The Manor Masterton

... pictures or stories without a need to log in. Feel free to do so... ;)<br><br>----------------------------- ------------------------<br><br>Witamy, <br><br>Czas leci szybko, wi&#281;c dzisiaj za jednym razem opisujemy od razu nasze dwa ostatnie weekendy. Pierwszy &#322;ykend sp&#281;dzili&#347;my w Castlepoint - bardzo malowniczej, a zarazem ma&#322;o znanej miejscowo&#347;ci na wschodnim wybrzezu Wyspy Po&#322;nocnej. Pojechali&#347;my tam z Izabel - nasz&#261 ...

... was nice.<br><br>I went through all the appropriate motions as directed by the operators of the business, including putting on the jumpsuit, standing awkwardly while Martin put the harness on me and told me of the proper free-fall posture (arms outstretched, hips pushed forward, back arched -- Now show me you can do it. Farther back, farther back, perfect!). I got to the point of standing and waiting with the two guys who were going to jump with ...

... 0 Grad). Am naechsten Morgen ging es dann rauf auf den Mount Holdsworth (1530m) und weiter zum Jumbo Peak. Ein sehr interessanter Weg, Eis, Schnee, Schlamm, starke Nordwinde und hereinwehende Wolken mit wenig Sicht. Ein Abenteuer, und ich in meinem alten Turnschuhen:-). Man steigt noch einmal knapp 300m weiter auf, wandert ein paar Kilometer in der transalpinen Zone auf und ab (auf teils recht schmalen Graten, mit dem Wind recht angenehm...) bevor man ...

... am Sonntag Abend dann mitzuteilen dass wir alle am Montag morgen zu verschwinden haben, obwohl wir schon zwei Tage vorher fragten ob es ok wäre wenn wir bis Dienstag bleiben würden und dies herzlichst genehmigt wurde, finde ich alles andre als in Ordnung. Zu Mahl es dafür auch gar keinen ersichtlichen Grund gab. Gesagt wurde Marc und Moni nur "Meine Frau hat da was mit R.(Eine echt nette Festangestellte) abgesprochen. Ihr müsst morgen weg!"Dass da ...

... World - not as Dylan had hoped an attraction devoted to the Power Rangers but a small factory and shop that sells Paua jewellery and designs. In the evening what struck us was how quiet it is and a bit more like Helen remembers New Zealand years ago rather than busy Welington. One of the buildings in the main street was basically a shed, with a Senior Citizens Club sign. It looked a pretty desperate ...

... were very well tended and the owner lady was friendly. There were even a couple of cute Snausers (dogs) that enjoyed barking at us. We then went out to the Awaiti Garden and Teahouse a couple of kilometers outside of Carterton which was set on a beautiful farm in the country but we didn't end up touring the gardens as they were about to close. There is a cute giftshop and the bit of the gardens we saw did look nice. There's a Paua (Abalone) souvenir factory Carterton ...

On our way to the capital Wellington we stopped off at a place called River Valley. Just before we got there, our driver gave us the option to jump off a 15 meter waterfall. He did warn us that the water is ridiculously cold though. It did seem pretty high but it was fun jumping off....not into though as it was the coldest thing I have ever experienced. In River Valley is only 1 place to stay. I shared a dorm with 5 girls ...

... it anyway. Unfortunately the wine wasn't good. I did stop at the place that had the highest New Zealand rated wine by Robert Parker (88), but of course, they were sold out. I was curious to try their other wines, but from the looks of it, they had their "B List" out. I didn't even get to try a Pinot there. Oh well. After finishing off the wineries on my list, I decided to leave and head to another fishing spot on the way to more wine country. I had been told about this ...

... at Janet's and generally relaxing in the sunshine. Looking after Poppy the cat was an absolute pleasure. She was the best cat and loved sitting on our knees and being stroked. We are going to miss her loads. Anyway New Year is calling and the bright lights of the capital are calling us to Wellington... Not that you can make them out through the torrential rain which has begun again! Apparently it has been the coldest and wettest December for 60 years in NZ, just our luck!