Friday, October 17th

Travel day.  Not much to report today.  No big hurrry as we don't leave for Wellington untl late this afternoon. So, as a thanks to ben, we do some cleaning around his appartment and remake the bed.  He has new guests coming in tonight, and we thought that we'd just help out a bit give all the extras he's done for us.  He'll get a very good review from us.

It turns out that we sold some 31 of the 41 T-shirts we took to New Zealand.  Still learning what sizes to have extra of and what sizes to limit.  David popped out and converted the NZ currency to dollars.  One little boost.  Someone paid with Aussie money.  Not to worry, the bank took care of that.  And... we ended up with a few more NZ dollars than we expected since the Aussie dollar is worth more.

Anyway, around mid-afternoon we headed down to Queen Street to catch the bus to the airport.  Just stopped at the first bus stop we came to.  When the bus came by, we signaled, but the driver wouldn't stop as we were not in an "airport" bus stop.  They do follow rules in this country.  Another fellow was waiting with us.  The driver indicated the next stop up, so we hustled up to that stop.  Fortunately, the traffic lights suck in Auckland, so we actually beat the bus to the stop.  Of course this didn't help Joy's leg much.  But we made it to the domestic terminal.

The flight was pretty much uneventful - about an hour.  Big surprise was that they served wine and beer on that flight at no extra charge.  A Boeing 737 that was essentially a big bus.  Just about all seats full.  The nice ride ended as we dipped into the clouds and turbulence as we landed.  Very windy with mist blowing. 

Our hosts, Tony and Lynnda, greeted us and took us to their home - high up on a hill overlooking the hills and valley below.  They had one of those million dollar views.  They were going to take us out for dinner, but the weather was so rough that we all decided to just stay in.  Time to get acquainted and relax.


Saturday, October 18th

The day dawns a bit rough and ragged, but the sun is beginning shine through.  After breakfast we pile into Tony and Lynnda's car and head for a meeting point.  Oh, I'd better describe Wellington a bit.  The city is on the bay (Wellington Bay, what else?).  Then it spreads up and around steep hills, flowing into several valleys like water into intersecting gullies.  The houses splash up the hillsides - any house with a view has lots of glass on that side.  Kind of feel sorry for those people in houses without a view.



Today we have a harborside tour to see the general area around Wellington Bay.  The wind is blowing hard, as usual.  I have a collapsing umbrella ("brolly") in my back pocket, just in case.  Don't know what the wind would do to it.  But no problem - it never rained.   Our first stop was Mt Victoria, which at one end of the bay.  There our Kiwi friends told us of the Maori creation stories of how the land came to be formed.  From the top of the hill we have great views of the city, the bay, and even the airport, reclaimed from the bay itself.  Tony discovers the altitude marker for Mt Victoria and is amused to realize that his house is higher, and not on a "mountain".  Yep, it's just a hill.  But the view is nice.









We continued along the harbor, twisting and turning with the shore line.  The water is clear and blue.  Sailboats were beginning to appear, along with kayaks as the wind diminished.  Lunch was at a beachside cafe.  Crowded and a bit noisy, but we managed just fine.  Jeanette, the Kiwi hostess in charge had developed a quize that we filled out as we toured.  She graded the papers and delivered the good or bad news at lunch to lots of laughter.  Nope, Joy and I didn't win.  Even with Tony's help (or was it help???).











After lunch we went separated ways.  Tony and Lynnda took us to a very interesting combination botanical garden and NZ plant "refuge".  The park was huge, so we only took in part of it. 

Can you say "hugely fat pigeon?"

Lots of steps and slopes.  Huge trees and palms.  Thick undergrowth as would have been found when NZ was discovered.  All along the way, Lynnda gave us a running commentary on the trees, their uses, and ecology.  That lady has some fantastic knowledge!  Not much wildlife, as we've become accustomed to.  A few Tia (parson birds) sightings and several rather plump tree pigeons.  These birds are about twice the size of our normal pigeons.  And they love to eat.  Lynnda says that she's seen times when they ate so much they simply fell off their perch.  We whiled away 2-3 hours in this delightful spot.











Finally, home again.  Time for dinner, some good conversation - they are very easy people to get to know.  Then it's bedtime again.