Our NZ Christmas

Christmas Eve
We pack our bags again and head off up to Picton. It’s a beautiful bright sunny day, we stop at a supermarket to get provisions for our Christmas w/e then drive up through the mountains, and along a river valley through old gold rush towns, stopping in Havelock to look at their funny little museum and flea market where we pick up a few bargains, arriving at Picton at about 2pm. The owners live in the bottom half of the house which is smothered with Xmas lights and decorations, and they’ve kindly supplied us with a few bits to get us in the mood. The place is comfortable and fully equipped with a large hot tub on the verandah. We wander into Picton which seems to have more boats than houses, then go for a swim down by the harbour. This is where the interisland ferry comes in from Wellington, it’s a really busy little harbour and marina.

Picton Harbour

Christmas Day

Driving through the Marlborough vineyards till we reach the Port Underwood Road that takes us along the coastal route up to Whites Bay, we decided we had to do the local thing and spend some time on the beach for Christmas Day. But we start off doing a circular walk, Black Jacks Track, through bush up to a look out, where we stop for our Christmas lunch of cheese and gherkin sandwiches. It’s very warm and we’re enjoying the cool shade of the bush. From the top of the ridge Mike spots 2 whales way below us swimming near the shoreline. Whites Bay is a local beauty spot and quite a few families have put up tents in shady spots behind the beach, everyone very relaxed and happy.  It’s a beautiful unspoilt beach and we enjoy a long swim, before setting off home, exploring  Monkey Bay on the way. Back home we have lamb, silverbeet and Jersey Bennies for dinner (they’re not real Jerseys of course, but a reasonable imitation). I manage to bite on a piece of bone, breaking a piece off one of my molars. After dinner we struggle to do a family skype the kids but the internet connection just isn’t up to it, so we end up watching an ancient episode of Dragnet on the telly before bed. It’s been a lovely day but not remotely like Christmas. Too hot to use the hot tub unfortunately.

Whites Bay on Christmas morning

View from the top of the ridge up the coast to Port Underwood

Boxing Day

What an amazing day! A really early start as we have to check in at the harbour at 7.30 with packed lunch and so on. The boat takes us up Charlotte Sound to Ship Cove on the eastern end of the peninsular where we do a leisurely 5 hour walk back westward to be picked up again at Furnaux Lodge. It’s one of those clear calm days with the sea’s like a mill pond. We’re soon surrounded by flocks of shearwaters skimming low over the surface of the sea. The captain then leisurely points out that there’s a few bottle nosed dolphins up ahead. The few turns out to be a really large school of dolphins, ducking and diving, chasing the boat and swimming underneath it, all just for fun it seems. There are babies swimming beside their mothers as well, and it is just the most amazing spectacle: there must be about a hundred of them surrounding us.

Setting off from Picton early morning Boxing Day

Ship Cove jetty where the boat drops us

Ship Cove is a lovely tranquil spot, visited no less than 5 times by Captain Cook, who came here to mend his ships and stock up with fish. Now there’s just an old jetty with a large info board, a few Maori carvings and a toilet block. The Queen Charlotte track begins here and meanders 3-4 days walk westward. We begin climbing quite steeply through natural unspoilt bush, and then drop over a col down into Resolution Bay. The Marlborough Sounds must be idyllic for people with boats: it’s a large area of peninsulas and islands, so there are masses of tiny coves and bays with no roads, boats being the only transport; so on a day like today, with just a light breeze, the sea is a wonderful turquoise blue and it’s as close to Paradise as one can imagine.

 

We’re just getting peckish when we come upon a picnic table where a few of our fellow travellers are gathered along with a group of wekas. They’re large flightless birds with tiny stunted wings, similar in shape to kiwis but without that great long beak. They’re very friendly, and are here begging for food. They grunt at us and skuttle around under our feet after the best deal. Really comical. We follow the coastline from here on more or less, and the bush changes from tree ferns to mostly manuka and beech. We’re hearing lots of bell birds and eventually see some, they’re olive green and are easily camouflaged up in the trees but their loud resonant song is unmistakable. Getting tired as we approach Furnaux Lodge where we drink tea and await the boat. The dolphins join us again on the return journey in spectacular fashion, it’s been quite a day to remember.

Looking down on Resolution Bay from the Queen Charlotte Track

27 December

Pack up again and head on back to Nelson a different way. First we visit the Wairu Lagoon bird Reserve, but it’s a hot still day, the birds are all hiding and there’s no shade, so we don’t last very long. We stop at Blenheim for coffee then drive back through the Wairu River valley between the Wither Hills and the Richmond Range, with famous vineyards all the way along. By then it’s nearly lunchtime so of course we just have to stop at the Cloudy Bay Winery for lunch, and a little bit of wine tasting while we’re here. You can sample 6 different wines for $5 which seems really cheap and the lunches are terrific, eaten out in the garden with misty lines of hills beyond the vineyards just like the Cloudy Bay wine labels. We stop again at the Nelson Lakes and do a short walk from the Visitor Centre at St Arnaud. Fish & chips back in our Nelson Motel.

Leaving South Island
We had a terrific holiday in Picton and because it’s hot Summer over here, we're out exploring every day and it's not a bit like Christmas so we didn’t really miss the kids any more than usual. Mike having the chance to work down here has been a fantastic opportunity for us to see another part of New Zealand, having accommodation and flight paid for, and my being able to slot into working in the local Hospice Shop has meant that I can keep busy doing something useful too. Beginning to feel like a gypsy with all the moving around though so quite looking forward to returning to our Auckland home on Friday, where we've been told Santa's paid us a visit.

Coromandel and Nelson

The Coromandel Peninsular
Before Christmas week we have our w/e in Coromandel which we’ve been planning for ages. It’s about 2 hours drive from Auckland and is a popular place for Aucklanders’ to go for a short break. We’ve booked a bach for 2 nights in Hahei, a little seaside place about half way up on the Pacific coast. Bach apparently derives from batchelor pad; ours is called ‘mini-Beaujolais’ for goodness sake. It’s actually quite large and just a short walk to the most beautiful beach, but it’s early evening and a bit cool to swim so we settle in and go across the road to the pub/restaurant. On the way down we realise that I’d forgotten to pack 2 of the most important items: camera and rucksack. Oh well we’ll have to manage without. Next morning is bright and sunny so we pack our gear (into a plastic bag) and set off for Cathedral Cove, a famous landmark beach a little further north.

We have an encounter with a large family of Californian quail, mum & dad with 16 chicks. Unfortunately they’re going the same way as us and we have a devil of a job overtaking them. It’s a lovely stroll along the hilly coastline with great views over the Pacific dotted with islands, spotting groups of kayaks, and looking out for birds. Eventually we get to Cathedral Cove, named after the massive stone archway dividing one beach from another, you'll have to look it up on the net. We swim when we get back to Hahei in beautiful clear turquoise water. By late afternoon we’re at Hot Water Beach, with flocks of people digging holes in the sand to make their very own spa pools. There are hot gases released at a couple of points beneath the sand making it really hot. We don’t go as far as stripping off and lying down, but it was fun watching people who did.

That evening we eat very well at The Church Restaurant. Next day the weather’s foul so we pack up and made our way back to Auckland.

Off to Nelson

Nelson has suffered worse weather this week than Auckland resulting in the worst floods and landslips they’ve had for many years, and Mike has been asked to go and do the assessment visits. So I get to go too of course; just as well I’ve not got a proper job and can just skive off the Hospice Shop shifts. All very sudden and we’re booked to fly Friday pm, staying in a motel. So we cancel our plans for Christmas up north and reckon we’ll plan what to do once we’re down there in Nelson.

The town is pretty small though it does have a rather ugly grey concrete cathedral up on a hill in the centre of town. It’s a little bit Wild West with a touch of Hicksville thrown in, but there are loads of individual potters, glass-makers and art galleries dotted around the place, so the town has a certain charm to it. We get invited out to meet Mike’s work mates on Monday evening which is a rather nice introduction, and on Tuesday I find a large Op Shop and offer my services to the manager. She’s glad to have me as lots of volunteers are off for Christmas, so I get 2 shifts for the week. No messing, you just roll your sleeves up and get stuck in. It’s great for me as it keeps me occupied and I get to meet a lovely group of women, all good fun.

Tahunanui Beach


Wonderful views across the beach to the Abel Tasman in the far distance

Tuesday evening we go for a walk on the town beach. It has loads of drift wood and stretches a long way westward. You can see the Abel Tasman hills away off north west under a very dramatic sky. There’s a group of people practising Tai Kwon Du (?) and further along a gang of kids performing with steel drums and whistles. Erosion has left enormous tree roots exposed where the sand meets the dunes, perfect for kids building dens.



Lovely tangled tree roots exposed at the top of the beach where trees have fallen

23 DecemberSo far we’ve had 2 invites for Christmas dinner (one from each work place) but we’ve decided to get away and go walking. Have a lot of trouble with internet connection at this motel and of course a lot of places are booked up but eventually find a little place in Picton, which is down on the Marlborough Sounds, quite close to the famous Queen Charlotte walking track. We’re booked in for 3 nights. Mike’s been asked to extend our stay as there’s a lot of work here so we agree to extend our stop till New Year w/e. We’re just getting ready to go and Mike gets a call to say there’s been yet another earthquake in Christchurch. We turn on the news and they’ve had 2 in quick succession: 5.8 and 6.0. No deaths reported but plenty of damage. Does this mean we’ll be here moved down to Christchurch next I wonder?

Christmas Approaching

Okura Estuary Reserve, 4 December
Its a damp cloudy Sunday in Auckland, and when we set off on our weekly ramble it’s spitting with rain. We cross a wooden bridge over the river and immediately enter fairly dense bush. Of course when you’re under this canopy of trees you aren’t really aware how much it’s raining you just get dripped on a bit. There are far more kauri trees here than we’ve seen before, both large and small and as it’s a reserve many of the trees have name plates.  So we at last learn the name of the other enormous old trees we’ve noticed before, the Puriri,  which have yellowish trunks and mostly have epiphytes growing (sorry if I’m get a bit technical for some,  just showing off my improving botanical knowledge). We walk for a couple of hours and it definitely feels wetter. Eventually we come out onto a beach and feel the full force of the wind and rain but ahead of us we see Dacre Cottage which is our destination. It was built c.1860, a tiny brick building with a white picket fence. We shelter and have lunch. An English family join us, been out here for 4 years and loving it. There’s no other way back so eventually we just have to brave the now torrential rain and gusty winds back across the beach and into the bush retracing our steps back to the car. By which time I’m wet through, and I mean right through to pants and socks. My once famous forever-waterproof Brasher boots have let in half a pint of water each. Back home for a hot bath, then out for delicious Chicken Laksa at our local Malaysian restaurant.



The deep dark shade of the bush shelters us from the rain

Thursday 8 DecemberToday seems to be a red letter day, things feel different somehow. I realise I don’t use the Satnav in the car as much as before. I feel a little more rooted, slightly less of the fish out of water I’ve felt for so long. Some tourists ask me directions to Mount Eden and I give them a sensible response without looking at their map. I meet Mike for my favourite Sushi lunch and we’re greeted by the Japanese owner, his wife wants to take our photo for their wall. Not sure what’s happening there! I buy myself a beautiful big bunch of flowers and spend the afternoon ironing Mike’s shirts as promised.

Walk in Whatipu, 11 December
Another amazing Sunday ramble. A long drive south west to a spit of land at the northern end of the entrance to Manukau Harbour. Our Satnav is struggling a bit with her Maori pronunciation and is converting Whatipu to ‘Farty poo’ much to our amusement. The last 10 km or so is on a rough dirt track going down to the coast. We walk up to the top of the nearest hill to get our bearings. It’s another section of the Hilary Trail which seems to pop up everywhere here, and we’re climbing up through manuka and flax and over some exposed lava flow to a staggering view at the top, water on 3 sides, where someone has kindly placed a bench for us. Great view up into Manukau harbour in the direction of Auckland and over to the Tasman Sea in the other direction. The sea side here is a wild area of swamp, dune and lagoon and the long beach is a mass of swirling black sand. We see fishermen way below us but few other people. On the way down I collect a few dead flax flowers with a view to creating an alternative Christmas tree back home.

Looking down onto Whatipu Beach from the headland

We’re ready for lunch but struggle to find some shelter from the sand storm back on the beach. The sand seems liquid here with the wind blowing it into strange shapes and causing wonderful wavelike patterns, in blue, purple and brown, almost metallic in places. Apparently there’s a lot of iron in the black sand and when the sun’s full on it bright flashing points of light are reflected. There’s a huge flock of white-fronted terns wheeling round above us and while Mike’s absorbed watching them, two rather cute black oyster catchers with bright red beaks and feet are flying at me. I didn’t realise I was standing just next to their clutch of eggs and they’re trying to scare me off. Just 2 little speckled eggs lying in a dent in the sand, no nest at all. I walk away and they settle down.

I just love the wonderful patterning you get in the sand with debris from the high tide mark

We go inland a little and find ourselves walking into a swamp. It’s a very dry swamp but our feet sink into matted grasses, about 18 inches at each step, and if you stand too long in one spot you get wet feet. I’m collected beautiful star-burst grasses for my alternative Christmas tree.

My beautiful NZ alternative Christmas Tree with flax, shell and reeds

Working at the Mercy Hospice Shop
First impressions weren’t great. The volunteers are lovely and set me off on the right track, but Amanda, the manager, gave me no introduction at all. Said hello when I arrived and gave me a big smile and a thankyou when I left 3 hours later, nothing in between. The shop itself is bigger than the Headington shop, and there is a basement floor selling furniture and electricals, with a separate manager. The furniture is pretty tatty unfortunately and not well arranged, but the floor I’m on is well presented, though rather over-stocked.  It’s good to be working a proper shift and I really enjoy being with the other volunteers but was amazed not to be offered tea, coffee etc by the manager, and certainly no biscuits, let alone cream cakes, were to be had. Have to start bringing in my own I guess. After another couple of shifts Amanda talked a bit more, but she tends to stay in the back room all the time. In fact volunteers don’t seem to do much sorting that I can see. It’s all sorted and priced out the back then brought in for the vollys to put out in the shop. They have no culling system at all, so the rails are over full and there is no recycling company like Choice to sell rags to, so all reject goods are given away to other less fussy charities. Nothing is steamed either so the clothes can look a bit scruffy. As for the window displays, Andrene would have an absolute fit if she saw them. There’s a paid window dresser who does all 7 shops, so I can’t just step in and re-do them but they do look very amateurish.

The shops make a fair amount of money, we took $2000 (about £1000) on the last Wednesday I worked and that’s excluding the furniture department downstairs.  The Mercy Hospice shops are considered to be at the top end of the scale, which is why I chose to volunteer with them of course, as opposed to the Sally Army or the Red Cross shops which are a bit smelly and down at heel. I was given a good tour of the Hospice itself by the volunteer co-ordinator, who also explained its history and answered our queries. There are 7 shops in total throughout Auckland but appears to be no-one in overall charge of them, so each shop manager is pretty much autonomous. I’m missing the Christmas party unfortunately as we’re away for the w/e but can’t be helped.

Christmas is coming . . .
and we’re off to Nelson on South Island all of a sudden! There’s been an awful lot of rain here, especially down south and Mike Boon, Special Agent, has been asked to go down to Nelson where there’s been a lot of flooding, to assess the damage. He’s booked to fly down next week (Mon-Fri) so I’m going too, just for the hell of it. Think of me as Lady Penelope to his Scott Tracey, in Thunderbirds are Go. So we’ve postponed the Tree House and I’ll find somewhere nice down there for our Christmas w/e.

One month on

Dad
Bad news. My Dad’s been in hospital since Wednesday and Mum isn’t coping very well, and is desperate for him to come home. We don’t think it’s anything serious, probably just a severe case of constipation, but because of the dementia he’s very confused and doesn’t really understand why he’s there. Of course if I was still in Oxford I’d be going over there to give Mum a bit of support, and I’m now feeling pretty useless not being able to help, despite the regular half hour phone calls. He's out in 5 days, and Mum's relieved, but it's made me realise just how far away we are over here.

Scraping the Car
More bad news. I may have mentioned the nasty entrance to our backyard. You turn into a narrow lane off the main road and then do a 90 degree left turn, through a narrow gap in the wall, into our back yard. Well I’d done it a few times OK but the inevitable happened yesterday and I ended up literally wedged against this bloody stone buttress, having scraped the passenger door. I really was stuck, didn’t dare go backwards or forwards. Luckily I wasn’t blocking the lane too much but the 2 neighbours’ cars in the yard were blocked in. You can imagine the state I was in. Luckily Mike works quite close and came to the rescue. What I’d give to have my old mini back again, or at least a beat-up old car that could cope with a few more scrapes, instead of this smart company car. Rotten because I’m not the most confident driver anyway (always been happier on my bike) and this has really put me back a bit. Been forcing myself out so I don’t lose my nerve.

Hunua Falls, 20 November
This was our outing on Sunday. Driving southeast from the city to this local beauty spot with car park, toilets etc., but walk for 10 mins and you’re in dense jungle. We did a 3-4 hour circular walk way up high to a reservoir and then back down again. Mostly tree fern and palms again but we also came across a grove of enormous kaurie trees. They really are the most splendid, majestic trees, with massive, vertical trunks. The waterfall back by the car park was rather impressive too with a lovely pool below, some guys abseiling beside it and a family of welcome swallows feeding their young below.

Standing at the foot of the Hunua Falls

Rainy day
So today I feel completely house-bound. It’s pouring with rain and blowing a gale outside, and there’s a third car in the yard. I’ve taken a look and reckon it’s just too difficult a manoeuvre for me to get ours out, and daren’t risk another embarrassing scrape. Maybe I’ll get out on the bus. Then just as I’m setting off I hear the car going so I drive off after all; the sun comes out as too.

Waiheke Island, 27 November
We set off on the train to Britomart, Auckland’s transport hub, then get the ferry over to Waiheke Island which is quite a long way off and takes 45 mins on the ferry. We’re all packed up with lunch and cozzies (just  in case) as the weather’s pretty good. We hire a beat up old car for $50, and set off for the beach, though its a bit a bit early for swimming. Beautiful beach with a few people , palm trees etc. After a wander we decide to head for the tree and bird reserve which proves to be very well hidden. The island is about the same size as Jersey with about 5,000 people living on the western half and just farms and wineries on the eastern half, which just has a dirt road around the edge. Most visitors head for the beaches or the wineries  but we manage to find the reserve and set off on a circular track. Wonderful  jungle walk with palms, tree ferns, some pines and a few enormous kaurie trees. We eventually find an exit but it’s a different one so the car’s nowhere to be seen. Head back in and half an hour later we’re back where we started, and stop for lunch at an overgrown picnic spot under the pohutukawas. Then we decide to head for Stony Batter, some fortifications from WW2 which are on the uninhabited side so we’re driving on extremely undulating dirt roads, Mike that is, not me. We miss out on the Battery as it closes early but the Stony bit was very impressive. Enormous rocks thrown up by a volcano sitting in tumbled profusion on the landscape.  It was jungle for millions of years and the acid drippings from trees above has worn beautiful smooth grooves into some of the rocks. Funnelled rock erosion is the correct geological term I believe. Got back to the ferry and spotted a giant sting ray gliding under the pier head (about 5 foot wing span). A wonderful mini holiday, though we still haven’t managed our swim.


Big rocks at Stony Batter

Rock Hugging

Day out at Devonport

I catch the ferry over to Devonport which is on the North Side, and meet up with Cousin Rita. We wander around this rather quaint town doing bits of shopping then find a nice place for lunch of course. Rita’s very excited about her 2 sons coming over for 3 weeks at Christmas, and is busy buying stuff to make the house look festive. I’m finding it well nigh impossible to rustle up any kind of Christmas spirit: it’s early Summer over here remember!

Work on the horizon
I’ve been feeling a bit more at a loose end. Thought not working would be easy, but actually it leaves one with just too much time on one’s hands. So I’ve been busy searching out voluntary jobs and have applied for 3. One’s in the Museum across the park, one’s in the hospital (also very close by), and the third is, of course, in my favourite op shop. I’ve applied on-line and have just learnt that interviews won’t now take place till end of Jan, as everything is closing up for the long Christmas break (their Summer hols). I really don’t want to wait that long so have been on the war path to speed them up a bit. Also I was amazed to find my work visa has been approved already so I’ve started to look for part-time paid work too.

Keeping fit
I started a yoga class this week and it’s rather different to the classes I’ve been to before. We spent a lot of time working against the wall for a start which was kinda weird, and we also did stuff with little wooden blocks and bean bags! A male teacher too: all very kiwi but quite fun. I’m also swimming in the local pool a couple of times a week. It’s Olympic size (yes, 50m!) and each length seems to take forever. It has a sauna, steam room and a lovely spa pool included in the entry so makes for a good outing.

Settling in

Moving in, 12 November
Moved in Saturday am.  Miranda and Stuart have worked really hard making it lovely for us. It’s a little bit bare and needs pictures and more odd bits of furniture, but is just great for us, and I’m keen to personalise it with our own bits (bought from charity shops of course). Only problems are that it is a little bit dark and quite cold, but certainly the latter problem will be a benefit when the hot weather comes. They stayed and chatted for ages about things to do and places to visit as well as how to work the washing machine etc. Then finally left and it was all ours. Mike said he should have carried me over the threshold.

Charity Shop Update
I’ve now discovered some smaller charity shops within Auckland, I guess the big warehouse ones are on the outskirts and smaller shops, more like UK ones, are dotted around the different inner city districts. There’s one group called the Mercy Hospice Shops which remind me of H&D in that there a bit more stylish than the rest with nicer stuff. I can definitely see myself volunteering with them . . . not just yet though.

The Auction, 14 November
I went to an auction yesterday (it’s on every Monday). Never been to one before and didn’t have a clue to start with, but what fun it was! There’s just  loads of furniture in a large warehouse space with just about everything you could think of in terms of household stuff. It took 2.5 hours to auction everything and I bought 4 things for a total of $120 (about £60). A good solid coffee table for our lovely front room, a small table, a mahogany bedroom chair, and a lovely green teapot which I couldn’t resist. If I’d been pricing it in H&D I reckon it would have totalled £180 (though I did have a reputation there for upping the prices a bit). So I think I may become a regular. The funniest bit was when Mike appeared over by the entrance to collect me after his football training: I waved at him in greeting and the auctioneer thought I was making a bid of course.

The Swim, Beachlands, 13 November
We explored the southern east coast of Auckland on Saturday and as I knew the water was warm we took our cozzies. Found a lovely beach with a few people in the water so went for it. Ended up in a bit of a pickle because we hadn’t realised how shallow the water is here, so you have to go out miles to get deep enough to swim. Guess that partly explains why its so warm. It was also low tide which didn’t help. The beaches are deceptively pretty here with loads of shells and little pebbles. Trouble is once you’ve taken off your shoes it becomes almost impossible to walk them because of the jagged surface. So there we were, like a couple of old women holding onto each other trying to get into deeper water. I’m ashamed to say we aborted the attempt after 10 mins and went to buy an icecream instead.

The Weather
The seasons seem to change 2 or 3 times a day here so I end up changing my clothes all the time. I’m struggling with the wind, it has to be said. Now I know why all the women have their hair either tied back or cropped short. Because if, like me, you have mid-length hair you step outside the door and immediately look like you’ve been dragged through a bush backwards. The bright bright sun is a quite relentless but sun screen and dark glasses help a lot.

First installment

Arrival, November 2
The first half of the flight to LA was OK because I was sat next to a handsome young Anglo-Chinese guy and we chatted nearly all the way. LA was a pain because I had to collect my bags, go through their obsessive security, then check myself back in again. LA to NZ was exhausting and I couldn’t sleep properly, but Mike was there waiting for me the other end so all was fine. Back to a little motel room, but we’ve now moved to a larger one with kitchen/diner and sitting area so not too bad.

The Walk

On Sunday we set off on a cold, blustery day, climbing up from sea level to cliff tops through dense bush, palm trees, tree ferns and kaurie trees. They call it bush but so far as I’m concerned it’s jungle and a machete would have been useful on occasion. Flattens out a bit at the top where we come across a group of people surrounding a woman who’s broken her ankle. Someone’s already set off to summon the rescue helicopter. A cautionary tale for us walkers. We carry on down past streams, along muddy tracks, hanging onto the trunks of palms to help us down like Tarzan and Jane.

At the foot of the hills we come out onto sand dunes, but the sand is black so its look really weird and other-worldly. Then we see black swans with bright red beaks to complete the picture. Suddenly a squall whips up from nowhere and we’re sheltering under the palms. It passes and we forge ahead through the weird black dunes to get to the beach and back where we started. We find ourselves passing through a man-made tunnel and enter a little paradise. Sheltered between the cliffs and the dunes, with lagoons, palms and ferns, we see little fan tails fluttering in the trees, and the air smells fantastic. Eventually we arrive on the beach itself which stretches for miles and miles in both directions. The sea is just wild, and the black sand is blowing towards us. No pebbles but white shells scattered here and there on the black sand. Across more dunes to get back to the car and I’ve completed my first ever walk in NZ.

The Flat
Very exciting . . . it’s a large basement flat owned by a lovely elderly couple who are doing it up a bit as their daughter’s just moved out to go to work in London. We are obviously perfect tenants (they don't know us yet) and they’re very keen to have us so they’ve dropped the rent a bit and are hunting around to find bits of furniture, bedding, kitchen equipment etc. It has large rooms and faces the southern end of Auckland Domain. The house is c.1905 and has plenty of character and some beautiful sofas and armchairs. No garden as such but a large terrace out front looking over the road to the park. It even has a piano (maybe I should learn to play in my spare time?) And I’m chuffed to bits because I just went to see it again and put down 1 weeks rent in advance so it’s definitely ours and we’re moving in on Saturday.

The Op Shop

Forget the Charity Shop as we know it over in the UK, and think warehouse. Bloody great big warehouse crammed full of everything you can think of. I’ve only been to one so far but apparently this is the norm. Everything is priced up and pretty cheap too. My first purchases: 1 linen shirt, 1 mug, 1 pottery fruit bowl, 1 paperback, totalling $5 which is £2.50 in proper money. Fantastic, I shall be back. Also went to view an auction, just for fun, and saw quite a few bits I like. Trouble is I won't know exactly what we need until we move in.

Getting around

This is the bad news: just about no-one bikes here in Auckland, at least only sporty people in lycra. Firstly its bloody hilly. Yes I know I’m pretty good going up & down Headington Hill, but there are about 50 hills in Auckland, all extinct volcanoes, and it would be really hard work. Secondly, there are loads of nasty big 6 lane highways going into the centre and I really don’t fancy cycling on them. Thirdly, because no one cycles (relatively) there are no second-hand bike shops around and none on Gumtree or Trademe. The good news is that this is forcing me to drive more, and as Mike doesn’t always need his car I’ll be able to get around still.

My cousin Rita

I first learned she was in Auckland about a month ago and went over to North Shore yesterday where she's been living for the last 6 months. Didn't dare to take the car but it was only 3/4 hour by train/bus. She's not settled well and has a bit of a down on NZ overall, not happy with the shops, and doesn't have anything to do. She's living in a lovely big house overlooking Castor Bay which has a turquoise sea and clean yellow sand but Innes is at work all day and I think she's just bored. It was good to catch up with her but I honestly can't see us spending a lot of time together. She's used to living in an ex-pat community in Saudi and isn't keen on the great outdoors I think, so I guess NZ is not the place for her. We walked on the beach and went for a paddle. The water was so warm I'd have been in like a shot if I'd had my cozzie.