Mynthurst North Island

I was sitting in my weekly meeting this morning and my boss mentioned that I was leaving for my trip in two weeks - "your joking" (or words to that effect) was my reply...."I thought it was three weeks to go....oh my god I've lost a week somewhere along the way" ....I am now in a panic as I really do only have two weeks and have a thousand things to ...

... it. I ended up getting closer to a half an hour ride because we tried to land on the peak but conditions were too strong and had to land below. Barry was a nice guy and even did a couple of fun maneuvers (one called a wing over). I would recommend the experience. After paragliding, we decided to stop for a cup of coffee for Aron and tea for me at the little cafe just below the peak. There were nice views, but Aron said his coffee was lacking (a strange thing in NZ) although my tea ...

Coming to the end of our meat pie trip downunder, wet but warm today inthe bay. Jenn enjoyed another flat white coffee and I enjoyed another steak and cheese pie. Big Fella's wedding tomorrow @ 5pm @ Sileni resturant, looking forward to it. Cheers G & J

We took Margie to the car doctor's and she has a faulty shift kit... not as expensive as it could be but expensive enough. The doc said it should be ok to drive towards Wellington and as it would have taken well over Christmas to get it fixed in Hastings we decided to take a risk and head on the road. We caught up with Ingrid and Brent, from apple thinning, close to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapok aiwhenuakitan atahu ...

So now we are WORKING! It's been a while and to be honest we didn't really miss it. But one day or another we'd have to face the hard reality of life again - you can't spend money without getting some in. The motivation for work also comes from the fact that the car, Margie, is jerking a bit... worrying. So apple thinning it is for a little while. You know the Magners advert in UK TV with a lovely, sunny orchard? Well, it might look relaxing but it isn't! Apple thinning means ...

All attempts to get the kids to bed earlier so they'd wake in time for an early start failed and we dragged them into their chairs for a 9am departure. Instead of taking SH2 towards Hastings, we ended up at the top of a very narrow hill in Wellington with nowhere to go except down. Very narrow and windy. Got a good photo though. Finally found our way to SH2, only to be waylaid by a group of ...

Napier is known as New Zealand's Art Deco centre - all the buidings are in a classic Art Deco style, very 1920's. This is because around 1934 there was a very large and devastating earthquake which completely destroyed the town and claimed quite a few lives. The people of Napier decided to rebuild the town in the same style and this meant it became very Art Deco. So we had a little wander around and marvelled at the pretty buildings, had a ...

The earthquake that shook Napier in 1931 had mixed fortunes for the city. Little did they realise at the time that the city would be rebuilt as one of the most modern of the era and today rivals Miami as the Art Deco Capital of the World. Nothing has missed the art deco touches and zig-zag styles - it's everywhere. You certainly get a stiff neck marvelling at the stunning buildings all around!

... and lots of sheep. We'd been following the road for quite a while and had just started wondering if we were headed in the wrong direction when suddenly a signpost came up: one of the signs was merely 'Longest Place Name'. Throwing a quick right, glad that the road was deserted, we had not gone far when a flock of sheep filled the road and we had to stop. So New Zealand ...

After our rain-soaked experience in Taupo we travelled south east to Hawkes Bay. This is known to be the hottest and driest part of New Zealand and is famous for its many vineyards. Our first stop off in Hawkes Bay was in Napier. Upon arriving in Napier we were glad to see that the sun was out. We stayed at a campsite on the outskirts of town and had a walk along the marine parade. We spent the afternoon sitting on ...