Belmont Cottages Wellington

... sightseeing Monday morning in The Rocks, which is a touristy district right to the north of the city center and is near the wharf where ferries are located to take to different areas of Sydney. It was here that we saw the Opera House and the major park in Sydney, Hyde Park.

We took a ferry over to Manly Beach for the day in order to take in a last day of sun to bring home a nice tan to cloudy Wellington. (And to make our friends jealous of our beach ...

... which was good to see. The Kiwi was much larger than we both thought and actually quite cute! We also saw some Kaka quite closely as we were allowed into their enclosure for feed time.

Further down the road we stopped off at Masterton as it has an ice cream shop there whichbis apparently one of the best in the country as it has so many different and unusual flavours. You would not belive how big a four scoop ice cream could be ...

... have always been the impetus that drove me on this mad journey to New Zealand. That's not to say the country itself isn't beautiful and a worthwhile destination.

So I spent a lot of time with them, talked with them, and generally just hung out, which felt good and right. It helped me immensely to be with them and reconnect. I feel better. So, THANK YOU, Steve and Ange. You are appreciated and loved. And I hope I can one day repay you for your hospitality ...

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Etwas hektisch fragen wir nach anderen Moeglichkeiten heute noch nach Picton zu kommen. „Sorry, but there is none…“ Noch nervoeser hacken wir immer wieder nach und versuchen ihr schnell unsere „non-refundable-domino-situation& #8220; zu erklaeren… und dann, Aaah, „there is another ferry, but it'll leave in 15 minutes.“ “Where??????” „25 minutes – walk from here… ...

... treehouse lookout to name but a few. After a couple of hours I headed over to the Houses of Parliament and the Beehive. The first thing that I noticed was the rally oustide the House of Parliament. It was pretty fun to join in with the rally (it was for equal pay for woman in New Zealand) and an interesting first experience. The Beehive is pretty impressive, however after ...

... in Bordeaux - people talk to you and you say Oui and then nod and pretend to understand when in fact you haven't a clue. Ken is like that. "So Ken - are you going to do the Sky Dive today?" "YES" "So Ken - is Japan a frightful society of techn junkies and about as interesting as watching paint dry?" "YES" "So Ken - is Pearl Harbour Japan's finest hour?" "YES" I take le **** of course. Ken is sound if sparingly hopeless at ...

... early the next morning. We then headed back out of town to find a camp site for the night. We missed our turn and in the getting back around we turned through a entrance drive and came out on the right side of the road. Thankfully it was completely vacant and we could get back on the left side without incident. Jessica declared we had "an American Moment" (but no worries Mom/Mom Mom).

... years and up, we're allowed to play with full on wood working tools! I'm talking saws, hammers, nails?! Jude is a pretty protective mother, but she was cool with it! All smiled and said "Wouldn't find this back in the states, too many lawsuits!" I was so nervous! Sam was goin nuts on the saw, I couldn't watch... Sam made me a "rocket', bless his heart it was just a block of wood with a notch in it for the pilot :) I played ...

... get-to-know-you bar-b-q: mussels, steak, sausages, vegetarian option, salads, veggies, two kinds of potatoes...  Mark and Devon manned the bar-b-q. The first day was full of learning moments: signing up for accommodation (Usually dorms in hostels), signing up for activities (Stray gets discounts on many), the grocery stops and so on.  But, once you've done it once or twice, it's pretty clear.  It obvious the drivers have done this many times and know the system; it's ...

Apologies for coming over all Tolkien again, but I've just finished the unpacking and stepped out to find a snow-covered Mount Doom beyond the end of the road (actually Mount Ruapehu) - utterly spectacular. We've spent Easter in a glorious seaside hostel in Plimmerton, outside Wellington, mere steps from the waves and fifty metres from the boat club jetty where the 'Grey Havens' scene at the end of Return of the King was filmed - it only takes a little imagination to see a ship and a ...