The Old Manse Martinborough

... me most: Looking in the mirror to find myself sunburnt. It was a lovely sunny day yesterday but I must have been in the sun for less than 50 minutes and most of that was around 5pm. And I had put on sunblock (which I am starting to think has passed it’s best given I bought in NYC about 4.5 years ago!) I guess that the international efforts on patching up the hole in the ozone really need to keep on happening as I seem to burn just by ...

Today is the big event we've all been looking forward to. We went Quad biking (4 wheeling) in Martinborough. Mom - I explained to April you have forbidden us to ride 4 wheelers, but it was too late the trip was already booked so figured I couldn't back out. April and Debbie have been before, but it's so much fun they wanted to try again. We dropped Devon at Avril and Peter's (and we learned NZ slang for ...

... on golden hills with a dark storm in the background. We made it to Masterton, which is just outside the wine region near Wellington. We finally reached a region we loved in the North Island - golden hills, small farms, sheep and wine, but we also got here at the same time as a major storm. So, we saw the area under dark clouds and pounding rain. They have had a really bad drought so while its bad for us its good for them.

... Eczema" was also low! By the time I stopped laughing, it was too far to go back for a photo; maybe on the return journey. A similar story on two very dramatic sections of road: the Manawatu Gorge and the Rimutaka pass. In both cases, the scenery was dramatic, the road winding and precipitous and stopping at the most dramatic bits was impossible. The photos will therefore show the view from one end, in each ...

... I had no food for it (not my fault; talk to the goats!). A minor attraction of the park was a large pen full of guinea pigs and rabbits. While that's neat enough on its own, this pen was even better: you're allowed to climb in it to commune with the animals. Since I've never gotten over my childhood fondness for guinea pigs, this was great fun for me. Talking to an employee later on, we learned that they breed the guinea pigs (well, I ...

I had a pretty wrecked shoulder and my knee was giving me trouble again but I couldn't help myself after I looked at the swell maps. So, I packed up some gear, talked Jesse into driving me back over to the illegal as hell Lancer, put the battery back in it and set off solo towards the east coast to catch some waves and solitude. Was a little stressfull at first, as the car already had $400 in tickets on it from not having a current registration or warrent of fitness and ...

... which is a huge party day at the horse races. It's an excuse for all the girls (ok, guys too) to get dolled up to extremes, complete with hats and/or feather hairpieces, and dresses or skirts. I went with Sarah, one of the girls I met while staying in Auckland around Fiji time, and some of her friends (and their friends!). We took the train, to Trentham which is about an hour from Wellington. Anyways, it was a gorgeous day, the downside being it is a massively popular event with HUGE ...

... enjoyed going over. It gave a spectacular view of the river & gorge and even a waterfall could be seen falling over the side of the gorge into the river. You could see through the bottom of the bridge though which makes it more exciting. We passed a tapas bar in Carterton, much to our surprise, and decided we needed a snack. The owner was a very friendly guy who spent awhile talking to us in the cozy tapas bar. The food was edible but left a bit to be desired, as we ...

What a different kind of Christmas we had this year! We succeeded in our search for the perfect spot and on 23rd pitched our tent in a DOC campsite with a view to the sea. First things first - spent some time building a "fireplace", dragging rocks and firewood to the camp and getting sweaty and dirty. We have now broken the record of all records and not taken a shower for a full 5 (five!) days. Incredible. Let's hope we will leave the ...

... attempting to actually vote would be a fraught proposition. On to Lower Hutt for some camping action, where it became apparent we've all hit the wall in our own unique way. The kids have runny noses, and Gavin had a migraine. Deb was really tired and all blocked up too. We may not make it. Gavin had a dream that work called and recalled him to duty, but he ignored the phone call - a sackable offence! Now he isn't sure if it actually happened or not.