Life is not measured ....: January 2007

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Mollie and Paul in Christchurch

It has been 10 months since we last saw Ben’s mum and Paul and we are thrilled that they too have been able to make the long journey out to see us. On the way over Mollie and Paul had a brief stopover in Dubai and then a few days in Sydney. It was weird to speak to them in Sydney as they were so close and then a week ago today they did the last short hop across the water to Christchurch. Ben managed to take a late lunch from work and so we were all able to go and meet them from the airport.

The last week has flown by, Ben has 2 sisters (Lucy and Charlotte) and 2 brothers (Matthew and Simon) and Louise and Daniel have 8 cousins so there has been plenty of catching up to do. We spent the first evening out on the deck enjoying a BBQ and some bubbly and most other evenings we have spent chatting and refining our bridge skills. On Tuesday, the kids were pleased to see Kate, our babysitter, and the four of us went through into Lyttelton for a meal at the Volcano Café. One of our favourite places to eat out, quirky with bustling atmosphere and great food, we were not disappointed.

We have spent the last week in and around Christchurch, taking a ride on the tram, visiting the Arts Centre which is the original site of the university and is now full of craft shops and of course Fudge Cottage, walking round the botanic gardens and watching the punters go down the river Avon (even after all this time here, it still amuses us to see all the English street names, croquet too is a popular game!).

At the weekend we had our Christmas (and birthdays) number 2. We opened presents together and then as it was raining opted to have our picnic indoors. It did brighten up later and so we went down to Rapaki and had a game of cricket – Mollie had never played before but you wouldn’t have known it as she belted the ball up in the air. We returned to Rapaki a couple of days later when it was hot and sunny and met up with some friends and managed a swim in the sea. The following day we drove round to Diamond Harbour, stopping off at Governor’s bay for a walk and then heading to the pub for lunch. Diamond Harbour is almost opposite Lyttelton Port and to get to it is a pleasant hour long drive winding round the various bays on the way.

On Monday evening we went to Willowbank which is a wildlife reserve and also the site for the Ko Tane, Maori experience. Having been once before and knowing the routine, Louise quietly asked if grandpa could be the chief for the night. The guide duly obliged, much to Paul’s surprise and the kids were thrilled. Grandpa had to perform the traditional Maori greeting and when we were ambushed, had to decide if we went into battle or remained peaceful. Luckily grandpa chose the second option and we were then taken into a hut to enjoy the rest of the performance. Paul also had a go at doing the Haka and Louise enjoyed taking part in the Poi twirling.

Sharon who will now do almost anything for a photo, got into a bit of hot water taking photos as since we were there two weeks ago have changed their policy and you are now no longer allowed to take pictures. I am now “discussing” this with them as I think they are doing it purely for commercial reasons rather than to protect the culture (we were positively encouraged to take photos the first time round). Having been at the sharp end of customer support, I’m doing my diplomatic best – RM I hope you would be proud of me! Anyway enjoy the pictures, I risked being thrown out and had a bit of explaining to with the children about breaking the rules, so I hope you like them!

Photos from Mollie and Paul's first week in Christchurch

Granny and grandpa have now taken the kids down to Lake Tekapo for a couple of days and when Ben finishes work tomorrow evening, we will drive down there to join them and will then spend the rest of the week exploring around Queenstown and Fiordland

Monday, January 15, 2007

It is very quiet here

Earlier today we took mum and dad to the airport where they started their long journey back to the UK. It was hard saying goodbye, especially as we don’t know when we will next see one another but we all enjoyed our few weeks together. We were pleased to be able to show mum and dad how and where we are living and hopefully it means that when we speak on the webcam in the coming weeks, you can picture what we are doing.

The last few weeks have also highlighted to us the things we love most about living in NZ: the beautiful landscape, free to explore and enjoy and much of it close to home (I don’t think we’ll ever tire of the port hills and the surrounding sea, the view from our window changes each day as we watch the tide sweep in and out and kite surfers or dinghy sailors out for a quick sail after work or racing at the weekends); the relative scarcity of people means you can drive for miles not seeing more than a dozen cars and at the same time enjoy the views and varied outdoor activities; the low density of population also gives people “space” just to be and our experience on the whole is that people are very friendly (we’ve especially noticed this in places like supermarkets, the cashier has time to chat and take an interest whilst packing the bags, if browsing for wine or cheese, people will stop and make a recommendation. I don’t think that people here are inherently friendlier, it’s just that a slightly less hectic way of life means that people can “afford the time”).

For as long as it lasts we are going to keep soaking it all in.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Daniel's Birthday

To say that Daniel was excited about his birthday would be an understatement, he started negotiations for his sleepover at least 6 months ago, and finally his day is here.

Four boys, all Star Wars mad, it’s no wonder that Louise took refuge and decided to camp out in our bedroom for a couple of nights!

Daniel had Josh, Morgan and Hamish over. They kicked off with Star Wars games, scoffed home made pizza and R2 D2 cake (Ben’s artistic talents, not mine), then more Star Wars, video, a midnight feast (at 9:30pm) and then bed … and eventually sleep.

Actually it was great fun all round and I think Daniel will remember turning 6 for quite a while to come.

Photos from Daniel and Sharon's birthdays

Kaikoura and Nelson

With mum and dad here and now well into the new year, we thought we’d take the opportunity to show them (and discover ourselves) a bit more of NZ. Ben was busy with work (and before you feel too sorry for him – he does get his chance in a couple of weeks) so the rest of us piled up the car and set for a few days taking in the north part of the south island. And yes, it was packed in at the usual Jenkins pace (mum and dad were pleased to get back to Christchurch for the rest!)

Our first stop was Kaikoura, about 3 hours north of here, the last half hour as you approach is along the rugged coast. Kaikoura itself is located on a rocky peninsula and the waters off the peninsula provide an ideal habitat for marine mammals and seabirds.

We arrived early afternoon and home for the next two days was an apartment overlooking the waterfront, as we sat on the balcony for dinner the first evening a mountain peak poked its head through the cloud. Although we had been to Kaikoura once before, that day had also been overcast and so the first view of the Kaikoura ranges, the peaks dusted with snow was pretty amazing.

The following morning we went down to the seal colony and the kids and I went for what we thought was a short sharp 45 minute walk round the coastline …. mum and dad took the car round to south beach where we were to meet up, and waited … and waited. The walk was interesting, you start on the rocks and later see sheep on the scrubland, then it is back to clambering on the rocks before finally reaching the muddy flats. We ran into plenty of seals (almost literally as we rounded one of the corners) and got “chased” by an oyster catcher (noisy, screechy birds that gave us all a bit of a fright). You can only do the walk at low tide and two hours after setting off, and just before mum called out a search party, we appeared round the corner.

Kaikoura is well known as a place for whale watching and this is definitely on our wish list to do, but it wasn’t going to be this time as the boats were fully booked on what was the first sunny day in a week (summer here, very much like the UK – unpredictable!). Instead we opted for an afternoon out fishing with the owner of our apartment. We caught loads of fish, mainly reef snapper and even a barracuda. It was great fun and provided a lovely dinner. Graeme also gave us three crayfish which we enjoyed as a picnic the next day. In Maori legend, Maui placed his foot on the Kaikoura peninsula to steady himself whilst he “fished-up” the North Island. The Maori name Kaikoura translates to “meal of crayfish” (Kai – food, koura – crayfish).

Kaikoura Photos

The next day we left Kaikoura and drove towards Nelson and the Harbourside Lodge, which was to be our base for the next four days. From here we were able to explore most of the region. On the way up we passed through Marlborough and Blenheim, the wine regions and stopped at Havelock where we found a nice spot for lunch.

We started with a day out in the Abel Tasman national park, the smallest national park in NZ most of which can only be reached by sea. The morning was spent on a catamaran sailing up the coastline and we then had the afternoon on the beach at Anchorage Bay before returning by water taxi.

The next day we spent exploring Nelson, not a huge town but we did find the oldest preserved street in NZ – very quaint except for the modern cars parked outside!

The following day we took another long drive, this time towards Golden Bay. A long windy drive took us to the top of Takaka Hill with beautiful views and the Ngarua caves cut out of the limestone rock which covers this region. On the way down to the beach we did briefly stopped at the Waikoropupu Springs. Louise and Daniel loved the beach, covering themselves in mud and playing on their boogie boards ... another great day.

Nelson Photos

Alas time to head back to Christchurch, a six hour drive so we made it interesting and drove back a different way taking in the Nelson Lakes, the Buller Gorge where we walked across the swingbridge and came back across on the comet line (grandad looks like he is having a great time, Daniel looks petrified – although afterwards said it was “freaky” – which I think is good!). The drive follows the length of the Buller river for ages and then it is through the Southern Alps via the Lewis Pass. Our final stop of the day was at Hamner Springs where were able to have a swim in the hot pools – grandad practically had to be dragged out!

We had travelled 1400km in 6 days and did loads. Louise and Daniel travelled fantastically well – Daniel has discovered Top Trumps in a big way so that kept him and usually grandma pretty well occupied on the long drives and they both enjoyed the many CD stories that we have (although if I have to listen to Horrid Henry one more time, I may just scream!).

So back to Christchurch for mum and dad’s last few days and a bit of peace? No chance – Louise wants to show them her horseriding and Daniel has his birthday sleepover to look forward to!

Other photos from mum and dad's visit