Feb 15, Our New Zealand painting party...

When we returned from our trip to Wellington, we learned that Richard had sent out a "help!" request for assistance on getting his rental house painted, and ready for a new occupant! His request for help resulted in 8 of us traveling from Hamilton and environs to Turangi - about a 3 hour drive. Peter and Bryan outfitted us in appropriate paint attire (silly us - we hadn't brought any!) and we made egg and bacon pie and potato salad to share for lunch.

We left Bryan and Peter's about 9 am on Sunday Feb 15th to drive to Turangi. Turangi is located just south of Lake Taupo in the center of the north island. We took the shortest route which followed along the Waikato River. The scenery was very rural and we saw a lot of cows and sheep along the way. New Zealand generates a lot of hydro electrical power and we stopped at one of the dams on the river that was built to generate power. Here's a picture of Peter looking over the edge of the dam.

Painting underway! Here's Dianne, working on the picky "cut in" work. The house was 3 bedrooms, one bathroom, dining area, kitchen and lounge (living room). There were 4 of us doing cut in throughout the house, and 4 others coming along with paint rollers.

Adrian, with John behind him, rolling away!

John, with brush in hand!

Here's Bryan - working away!!

Yay! Lunch break! Everyone had brought lunch stuff, so we had a great lunch spread! We forgot to bring the beer, but that was probably just as well, as we still had about 3 hours of painting ahead of us. At the bottom left is John, behind him is Bryan, then me, then Adrian (sitting down), a very grateful Richard, Peter, and Dianne in the foreground.

Mission complete!! The house looked great when we were finished! Both the rental agency and the new tenant, who moved in on Tuesday, were very pleased! : )

There were two very important requirements after painting - here's the first - a swim in Lake Taupo! Notice the "floating rocks" - we stopped at a beach with lots of pumice stones! As you can see, they float! The water was great and very refreshing!

The second requirement was a BEER! Here we all are at a pub on Lake Taupo. It was a great day - we were very productive and it was so much fun to all work together. There was lots of conversation and discussion about what food to prepare for the upcoming AGP. What a great group of friends and a great way to end another great week!

New Zealand - Week 4 ...

Our next "tiki tour" was to head south from Hamilton to Wellington, with various stops along the way. New Zealand has many dormant and active volcanos, and we were able to see some of the most famous on this tour. We also visited both Wanganui and New Plymouth, on the west coast of New Zealand, on the Tasman sea. The weather was great, with the exception of Tuesday. We were in Wellington on Tuesday and spent the day at Te Papa - New Zealand's national museum. It was totally amazing, and we were there from opening to closing, so the rain didn't bother us. The countryside was just gorgeous, and the roads were not nearly as twisty as it was in the Coromandel.

We really enjoyed the ski lift trip to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, the week after we were there, someone managed to set a fire and caused damage to both the chair lift and the cafe at the top of the mountain - terrible!!

We left on Sunday Feb 8 for Tongariro National Park and the volcanic mountains there. Sunday was beautiful with not a cloud in the sky so we could see the mountains at the park in all their glory. The mountains have always been in the clouds every time Bryan has taken me there so I've never seen them. So the joke has been that I tell him there are no mountains but this time I had to apologise finally seeing them.

This is Mt. Ngauruhoe also known as Mt. Doom in the film "Lord of the Rings" - taken from the valley floor.

We were lucky as the ski chair lifts were operating so we went up two sets of lifts to the top of Mt. Ruapehu. The volcanic landscape was amazing as well as the view of the valley below from the top of the mountain.

Here is one of the many water falls created by the melting snow on the mountain.


Here is an adventurous couple at the top of the mountain wading through the remaining snow bank.

The view of the valley below from the mountain top.

Mt Ngauruhoe taken from the ski chair lift on our way down the mountain.

The beautiful chateau and Mt Ruapehue taken from the golf course in front of the chateau.

Mt Ruapehu taken from one of the lava mounds in the valley.

Lake Taupo was close to the Tongariro National Park so we spent Sunday night at Lake Taupo. We had a motel right across from the lake. It was a wonderful warm evening and we had dinner at an outdoor cafe with a view of the lake and mountains. I got this picture at sunset of the mountains across the lake at Tongariro National Park where we spent the day.

Pat at the rose gardens in Pamerston North, on our way down to Wellington

A moveable feast! Sushi in Wellington - each little plate went around on a conveyer belt and you snagged what you wanted as it went by. Meanwhile, the chef added new selections to the belt - it was a hoot!

Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. This is one of the government buildings - great architecture!

There are three separate buildings here - the one on the far left is the newest - appropriately referred to as the "bee hive".

This is a description of the Maori sculptures that follow - I hope that you can read it!

The sculptures represent navigation - the one on the right is the waka, or canoe, the one on the left represents birds and the one in the middle represents the alter of stones that the Maoris built when they landed somewhere new.

The largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere

Another view of the "bee hive".

After Wellington, we drove north to Wanganui. It is a beautiful city, with lots of old buildings and flowers everywhere. Wanganui is on our "visit again" list.

On our way to New Plymouth, we got a great view of Mt. Taranaki - another volcano.

Here's a picture of Lee in our "executive suite" in New Plymouth! We were having a hard time finding a motel - lots of "no vacancy" signs for some reason! This hotel was right on the water, and because they only had their high end rooms left, gave us a deal - $100 us dollars! We had an amazing unit!

This is the view along the boardwalk in New Plymouth. We're definitely going back there again!

Great shot of a kingfisher who slammed into the glass of the conservatory at Bryan and Peter's, and was unable to fly for quite awhile! Shortly after this shot he recovered enough to fly off. I'm sure that he had a headache!

Can you guess who this is?

Here's a hint - this is a character in a movie. The author (and actor) is from Hamilton. This movie was popular in the 70's/80's, in fact, had/has quite a "cult" following! Any guesses?

More pictures from New Zealand...

The paddle wheel boat on the Waikato River in Hamilton. If we have time we hope to go on one of the rides along the river.

This is the first post office in Hamilton.

A brick caravan (house trailer) in front of the Hamilton Museum. So one of the art pieces from the Museum.


A belted Galloway cow... They look as though they are wearing a blanket.

Sunset at Westerland (Bryan and Peter's home)

The direction sign at the Driving Creek Railway at Coromandel.

One of New Zealand's Coast Guard boats at Raglan Harbour.

John's deck where we have been invited to lunch a couple of times. Thank you John for a wonderful time.

Here we are with the Rugby League World Cup which New Zealand won. The first time they won in over 100 years. The picture was taken at Forlongs where John works.

The guys at Raglan when we had Sunday brunch.

Walking on the ocean beach at Raglan. It was a beautiful day.

On the wharf at Raglan.

Taken at Bryan and Peter's deck in Raglan.

Relaxing on the deck at Raglan.

Having breakfast on the deck at Raglan. A wonderful way to start the day.

A beautiful rainbow at Westerland one morning.

New Zealand - Week 2 and 3...

It's hard to believe that we've been here for almost 3 weeks now. We're having a wonderful time and the weather has been great. Sunny and warm everyday so we're really enjoying summer.

After our trip to Napier, we had a few days in Hamilton. One day we went for a long walk along the Waikato River. Then another day I helped John with his computer and John fixed lunch for us along with Peter and Richard on his deck. We also had a day of shopping. It's fun to see what the shops are selling here. Pat couldn't resist adding some shoes and clothes to her already bulging luggage - packing to go home should be interesting!

Last weekend we went to Raglan. Raglan is on the west coast where Bryan and Peter have a beach home (bach). We went for walks through town and along the ocean beach. Saturday night we had a wonderful fish dinner on the deck of the bach. Sunday morning John, Richard, and Josephine drove over to Raglan and joined us for brunch on the deck. We had a great time munching and talking the morning and part of the afternoon away.

We returned back to Hamilton on Sunday afternoon since both Bryan and Peter had work on Monday. So we all got ourselves organised for Monday. Bryan and Peter went to work and we went on a 4 day "tiki tour" around the Coromandel peninsula. The first night we were in Coromandel township. Then on to Whitianga and Waihi Beach on the second and third nights. We were traveling north, and because you drive on the left (wrong!) side of the road, we hugged the coastline all the way from Thames to Coromandel town. The scenery was beautiful and the beaches were breathtaking! And the roads were narrow and very twisty! Lee did a fabulous job of keeping us on the right side of the road and negotiating all of those curves!

Both Thames and Coromandel sprang up when gold was discovered on the peninsula. Unfortunately, the good was embedded in rock, and very difficult to get to. Both towns are now quiet and peaceful. Coromandel has a population of 1,600 residents - and many top restaurants, cafes and motels, as well as great little shops. We stayed in the city center, but were able to walk everywhere, including a bush walk up to a Maori pa - a fortified area with a view of the surrounding area. There were also great oyster beds in the harbor - a great place for seafood. On Tuesday morning we took a ride on the Driving Creek Railway - a narrow gauge railroad that was created by a well-known NZ potter (Barry Brickell) to bring clay down out of the mountains. The train ride was a hoot, the scenery on the way spectacular, and the view from the top (the Eyefull Tower!) was amazing!

After the train ride, we headed on around the peninsula, to the east coast, where we headed to Whitianga, located on Mercury Bay. We stayed in a great motel, again, downtown, but within walking distance of the beach and harbor. The motel was owned by John's nephew and his wife, and John had sent them an e-mail and picture, letting them know that we were coming. We were fortunate to get their last room!

Regarding motels in NZ - they all come with kitchens, and in many cases, bedrooms, too! It's like being at home - kitchens are fully stocked with refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, etc., and they give you a carton of milk, for your morning tea! We were able to have breakfast in, every morning. Very comfortable and convenient! Bathrooms are compartmentalized - there is a little room containing the toilet, then a room with the sink, cabinet and shower. Very user-friendly with multiple people!

We had a lovely dinner in Whitianga - found a restaurant serving ahi tuna - yum!!

Wednesday was a beach day - we left Whitianga, headed for Hot Water Beach! This is a beach where the thermal water comes down through the rocks and onto the beach! You can dig a hole and it fills with hot mineral water! Then the surf mixes with the water and cools it! Quite a hoot! We didn't dig a hole, but when we squished our feet down into the sand, it was HOT! We also did a great beach walk there, and found some neat sea shells. After Hot Water Beach we went to Cooks Beach, where Captain Cook landed and claimed NZ for the crown. Again, it was on a beautiful white sand beach. We hiked towards Cathedral Cove, but decided that it was better reached by boat, and instead, went to Hahei. Hahei is another beautiful little beach town, located on a pristine, long white-sand beach. We stopped at the local market, picked up a couple of beers and some chips (we decided to be bad!) and headed for the beach. We found a lovely spot under a tree for our refreshments, then did a long beach walk. The beach at Hahei is pink! There's a pink shellfish there, and it gets crushed in with the sand, causing the pink tint. We picked up more shells there!

We ended our day in Waihi Beach, and had a motel right across the street from the beach - perfect! We stopped at a store and picked up stuff for dinner, and after we unpacked the car and stocked the fridge, we headed for the beach. The beautiful white sand beach there is about 5 miles long - we walked about 3.5 miles, picking up various sea shells, including conch, along the way - I was in heaven!

Thursday morning we went to Bowentown and walked the beach there, as well as the northern end of Waihi beach. The northern end of the beach was rich in seashells, and we came home with a ton of them! :)

Then we headed home, with a stop in Morrinsville for lunch and a wander. A wonderful adventure!!

Tomorrow we head south, destination Wellington, with stops along the way. We'll come back via the west coast - the Tasman sea. Check back next week for updates!!


The first picture is of John, Peter and I at Hamilton Gardens in Hamilton. The second is a picture of one of the trees that was used in the filming of the Lord of the Rings series. The tree is located in Tokoroa.

The is a view ot Thames. We are at the top of a hill, where there is an amazing monument to New Zealanders who lost their lives in WWI.

This is the Waikato river in Hamilton. There is a lovely walk all along the river. You can go for miles and it's just beautiful.

Lunch at John's! He and Richard installed a flagpole, and he raised the American flag in our honor!

"The boys" on the deck at Raglan last Sunday!

This is some of the "bush" on the Coromandel peninsula - ponga ferns!

This is the view from the "Eyefull Tower" - amazing!!

Here we are on the little narrow-gauge train. Lee and this Dutch gentleman agreed to take pictures of each of us, all done with sign-language!

Here's the little train - aptly named "Snake"! The track up the mountain was winding, with a lot of switchbacks.

At the top of the mountains, between Coromandel and Whitianga. This time the Swiss fellow we traded photographs with, spoke English! The view behind us is Auckland, but it was too hazy to be able to see.

Hot Water Beach!! Unbelievable!! As you can see, everyone was enjoying their individual spas, and the local market was taking advantage of the need for shovels by selling them!

More Hot Water Beach.

Cathedral Cove in Hahei - a fabulous snorkeling and kayaking location!

Hahei beach from Cathedral Cove. Hahei is the beach with pink sand, and where we were headed.

The lookout over Cathedral Cove

Lee at the lookout - note the bird that "posed" with each of us!

Waihi beach, looking north. The area by the rocks in the distance was rich in seashells!