CHRISTMAS DAY WALKABOUT...

SATURDAY NIGHT - Chef Geoff made us a nice Christmas dinner after our Sydney walkabout!  See what you think about these:

Spriderman's web in "The Rocks".

In "The Rocks", rocks sometimes fall!

Darling Harbor



The Sydney Harbor Bridge in the daylight.

The Sydney Opera House behind us!



Self-explamatory!  :)



Geoff & the "Hero
 of Waterloo".



Harbor tower in background.

The harbor view from the Sydney Observatory.

What a walkabout we had!  Love, Sue & Geoff xo

MISC SYDNEY PICS



View from our apartment balcony--that's Sydney Harbor!



Kids playing in a very cool fountain before the Christmas carols!



Formeer ship now restaurant.



Sydney Santas everywhere!





Beuatiful Sydney!



MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM DOWN UNDER....

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010 - Mint Apartments, downtown Sydney - 9:30 AM - Christmas arrived here and it is a sunny and lovely day.   Looking forward to chatting with family as they gather for their Christmas Eve fun!

Here is our little 12 inch Christmas tree that I brought from home (I did a bit of decorating after I got here!):

And more Christmas Eve pictures:



Our first beer/cider in Sydney outside @ The Sussex



Look what Geoff found less than 2 blocks from where we are staying!  :)

Walked along the harbor and saw thousands of Santas along with all the Sydney-ites having fun!



Sydney Convention Ctr Christmas tree with 'roos!



My first views of Sydney Harbor Bridge
and
Sydney Opera House--spectacular!

 



It's a lovely town and I had a great Christmas Eve here with Geoff and met some very nice people in the pubs we went into--heard some great music at The Orient pub by the band "Outlier" and the town is lit up like a Christmas tree itself!   Hae a wonderful Christmas where ever you are and whoever you are with.   Wishing peace on earth, love, Sue & Geoff xo

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2010 - Just got to the Sydney airport and on the free wi-fi.  Will go into the city in a few minutes...trying to upload this here since it worked on FB:

Yay!   It worked! Isn't it great?

Love and peace on earth, good will to men, Sue & Geoff xo

NEXT STOP SYDNEY!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2010 – BYRON BAY TOURIST VILLAGE – AFTERNOON – It’s our last whole day here, we fly to Sydney tomorrow morning!

Had a great time here in Byron Bay…here are some of the things I enjoyed:

·         Beautiful beaches

·         Gorgeous sunset

·         Surprising to see topless girls on beach!   “Look at that, Geoff!”

·         Two Seeds cider (local and very mild) but loved Bulmers cider (it’s actually from England)

·         The Happy Coach(ABOVE) to Nimbin (a true experience), our “guide” and driver!    

·         The Lighthouse, the 3.7 km loop walk was very scenic, too!

·         Birds that sing and whistle

·         “Tom” the bush turkey friend!

·         Lots and lots of pretty butterflies (could not get a picture of even one of them)

·         Lisa Hunt, the great soul/Motown singer we heard Sunday at the Beach Hotel…she’s a local and should be famous!   She and her band wowed the huge crowd!  I met her the next day in a local clothing shop and chatted with her!

·         The Aussie way of Christmas:

       CRAP---I CAN'T DOWNLOAD THE PIC.  SORRY....IT WAS CUTE, TOO!  WILL TRY AGAIN SOMETIME!

·         Free live entertainment around town.  Last nite the Indonesian man at the Beach Hotel could play a guitar like no one’s business!

·         I danced in Byron Bay park to “the Black Birds” music—fab!

      ·         All the beautiful flowers and plants

·         The sunshine when it was out!

·         “Clix” who fixed my sick laptop!   Thanks guys!

·         “St. Elmos” – good food and free wi-fi

·         “Dip In” – great smoothies and free wi-fi

·         “Why Not” has free wi-fi and let me plug in—met 2 young Americans from Grand Rapids, Michigan, there—hello and happy travels to Justin and Shawna!!!  Hope to see you in NZ!

·         The free macadamia nuts at the Eltham pub on the trip to Nimbin (Thank heavens for the nutcracker!

·         The great little square “casita” we have been staying in—very spacious after the campervan!

·          G’day’s!

See you in Sydney, love, Sue & Geoff xo   P.S.  In case I don’t find some wi-fi, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU FROM BOTH OF US!  HO HO HO

LATER...PLUGGED IN AND TRYING TO DOWNLOAD PICS...

WEDNESDAY...AROUND 7:30 pm - WHYNOT RESTAURANT W/PLUG IN!   Let's try that "Tom " the bush turkey pic (see post below this one for more info):

The above picture is a view of the next bay and taken on our walk up to the lighthouse!

The lighthouse:

Yesterday n Nimbin:



Nimbin Museum front!



What can I say?

Yup, a giant bong!

Byron Bay jetty.

Byron Bay w/lighthouse on hill!

More about Byron Bay in next post!   xo Sue & Geoff

LAPTOP ALMOST ENDED UP IN BYRON BAY.....

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2010 - 4:30 pm - St. Elmo's in Byron Bay - Well, well, well...no posting because my laptop got some fake security virus and I almost threw the damn thing into the ocean--instead I took it to a computer shop and two days and $75 later, here I am again...hopefully no worse for wear...

We have had some sunshine and it was glorious.   Today is overcast and has drizzled some but I am now prepared in my new $45 rain jacklet:

And we made  new friend today on the walk back from the Lighthouse and mot easterly point of Oz--I name him "Tom"--the bush turkey"--will have to post it later...running out of power---battery..bye for now. love, sue and geoff xo

IN OZ...

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2010 - Just a quick note to say we made it to Byron Bay on the east coast of Australia.   Very different landscape than NZ and a lot warmer.   Right now its very humid and they have had intermittent thunder/lightning bouts--none today but yesterday was quite something after we had been out in the humidity all day long...at least we were back in our little casita by the time it all started!  :)   Lots of eucalyptus trees around here and have seen several iguanas, pretty butterflies and new birds!   All in all, a good start to our Aussie 'holiday"!   Love, Sue & Geoff xo   P.S.  Can't post any pictures on this wi-fi access--some kind of security error keeps coming up...so stay tuned!

ON THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD TO OZ....

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010 - AUCKLAND - PARNEL AREA - ESQUIRES COFFEE SHOP - 11:30 am - Love the town of Auckland...had a ball with Geoff yesterday evening...a special art exhibit that is lighted 24 hours a day, a couple fun pubs and beers, a fabulous dinner at the viaduct at an Italian restaurant "Portofino" and some great Italian wine with the yummy food, followed by dessert at 10 PM the top of the Sky Tower (what a great view and it made Geoff and I both think ofthe Space Needle!)!   All in all, a perfect end to our day.  
    Later today we fly to Gold Coast, Australia (aka "Oz")...looking forward to it!   Love, Sue & Geoff xo

                                             Lights of Auckland from atop Sky Tower

Older notes:

Tuesday, December  14, 2010 – Manukau City (outside Auckland) – We drove from Mount Maunganui  (there were two cruise ships in port the night before that we saw leave) to Manukau City and staying at the Top 10 Holiday Park here because it is only a short distance to the place to return the campervan tomorrow…started the process of cleaning out what we don’t need/want but will do the packing and final clean in the morning.   Finished off our last can of beans (on toast and some wheat crackers—very tasty) and finished off our last half bottle of the pink moscato wine!

On the way here we went through a beautiful gorge (Karangahake)—the river running through the gorge was just beautiful and it was my favorite part of the trip from Mount Maunganui to  Manukau City!  We also went through Pearoa where the drink Geoff introduced me too earlier in the trip (Lemon and Pearoa) is made and I saw a giant L & P bottle at each end of town—very cool but it was too I overcast and drizzly for me to take a picture.   We also went through Katikati and I got to see all the murals on the buildings there—very lovely and unique (last time through we went the other way and you couldn’t see all the murals from that direction).   It was a nice trip and I am going to miss our little “love bug” campervan but it will be a treat to have a bathroom as part of our accommodations and not have to worry about traipsing through the night to the “loo” (as Geoff would say)—“crapper” (as Sue says!).

I got a chance to chat with Shelley (and Tim, too) and find out all about when Jon and Jordan will be home on their Christmas breaks (later this week) and just have a fun conversation with her.   All seems to be well in Lacey/Olympia.   She is making plans for a quiet Christmas Eve at their house with Gramma.

As Geoff says, “nothing stays the same”…he is SO right!   Love, Sue & Geoff xo

Wednesday – December 15, 2010 – Downtown Auckland – Jucy Hotel – 2:30 PM – It’s been a busy day already…packing, cleaning out campervan, getting it washed and returned and a taxi ride into the city!   Bless Geoff, he did ALL the hard work—defrosting the fridge and cleaning the outside of the campervan at a self service car wash!    He deserves a medal—but I will let him rest right now on our nice bed here at the Jucy Hotel!   I love the color scheme:  purple and lime green (their rental cars/vans are the same colors) and the sign on the wall is priceless:

After a rest we will go explore Auckland since I have never been in the downtown area before.   Geoff has dinner planned at a favorite restaurant (will report on that later).   I hope to see the Sky Tower and perhaps go up inside it for the views!   Our taxi driver advised going at sunset but we will see how it goes.  Just listening to Christmas music and chilling!   Love, Sue & Geoff xo

SHORT & SWEET

TUESDAY - DECEMBER 14, 2010 - Mount Maunganui - 11 am - Been advised that my blogs are too long so people don't want to read it.   So will rethink this whole blog thing.    Will consider any input I get on this.  Sue

THERE WILL BE NO CRAPPING IN THIS CRAPPER!*

MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010 - GISBORNE -11 am - We are at the local library doing our "internet chores" before we head out of town.   I was thinking as I was folding up the bedding and Geoff was showering that I wonder if the UK couple made it to the sunrise at the East Cape Lighthouse the other day--well, as things happen, Geoff comes back from the shower/loo and says guess who he ran into???   Yup, the young woman and they did camp and climb up to the lighthouse for the sunrise as planned!.   You never know who you will run into travelling around here!   Later, as we were leaving we chatted with them and I found out that their names are James and Emma.   They were going to go to the Library (but leave their car at the camp) so we gave them a lift.  Very nice to run into them and get to find out what they have been up to.   So, here are some thoughts and pictures from the last several days.   You will have to read my blog to find the meaning to todays headline about the crapper!  :)   Love, Sue & Geoff xo

Thursday, December 9 – On the road from New Plymouth to Opotiki – Saw many things along the road—always a delight to see a new area of this country and we travelled a roadway that Geoff had not been on before so it was all new to him.   It was nothing like the Forgotten World Highway but beautiful, nonetheless!   It was way less curvy but lots of cows to the left of me and sheep to the right!  We stopped alongside a lake after passing through Rotorua (we decided to keep on truckin) and I think it was Lake Rotorio.   There were lots of black swans swimming along the shore and several came ashore while we had our lunch.   Geoff was checking something and I took many pictures of one black swan that came up close—she was preening and cleaning herself and I was amazed at the flexibility of their long necks—it was a delight to watch and record!  

We stopped in Whakatane (I spelled it all wrong in my blog) and then headed onward for our campground as we start the East Cape road adventure!  I loved the small town of Whakatane—it was pretty and near the water!   S & G xo

Friday, December 10, 2010 – East Cape – Tokomaru Bay  - 9 PM – Had my first cold shower today before we left our Opotiki  camp…not sure why but it wasn’t much fun to try to get my shower gel off while freezing in that water—I would have settled for luke warm even but not a drop!   Oh well, such is life.  We drove through the little downtown area and I was impressed with its look and the lovely Christmas decorations they had up for such a small town!   Off we go….

So we are driving and I am seeing the Bay of Plenty aka Pacific Ocean and the sun is shining and the water is various shades of blue and just lovely!   We are winding up and down hills, as per usual, and we stop at a high pull off place to check the scenery of the coastline.   In the distance we can see White Island, the active volcano, spewing white clouds!  We chat with a young UK couple who have been touring the north island for almost 2 months now—they are headed the same direction we are but are planning on staying at the East Cape lighthouse overnight and seeing the first sunrise of the day tomorrow at 5:30 AM on their 2^nd anniversary of being together!   She invites us to come and camp tonight there and see the sunrise…I told her we might see them along the road but I doubt that we would.   We carry on and one of the highlights for me is to see the oldest Potukowa Tree there is and Geoff remembers where it is located so we stop and I take photos, of course!   It’s “in excess of 350 years old” and is the oldest tree of its species!   It was brilliant and partly in bloom:

Geoff asks me if I want to take the “dirt road” to the East Cape Lighthouse and I tell him I would love to if he thinks the campervan will make it!   Geoff has never been to the lighthouse so it will be a first for him, too!   We head down the 20 km gravel road—about one fourth of the road is actually paved and most of it is really just one lane but it was NOT bad and the scenery was fabulous and worth the side trip.   I swear there was an area that I thought looked like an Oceanside golf course…but it was just a huge pasture with sand traps and water pools.    There was lots of livestock along the way and the most beautiful horses grazing near the sea.   At first there was not any beach but the tide was out and the rock formations were, in my opinion, beautiful and very interesting and diverse—I took a ton of pictures of them!   After lots of turns and seeing lots of beautiful mountains and sand dunes, we round a curve and there on top of the mountain ahead is the lighthouse!   We drive to the end of the road past a couple houses and lots of fields of corn and pastures with sheep (Geoff says there was a “Leisure Station” there since it was way out in the middle of nowhere—I kept looking to take a picture of the “sheep tied to the lamppost” but never saw it!  J   At the end of the road was a public restroom (glorified outhouse to me) and you can walk up to the lighthouse but it was way too far of a hike for me or Geoff to want to take.   We wish our UK couple a happy night’s camping there and a very early trek up the hill to see that first sunrise tomorrow—we will be tucked in bed somewhere snoozing!

Onward after our return trip on the one lane, sometimes paved but mostly graveled road…we head away from the sea and see lots of trees and hills and lots of curves in the road.  I did see two emu and am not sure they were part of a farm or escapees…also we saw lots of domestic turkeys at one area…all in all it was beautiful country but what do I expect?   I haven’t seen any ugly part of this country and we have been all over this island!   Geoff says we will stay near the water and we are heading back near it soon.   We plan to go camp where he stayed almost a year ago and stop at the local pub for a cold beer—sounds good to me and I am ready!   We pull into the pub and the manager is walking out and walks over to us and tells us it’s closed until noon tomorrow for refurbishing and we are welcome to camp right there if we want!   We chat with him a bit and thank him for the offer but head to the camp site nearby.   It’s a lovely area and very quiet and getting quite dark outside…may be a starry night tonight!   We are trying to use up our food items since our days in the camper van are numbered now, so Geoff is going to make a noodle goulash for the first time (to use some pasta noodles, canned tomatoes, and onion along with some “mince”—uh, that’d be hamburger for us Americans) and as he is getting things together I say to him “you know you have to cook those pasta noodles first before you add them to the other things, dontcha?”  Geoff looks at me like I have lost my mind (and I guess I have given the excellent items he has cooked me these last several weeks) and says to me “yes, I KNOW THAT!”   At least he has a sense of humor—we had a good laugh about that one although I think I may have insulted him and his capabilities!   Sorry Chef Geoffrey, I will NEVER question your cooking plans again—I PROMISE!

*This is the part that goes with the title for the blog—I can’t even begin to tell you what a shit hole the camp was that we stayed in and I think the sign and pictures are self explanatory (we did have some great laughs about how Geoff might find a pile outside the campervan in the morning—hope you enjoy the “poop” humor, too (by the way, the sign had been there for quite some time!):

                        Take this crapper and shove it! Ick!

On to Gisborne, normal crappers (and perhaps a haircut and my nails done) tomorrow!   Love, Shaggy Sue and Geoff xo

Saturday, December 11, 2011 – Gisborne -  Had a nice drive here and saw a great surf beach, too!   We go get a spot at the Top 10 Holiday Park and it’s right on the beach!    Love it!   We drive a short distance into town after stopping at the i-site and park and I check with one salon and they are booked until Monday morning so I go across the street (Geoff spotted the place) and they can take me in 10 minutes so I go tell Geoff and we have a quick bite to eat in the campervan—he will explore town while I am getting my hair done!

So here is my new “sheared look” and the salon “the Little Hair Shop” at 217 Gladstone Road, Gisborne,New Zealand was run by a delightful  guy and the hairdressers were the BEST (mine was Karine)!

We went back to camp and set up things then walked into town to a place called “The River” that Geoff had scoped out.    I had a  hard cider and Geoff had Steinlager then changed to Gisborne Gold (a local craft beer that’s very good)!  We had a ½ order of nachos (yummy) as a starter then we shared an entrée of Guinness pie (it was wonderful)!   I forgot my camera or would have taken pictures!   I noticed the pink sky outside and told Geoff to have a look and the sky changed into just a fabulous display of colors—one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen since the ones in Fiji!   Geoff got some great photos.  

(above picture courtesy of Geoff's iPhone!)
We finished our dinner and walked through town (the middle of town had a pretty lighted Christmas tree so I started singing “walking in a winter wonderland” which made Geoff laugh!  We walked back to camp and called it a night.   Tomorrow some wine tasting is on the agenda!   It doesn’t get any better than this.  Love, Sue & Geoff xo  P.S.  I didn’t get my nails done but I will before we head to Oz on Thursday…somewhere along the adventure trail!

Sunday, December 12, 2010 – 5 pm – Waikanae Beach Top 10 Holiday Park, Gisborne – It’s been a beautiful day…sunny and warm and warm even when the clouds come!   We are up earlier than usual because it is too warm in the campervan to stay in bed past 8 AM!   Showers and breakfast followed by washing the weekly laundry!   While the clothes are washing I call and have a nice chat with my Mom via phone.   Sounds like things are the usual wet/cold winter type weather back home.   Enjoy talking to Mom and Geoff takes off to go hang up the clothes on the clothes lines….I follow to help and let him chat with Mom while I get the sheets out of the washer.   We say goodbye to Mom (Geoff was talking to her while holding a pair of my “knickers”) and go back and close up the campervan and head out for a wine tasting adventure—and what an adventure it was at the “Gisborne Wine Centre” (the staff are delightful and we sat looking at the boats in the nearby marina).  I forgot to take pictures (dammit) but we had samples of 12 different local  wines along with a lovely platter of cheeses /bread/ spreads and had ourselves a fantastic lunch!   We each picked one wine to have a full glass of—Geoff picked  “TW Chardonnay 2009” which is described as “brilliant clear pale straw in colour, this wine shows vibrant aromas of yellow peach, tropical pineapple and jasmine flowers.  Lovely ripe flavours of peach and pineapple show throughout the palate, which is long and elegant.”  I liked it as well but I had the “Brunton Road Gewurztraminer 2008” that is described as :  “A full-bodied wine made in a dry style, with exotic aromas of rose petal, ginger and lychees.   The palate has lovely weight, ripe fruit and spice flavours, with balanced acidity and a long finish.”   I also got another sample taste of the  “Longbush Gewurztraminer 2008” which I liked, too.   Honestly, ALL the wines were good—loved the pinot gris, too!

So Geoff bought a bottle of the Chardonnay that he likes and we just finished drinking the whole bottle after wandering back to camp.   So I am a bit toasted and Geoff is passed out on the bench across from me!  LOL—well, he is taking a “nap” and NOT sleeping but just “resting his eyes while listening to the music”!  J  It’s been a lovely day and it’s not over yet—I think we may go for fish n chips at Captain Morgan’s which is right by the entrance to the camp park and right near the beach, too!   We will see how the evening goes.   We leave Gisborne tomorrow to head towards Auckland—have to return the campervan on Wednesday and we fly to Oz on Thursday for the next phase of this adventure!   Ta for now, sending sunshine and love from Gizzy (Gisborne), Sue and Geoff xo

THE CASE OF THE MISSING UNDERWEAR & ZIGZAGGING CROSS COUNTRY!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9,2010 - WHATATANE - 4 pm - Here at the local Libraray...they DO have a fabulous system in the smaller towns and I appreciate their wi-fi.   My sister, Jan, skyped me but we could only talk and not use the video feed due to the low signal (and my low battery didn't allow for much chat time!).  She and Jim are leaving for Arizona next week and says the snow there is down to abot 9 inches with temps just above freezing and a bit of rain!   Wishing them a very safe journey!

We drove from Waitomo to Rotorua made a left turn and here we are in Whatatane!   Heading for  Opotiki for the night then plan to spend the weekend heading around the "East Cape" and Gisborne!   So here are the last few days of my posts and a few pictures as well!   Love from the ever moving Sue and Geoff, xo   P.S.  This morning's excitement was when Geoff could not find his underpants--I located them hanging on the wood fence near the recycle bins--how they got there we will never know!   OMG, it was just the perfect beginning to our day...I was (and still am) laughing so hard about finding his underwear "hanging around" camp!   hehehehehehe

Tuesday, December 7, 2010 – New Plymouth – 1 PM – We drove and drove and drove for hours yesterday after my last post and landed  (like pilgrims) in New Plymouth around 9 PM—ate a quick meal (beans on toast!) and went to bed fairly early—Geoff had to be exhausted because that 150 km between Taumranui and Strafford were a real adventure and put his driving skills to the test—which he passed with flying colors, I might add.   I am sure I cannot ever adequately describe the sights we saw or the incredible changes between rolling hills that looked like Alps, a rainforest and then other hills that were totally different.  I will say that shortly after Geoff said “we haven’t seen a turkey since Thanksgiving Day” he almost got himself a big turkey that ran right in front of us.   This is all along the “Forgotten World Highway” which we now understand how it became forgotten!  He later almost got us a pheasant for dinner along with some lamb shish kebab!   There were at least half a dozen loose sheep/lamb along the road in places!  We did see many birds—some soaring in the sky and I would swear they were eagles but they don’t have eagles here so will look them up in my little bird book and see what I find!  It was a beautiful drive—even when the road sign suddenly said “gravel road next 15 km”, followed by “one lane for 8 km” and “curves ahead” which made us laugh…the whole length of the trip was winding up and down and across hillsides!   The road was a bit, well, interesting in places and I think we saw only one other car along the route.   There would be signs of a town name but only one house visible!   We thought we had come to the end of the gravel road but it was just a section covered in black volcanic rock that was rougher driving than the regular gravel.   Geoff had never taken this route before so it was all an adventure for him as well.  

 All I can say is that it was indescribably beautiful, very rough and rugged and ever changing—the flora was different along each segment—different trees, flowers, bushes and ferns.   Truly amazing and the few pictures I have don’t do it a bit of justice.   The part Geoff and I laughed the most about was when we came to a tiny town called “Whangamomona”—it had a pub, church, garage building and a few others but is no doubt the biggest town around for miles…they have a sign about it being “The Republic of Whangamomona” and then shortly after we passed through the “republic” there was a sign about “leaving the Republic of Whangamomona and welcome back to New Zealand”!   We totally understand how they could feel like their own little republic way out there in the middle of nowhere!    We thought it would be quite a prize to win a trip for two to the Republic of Whangamomona!   What an adventure that would be!   So off we go today to explore the beach and the city while we wait for the clouds to part so I can see Mount Taranaki (it’s been overcast and socked in since we arrived in the area!).    Back next to see the Tasman Sea again!

Later in New Plymouth – 9 PM – We went to find a place to “top off” the Vodafone so I could call Shelley—once that was accomplished, we went down a street towards the beach and parked, went for a short walk and saw a path down the hill to the beach!  

We took the path down to a public parking area and I sat on a picnic bench and called Shelley!   No problem with our connection today and it was good to chat with her—after Geoff said hello to her, he left and went for a walkabout down the beach boardwalk—this was Fitzroy Beach and the boardwalk goes all the way into the town of New Plymouth.   I talked to Shelley for about a half hour then I headed down the beach with many stops to take pictures of the black (and dark gray) sand beach, the plants and the kite surfers!   New Plymouth was in the distance and it was a very pretty site and a lovely day!    Unfortunately, Mt. Taranaki is still socked in with clouds—hopefully I will get to see the peak top tomorrow before we head north to the Waitomo glowworm caves!   I met Geoff coming back on the boardwalk and we walked along it then down to the beach—I was looking for a shell but this beach is pretty shell-free…at least where we were walking!   .them what to do...kind of interesting!   It was a lovely walk along the beach.   Back to the campervan and a cup of coffee/tea, a few cookies and off we went downtown New Plymouth.   Some of the Phutokawa trees were in full red bloom and they looked very Christmas like!    Just gorgeous in full red and green  colors!   We drove around the pretty town and then went to the i-site, museum and Library that was quite nice and very interesting.   I got a great map of both NZ islands so I can show all the detail of our travels!  They closed at 6 PM so we found a Woolworth’s grocery store and got a few things for dinner and back to camp we went!   Chef Geoffrey made a lovely steak dinner and my contribution was to pour the NZ Merlot!   It was all fabulous and I should have taken a picture for Larisa!  J   Now we are sitting her, Geoff reading the New Zealand Herald and drinking Victoria Bitter beer from Australia (pretty tasty!) and me, sitting with my glass of Merlot, sipping in between sentences!   That’s all for today from the NZ trail.  Love, Sue & Geoff xo

Wednesday, December 8, 2010 – Waitomo – 9 PM -  We left New Plymouth around 11 AM and even though the sky was sunny, there were still clouds shrouding Mt. Taranaki, so I never did get to see its peak but I told Geoff that we can’t wait around for it to show its stuff since it could take days…so off we headed..north and the drive was interesting and beautiful as usual.  Parts took us near the Tasman and then there are the beautiful rolling hills!   I bet those cows that are grazing along the Tasman Sea have no idea what kind of waterfront property they are living on!  

The colors of the Tasman were beautiful shades of blue with the contrasting white surf!   I laughed when I saw a goat sitting near the road on top of a small shed and a short while later there were four cows on top of a very small hill as if they were playing “king of the hill”…maybe “cow of the hill” is more suitable!   So before the Waimoto Glowworm Caves we come to a town called  Te Kuitoto, whose claim to fame is that it is the “shearing capital of the world”—Geoff says I can get my haircut here with no problem (since getting my haircut and nails done has become a high agenda item for me these days!).

“What do I pell?” (an infamous Jon Reisher 2 year old question when he could not say "smell").   In my case it could be just plain old beer farts!   LOL   Geoff is sawing logs after today’s drive and a stint at Curley’s Bar drinking Steinlagers on draft while I went through the Glowworm Caves here (he did it a long time ago and wasn’t interested in seeing them again), then a few more beers with me and up to the Morepork Pizzaria & Café for a HUGE “caveman” pizza (a good third of it left over—wish I could send it to Jordan for his breakfast, he would enjoy it) and a bottle of OysterBay Chardonnay (which I admit to drinking more than my half the bottle!).   Fortunately we were close to the camp so no problem finding our way back here—we were both sawing logs for a bit but I never can sleep as well as Geoff so here I am blogging while he catches up on some well earned rest!   Love, Sue & Geoff xo

HEY LADY, WHATCHA DOIN IN THE MEN'S LOO?

Monday, December 6, Taumarunui - 4:30 PM - Yes, it's true, I went to use the restroom at the Whakapapa Visitor Center and I wondered why it had two urinals in the ladies room!   I used the stall, washed my hands and on the way out saw a man coming in and said "Oops, I went into the wrong one!" Geoff is still teasing me about it!  Guess I need to pay better attention.   Was fun to talk to my Mom and SueB earlier--missed Shelley but will catch her later!  Don't have much time to post here so will write more about today's volcanic ski area visit later.   Here is the last few days: 

Thursday, December 2, 2010 – Lower Hutt – Since the weather was overcast and gray we decided to keep on driving  from Masterton to Lower Hutt (outside of Wellington) to camp.  By the way, I saw my first K Mart store here—there are others here in NZ but this is the very first one I have seen!  We ate at a Fish n Chips place but had burgers and chips (enough fries to feed 4 people!) and then went on down the road!   Our journey through the valley ended when we came to the Rimutaka Mountains and wound our way up and over (once again going up over the clouds at one point!).  It rained a bit but the closer we got to Lower Hutt the clearer the sky became!   A quick stop at the local Countdown store and we located the campground and set up things for the evening.   Going to explore Wellington tomorrow!  Love, S & G xo

Friday, December 3, 2010 – Wellington all day – After breakfast chores we headed out and the first thing was to find the AM International building where Geoff worked 29years ago!   We did find it and he went inside to find out if any one he knew was still around and sure enough, the man (Ian) who recruited him years ago is still there although he was on his way back from a business trip from Auckland—Geoff got his cell number for later use! 

We went on to Eastbourne (east of Wellington) and saw the gorgeous harbor—a very clear and sunny day..and Geoff pointed out that we could see snow on the south alps across Cook’s Strait and on the South Island!   I just realized I have now been to the far north of the north island to the very south (Wellington)!   What an extraordinary country this nation is!

After going as far via roadway as we could, there is a monument of the ship’s crow’s nest of the Wahine disaster (the ferry sunk in a severe windstorm—twice hurricane strength—and the monument is to honor those people who washed up on this side of the harbor—this is all per a friendly gentleman we met across the harbor while parked near a marina!).    I will learn more at the huge museum we will go to tomorrow.   We want to spend the beautiful day in the sunshine!   Geoff says that on a sunny day there is no place more beautiful than Wellington—I have to agree!  So around the harbor we drive and head into downtown Wellington—can see a cruise ship and the hourly interisland ferry (back and forth from north to south island) along with sailboats, cruisers and yachts in the harbor.   The city is modern with hints of bygone days.   It is very hilly in places and the houses and hills remind me of San Francisco!   We drive past the civic center and museum and on around the harbor to where we can stop and have lunch in the campervan.  I watch planes come into the airport and the incoming planes are all coming in over the harbor…just delightful.  On our way around to the marina we pass Oriental Parade—all along the beach of the harbor—people having their lunch breaks and jogging, walking, bicycling or just enjoying the sunshine!   Geoff used to spend his lunch hours around this area when he worked in Wellington proper.     We have a nice lunch and then a chat with the older gent who is out walking.   He asks lots of questions about the US and British economy.   It was fun to chat with him.

We next head back towards the downtown area and then a sharp left hand turn and many twists and turns up the mountainside to reach Mt. Victoria—the perfect place to see the best view of the harbor and Cook’s Strait!   I don’t know how to describe it except to say it was ideal for a 360 degree view of the area!   And on such a clear day you could see forever!

Back down the hillside, along Oriental Parade, past the “beehive” (a roundish building that houses NZ’s parliament!)  and then some other turns and I find us by the Wellington Botanic Gardens (and across the street from the Chinese embassy which looks very sterile and stern!).    We walk up the roadway and the first thing we encounter is a huge rose garden—you can smell the rose scent before you get there—just like the rose garden in Rotorua!   This garden is planted in a different pattern than the Rotorua garden, and has a big fountain near the center.   The roses are past prime but very beautiful!   We take photos (of course) and then go inside the buildings and see the inside greenhouse-like gardens that have giant versions of houseplants I have seen or tried to grow!   Lots of flowers (orchids, antheriums, etc.) and just a lovely but humid place.   We exit and walk up the mountain side along a great paved path…walking through a jungle of sorts, past sculptures and walk and walk and walk, up and up and up some more  and finally reach the top where there is a different view—from the top of where the city cable car arrives every 10 minutes!   What fun it would be to ride that to and from downtown to work each day—although I imagine its novelty would wear off after a while!   We spent a bit of time looking around and down the mountain, so Geoff scoped out a different return path and we saw totally different sites and lots more gardens, plants, trees and shrubs—very lovely—so was the tree house that we took a few pictures from!   Not your normal tree house but a larger version with a deck!   We made it back to the van and then decided to park inside the gardens and have our dinner—another Chef Geoff masterpiece, I must say!

Drove down into town and parked the van and walked the streets of Wellington (past another former work location that is now owned by a different graphic arts company) along with hundreds of people (although it was not crowded)…there were obviously groups having their Christmas celebrations in some of the eateries.   There are restaurants of every kind (Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, Mexican, Japanese, Indian, Turkish, etc., along with Fish N Chip places) plus lots of pubs from Irish to you name it!  I loved looking at all the places and seeing people of all ages out and about.   Geoff had a great meal at a Turkish restaurant so we book a reservation for Saturday night—there is a belly dancer, too!   I will find out if it is the food or the belly dancer that was so good!  J   We walked many blocks and ended up in an ice cream/coffee place and had what I call sorbet—I had passion fruit and mango, Geoff had kiwi fruit and caramel (they were both yummy).   We walked back to the van and headed back to camp around 10 PM.  It’s been a full day with lots of sun and views of a beautiful city and area!   I love Wellington!   Love, Sue & Geoff xo

Saturday, December 4, Wellington – We got up and it was another sunny and lovely day so after breakfast we did the wash and hung it out to dry.  After lunch we walked to a local bus stop and caught the number 83 into downtown Wellington to go see the Te Papa museum.   They have a great bus service and rather than worry about finding downtown parking, we decided to take the bus and leave the driving to “us”!  The museum is really huge and is absolutely fabulous for all ages (they have wonderful hands on areas for children that we both enjoyed, too).   I don’t know how to describe it adequately so will give it a try:  it’s free, it’s the national museum of New Zealand (and I agree with Geoff that it should be in Auckland where most visitors arrive to get the history of the country first!, it provides lots of history about the Maori’s and their beliefs (there was even a group of Maori men performing when we arrived), the theories of how New Zealand came to exist, lots about the early explores, the flora and fauna that are indigenous to NZ, history of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions (and a simulated earthquake house so you can “feel” and earthquake safely), Maori and other art (including an exhibit of Brian Blakes well known photos—he is a native NZ who passed away in 1988 but his wonderful worldwide photos live on). Information about the birds, Maori trees and their gum, the native shells (some of which I have found!), and just a bit of anything and everything you could want to know about NZ.   A day is not nearly enough to see it all but we put a large dent in seeing what we could.   We in one room where there is a large NZ map on the floor and it lights up square by square—the map is topographical so Geoff was trying to show me where places were and a Kiwi gentleman helped him out so, of course, we chatted with him a bit—he is originally from the south island and says there is no place better than Golden Bay (where he was raised!).   It’s always fun to chat with a local!

We stayed until it closed and then walked along the wharf/harbor.  There were lots of people out on this beautiful day—some having Christmas celebrations, wedding receptions, or just enjoying friends and family.   There are lots of pubs and restaurants along the harbor and I enjoyed seeing the different buildings and all the people.   It was nearing our dinner reservation so we headed towards Cuba Street and made it with plenty of time so slipped into J. J. Murphy’s Irish Pub and Geoff had a pint of Murphy’s Stout and I had a half pint of Monteiths Radler—it tasted great on such a warm day.   Geoff said here he was, in New Zealand, at an Irish Pub, watching Australia play England (cricket game on the TV), with an American woman—I said that he is just a cosmopolitan man!  We finished our beer (and Geoff found that there would be live music later) and I thought the place had a lot of character—wood panels and Geoff showed me that there were several semi-enclosed booths that you could sit in and enjoy a beer, dinner, music or all of the above!   We headed to the Turkish restaurant “Istanbul” and it was not nearly as packed as when we went inside the evening before to get a reservation.   It was very busy but we picked the right time to have our dinner…there were groups of people all around us.  Our waitress was from Argentina and quite helpful.   We shared an appetizer (Turkish bread with several hummus based dips) and then we had lamb shish kebab and shared a bottle of Two Tracks Chardonnay—I was stuffed and so was Geoff!    Between the appetizer and the main course, the belly dancer came around and she was pretty good (so I think it was BOTH the food and the dancer Geoff enjoyed the last time there!).  

She came around to all the tables twice and at some the of the groups, encourage one or two of the parties to dance with her!   It was quite entertaining and I like the whole experience!   The restaurant started filling up and we were done so we left and headed back to J. J. Murphy’s Irish Pub and sat and had a drink waiting for the music.   We never did find out the band’s name but they were very good!   They played and sang a lot of Beattles and Stones’ music—it was all great.   We left to catch the 11:50 PM bus back to Lower Hutt and only waited 5 or so minutes before our bus arrived.   It took a different route back and picked up some young people who were returning from the Bon Jovi concert near the harbor.   We got back to camp around 12:30 AM, claimed our clothes off the clothesline and called it a night!    What a glorious day and night we had in Wellington!   Love, Sue & Geoff xo

Sunday, December 5, 2010 – Tongariro National Park - Whakapapa campsite – 10 PM – We woke up to a windy and overcast day and headed north out of Wellington.  Geoff is right, we had the two best days in Wellington and now it’s time to get out!   We drive a short distance to Tihati Bay (where Geoff lived 30 years ago and where Graham was born).   We found the house they owned and it was quite windy on top of the hill (just as he had described on windy days!).   He had a view of Manu Island and Tihati Bay from that house—a spectacular view for sure!   It was fun to see where he lived and I think he liked seeing the house again!   We stopped in the town (it’s not so small any long, per Geoff) and picked up a few provisions and I saw my first “Denny’s” restaurant since I have been in NZ!  Funny to see it!

We headed north (part of the time along the coastline and I also saw Kapiti Island where the Dept of Conservation uses the land to work with endangered species), then through the town of “Bulls” and “Foxton” and stopped at a roadside rest area along the way to have lunch and a bit of a rest.  The wind was kicking up quite a bit and you can feel the campervan pull against it at times.   Geoff doesn’t seem to have any problem handling it, however.   We get to Wanganui and stop in the town center to check things out.   The weather seems to have cleared up since our late lunch stop so he decides that we should head for the National Park while the weather is good.   We drive and I see more breathtaking, indescribable views of rolling mountains, rivers, creeks, farms, sheep, horses, etc.   We stop to take pictures at Raukawa Falls along the roadside!   We continue on and then Geoff says “Look, the volcano!” and I see the snow topped volcanic mountain, Ruapehu! 

It is beautiful and must have a huge crater because it doesn’t have a peak like Mt. Rainier does!   It is dormant but Mt. Tongariro that we are camped near is still active although nothing is happening right now (4 years ago Geoff’s kids were warned about a Lehar but they did not have to evacuate).   There is also a 3^rd volcano, Mount Ngauruhoe which appears to be dormant right now.   The Maori legend is that the 3 volcanoes speak to each other!

So we see just lovely, lovely hills and valleys all the way up here and arrive at the National Park and the first thing you see is The Chalet (a huge hotel that has been here a long time—guess I will find out more history tomorrow at the visitor’s center).   We settle into camp, have a special dinner by Chef Geoffrey and then walk down to the local pub for a drink and Geoff tries, again, to explain the rules of cricket to me since that is on the big screen!   I still don’t quite “get it” but do have a bit more understanding about how it goes!   Now we are back in the campervan just chilling before bedtime.   What will tomorrow bring?   Always something new for me to see and experience!   I love it….love, Sue & Geoff on the NZ trail  xo