Wellington and Masterton, New Zealand

Our Nephew Brian with David

On Tuesday we flew from Invercargill to Wellington where we picked up our hire car and drove to the home of Stewart and Cherryl, whom we met in Blenheim at the reunion for the teachers of the New Zealand and Australian Forces School in Singapore. Cherryl, a teacher, and Stewart, a New Zealand Air force Officer, met and married in Singapore, so the reunion was particularly memorable for them. The weather in Wellington was lovely and that evening we sat on the patio and enjoyed a barbecue. Unfortunately, Stewart had to fly to Singapore the next morning for a meeting so we said ‘Hi and Bye’.

The next day we drove up to Masterton to visit our nephew, Brian. He is currently living in NZ and working at Rathkeale College where he cares for their 5 cricket pitches whilst studying turf management. He also looks after his club’s pitch in Greystone and manages a local cricket team in Masterton. As you can tell, Brian is very busy!

We had a lovely day with Brian. He made us welcome in his home and also drove us around the college so we could see where he works and admire his handiwork. We later had lunch together in a restaurant in the park before saying our goodbyes and returning to Wellington. We felt very proud to see the fine young man Brian has grown into; he is a real credit to our family!

This one's for Brian's parents, Sheelagh and Brian - your son's house!

Inspecting the Wicket

That evening, Cherryl drove us into Wellington so that we could see the city at night. Wellington is a very pretty city set on the edge of a spectacular harbour surrounded by rolling hills. We parked and walked along the boardwalk on the edge of the harbour surrounded by the twinkling lights of the city – bliss!