Queenstown Concert, New Zealand

Yesterday, we drove to the Millbrook Resort near Queenstown with Avis and her mother, Dot, to go to see Haley Westernra (a world famous NZ singer), Dave Dobbin (a well-known NZ singer) and Fiona Pears (a violinist – somewhat after the fashion of Vanessa-Mae). The setting was al fresco and the weather uncertain at first, but, although quite chilly, the sun shone and we all had a great time. Before the concert, David was taken for a hair-raising ride on Matt’s jet boat; I declined because it was too cold on the water. (Note to self: I must stop being such a wimp!)

From the left: David, Dot, Avis, Joelle and Matt

Hampden and Oamaru, New Zealand

The stunning view along the beach where we walked every day

We spent a wonderful ten days in Hampden, just David and me. I took this opportunity to go on a three day detox, followed by a strict 1500 calories a day diet – and it worked! I have lost some of the excess weight I have gained through far too good dining and imbibing during our travels! We also walked on the beach every day to the Moeraki boulders. It felt wonderful to walk for 2 km there and back on a great expanse of beach and barely see one other person (except for when we reached the boulders which are visited by myriads of tourists every day). For two days there was a hurricane out at sea and the waves crashed over the road at high tide, quite spectacular. We did very little else, except for one foray into Oamaru to add to our depleting stocks of fresh fruit and vegetables (the mainstay of my diet).

Oamaru is a very interesting city and has an authentic Victorian Harbour and Historic Precinct which boasts one of the finest examples of 19th century neo-classical and Victorian Italianate streetscapes in New Zealand. They are all being beautifully restored under the auspices of the Oamaru Historical Society. While we were there, a film crew were filming scenes against the backdrop of these old buildings, a not unusual sight – according to the lady in the antique bookshop. We found it quite fascinating to wander around and in and out of the buildings. There is also a vintage steam train that takes visitors on a round trip to the harbour.

We are now back in Invercargill until Tuesday 22nd February, when we fly to Wellington for the start of our North Island experience. We have loved seeing much that South Island has to offer and hope that we can return in the not-too-distant future to explore the rest. We've had a great time here and we will always be grateful to our friends Avis, Brian, Raewyn and Wayne for having put us up AND having put up with us for so long!.

Learning new things in New Zealand!

On Sunday 3rd February we returned to Hampden (Avis and Brian’s bach) for ten days by the sea. Before we left for Hampden we went to Bluff, the southern-most point of New Zealand’s South Island. (Of course, Stewart Island is even further south, but unfortunately we will not manage to go there this trip.) Strong winds must be a constant feature there as all the trees and bushes were lying down against the rocks, unable to grow upright against the force of the wind.

This is not the furthest south we have been, however, as we visited Ushuaia when we were in Argentina and Suzi famously picked up her SFTEOTW
(stick from the end of the world, which I believe she has stored somewhere still!)

We also enjoyed a splendid dinner with dinner with Val and John, where I managed to knock a whole glass of wine all over Wayne and onto the floor! I was mortified, but everyone else seemed amazingly calm, (they knew something that I didn’t) and I learned a very useful household tip from this.

If you manage to spill RED wine over a beautiful PALE PASTEL carpet, immediately douse the wine stain with plenty of cold water and then blot with towels (as demonstrated in the photograph) – DO NOT RUB! Repeat as necessary and the stain will completely disappear .

As soon as this is done, throw the towels, tablecloth and any damaged clothing into the washing machine and wash on a cold cycle and – hey presto – everything back to normal! Now I knew why no one was too fussed. It really does work!

Life in Invercargill New Zealand

One great thing about staying with friends is that one gets to experience the life they live. We have been very privileged to take part in the day-to-day lives of our friends in New Zealand. We are currently staying with Raewyn and Wayne (we decided that Avis and Brian needed a break!) and David has enjoyed running with Wayne most days. In 2001, Wayne and David ran the Eurasian 15 km race together, over the bridge that spans the Bosphorus, and I know that when Wayne left Turkey, David missed his running buddy.

I was delighted to be invited to Raewyn’s book club, run by our friend Val (she of the great Barbecue in Wanaka – see previous posting). It was a delightful evening, held in a local café that provided coffee and snacks, and I was impressed by the varied interests of the group and by the literary critique given of all the books they had read over the Christmas holiday period; a most enjoyable evening (see photos).

Next week we plan to go to Hampden again to stay in Avis and Brian’s lovely ‘bach’, so we will be incommunicado for a while. I’ll get back to you all as soon as I can. By the way, if you click on the link to the right, under interesting sites, you can see the first photo of our new grandson, Jordan Sean Hendry.