is
www.travelblog.org/bloggers/deekay

and click on any photos to enlarge.

23/5/10 to 15/06/10
Well, we are settled into our new home at Sawyers Bay, Dunedin. Would you believe we are in a converted shed again! But, it’s absolutely great. “The Caddyshack” was originally the clubhouse for the Port Chalmers Golf Club.
It was used for a few years as a woolshed/tractor shed, but was converted recently into a crib. We are on a lifestyle block of about 50 acres, with a few deer, sheep, only 11km from the city centre.

We rushed to move in on the Monday morning before the week of rain that caused flooding and road closures throughout Otago and Canterbury. That was wonderful timing as were able to button down the hatches, light the fire and wait a week for the rain to stop.

Over the past 3 weeks we have had two trips up to Central Otago to Ranfurly, Patearoa and Naseby, both trips in the snow, and one of them with Sharon. It was great to have Sharon join us for Queen’s Birthday weekend. We were able to take a drive out to Taiaroa Heads on the Otago Peninsula and also have dinner with her friends DK and Liz, and their lovely children Kairangi and Anahera. Great to have dinner and catch up with Gail and Gary too.

We had a great experience the other day. Wayne is one of the crane drivers at the Port of Otago at Port Chalmers. He invited us up into the crane while he worked for an hour loading containers onto a ship, 40 metres above the water. He also took us out to the end of the beam which lowers down horizontally over the ship.
We lay on the floor of the cab looking through the glass floor as he moved the crane up and down the wharf, and out of the ship. Well… slightly out of our comfort zone, but it was great, and an awesome opportunity.

13/06/10
We drove down to Invercargill, driving part way through sleet and snow south of Gore. The Southland Sports Stadium was recommended to us to have a look at.
What an amazing complex, with the basketball, netball, tennis, squash courts and of course, the velodrome, where our Olympic cyclists train.

14/06/10 and 15/06/10
The weather cleared as we drove up to Queenstown, and we woke this morning to a beautiful, crisp day. Dave has gone on a one-day snow/ice driving course on the Remarkable Mountains.

Will update you with more photos and more news shortly.

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Photos

Shaz and Anahera
DK and Liz's lovely little girl.

In the crane cab
Is that a nervous laugh??

View from cab
View through the glass floor to the wharf - the men look tiny down there

Port of Otago
Container crane that we rode on

Comments

[stapes]

crane cab
looks like a very happy smile to us!

[Murray]

White Stuff
I dont know about all that white stuff ! Good to see your still finding plenty to do. we are of for a few weeks ,going down down to cross the simpson desert , it will be a bit colder down there at night

[Claire and George]

nice view!!
Nice view from the new whare! Did you go to the last game at "the Brook"? or watch the nude rugby? George says he'll come and visit when there's a nude netball game on!! Cheers Claire and George

[Clare Hitchcock]

Living the dream
Hi Kathryn and Dave, We are so enjoying getting your blog updates. please note that we have changed our email address to the one printed here. It must have been fun having Sharon join you. We are off to the UK for 3 weeks from 12thJuly - 2nd Aug. We couldn't resist a trip - with Jude expecting baby no 2 about then, and little Dan being a cute 18mth old and Mark and Steve performing with their band Melic in London on 15th July. Love to you both. Clare