tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79699512044211570922024-03-15T00:27:21.178+13:00Alan's Rambles^^Click the title above to get to my homepage^^
To be able to make a comment, click on the green headings to have full access to individual posts.Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-40465885852145076312021-01-17T11:15:00.010+13:002021-01-17T11:19:44.641+13:00Nelson Christmas Getaway Break<p>The week before Christmas we had a mini break in Nelson. Firstly we stayed overnight at Maruya Springs. They have changed up the layout of the reception area. Apparently they did this during lockdown. We got chatty to a family in the guests social room, where Mioni started playing with blocks that their 2 year old child was playing with. The family were from the states, originally on holiday here but then Covid happened. They decided to stay to see it through.<br />Mioni LOVED the warm water here. We started at the outside pools where a worker was taking temperate checks. We followed her around to the indoor pool so we could know which was the least hottest pool for Mioni's sake. The indoor one was the most suitable, so we stayed there.<br />The dinner was a set menu which is different from what we are used too here. Sabine chose the red meat option and I chose the veg option. The only other one would have been seafood. I also choose an apple crumble flavoured cider which was something different for a change. That night we didn't get much sleep due to Mioni being noisy all night, tossing and turning etc.<br />The breakfast buffet was gone, and the only decent option for breakfast was really small. Ergh.<br />We checked out the room, then went in the outdoor and indoor pools for a bit, then left for Nelson. The drive was hours. We did stop briefly at Maruya Falls waterfall again, and then for a coffee break at Murchison. We stayed in Richmond, a suburb of the city.<br /></p><p>Nelson is quite a big place, and is nearly as far north as Wellington even though its on the South Island. There are a few interesting places to visit, one being 'Queens Garden', which is a Chinese garden, and the other is 'Miyazu Japanese garden'. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDc0bUkqI9EYLs-W8N-lWpK-3bn8BQlEyq6-iDPTsOqvS6hTzGwVLDwHQzv0RmSP6vI0SC72gLPPlPnE1LFg05smc2QB-nHtUbFpUYVEUDwXa9dFjdON_Kz54HjSxZun09W4Yf3uX2tk/s2048/20201215_134102.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDc0bUkqI9EYLs-W8N-lWpK-3bn8BQlEyq6-iDPTsOqvS6hTzGwVLDwHQzv0RmSP6vI0SC72gLPPlPnE1LFg05smc2QB-nHtUbFpUYVEUDwXa9dFjdON_Kz54HjSxZun09W4Yf3uX2tk/w225-h400/20201215_134102.jpg" width="225" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsBrElVgSdE-7cOYEkt2avUkLmfpfx2j9smjzpKNCzGbklwfv1k9L3lYrlvBDbXwwDuHKgGPTF_wTqW7xeKVkVGPVPvIvZ-Sv_T8gDGqKFPHv9A3BmUJXzwKHQskaaZLOtnMCebpdH3U/s2048/20201217_113102.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsBrElVgSdE-7cOYEkt2avUkLmfpfx2j9smjzpKNCzGbklwfv1k9L3lYrlvBDbXwwDuHKgGPTF_wTqW7xeKVkVGPVPvIvZ-Sv_T8gDGqKFPHv9A3BmUJXzwKHQskaaZLOtnMCebpdH3U/w400-h225/20201217_113102.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>One of the days here we walked a stretch of Abel Taman. We caught the Sea Shuttle From Kaiteriteri to Tonga Quarry and walked south to Medlands Beach. I wore a backpack that had Mioni sitting at the back. It was hard going and we had to stop for a rest quite often, but we had 3 hours with plenty of time, so we didn't rush it. A highlight during the walk was a Fantail family with two chicks right above our heads. There was also a Weka that followed us for a bit, and another that tried to steal Mioni's hat from the backpack when we took a rest at the Medlands Beach. The boat was a good one so we didn't get wet at any point.<br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yMA959Ud4guyR5k_Sabq2nWeC5BSMpyaTxeN3tz5mZ3XsPpkVzZVXQptJZopVxyv2z3X-qqpCkCPkcwnrU-x245twkEd5ozcATWiwsJ_cXA4PWqTSTW_wycl7AwkBGywVyuhVHS00t0/s2048/20201216_131931.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yMA959Ud4guyR5k_Sabq2nWeC5BSMpyaTxeN3tz5mZ3XsPpkVzZVXQptJZopVxyv2z3X-qqpCkCPkcwnrU-x245twkEd5ozcATWiwsJ_cXA4PWqTSTW_wycl7AwkBGywVyuhVHS00t0/w400-h225/20201216_131931.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDaeRaQfkHKW46kF4qytCB7CKrFiNxfyvgwCVkFy1bkBQgTbcPjxtfJ46nv1zRA3WiUD0VdJNWiu1dG1y0MbhqtZhmzROi9FIaEVQXBPsfkT8Ed-yn1gggk-wmrkZU4oyoepL4iFL0O4/s2048/20201216_130958.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDaeRaQfkHKW46kF4qytCB7CKrFiNxfyvgwCVkFy1bkBQgTbcPjxtfJ46nv1zRA3WiUD0VdJNWiu1dG1y0MbhqtZhmzROi9FIaEVQXBPsfkT8Ed-yn1gggk-wmrkZU4oyoepL4iFL0O4/s320/20201216_130958.jpg" /></a></div>On another day we drove to Picton. We laughed whilst driving the mountain road cause there were these road signs to make it seem as if you have to travel zero
kilometres an hour. In reality the '8' from the '80kmh' sign was covered up, just showing the '0'. lol.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrVEw4mOdaeIZMA5aphHMAaAdxPiwF8IVrNJtEhAi7sVVHkFq6owF99rDq16DRO379zJd7uR7e_GuyQ-cKrySggKOyQwrKhgCuTdX9zDb1vCG7T1T8xXEkcVFOOoThcOdsNCY46093Ic/s2048/20201218_090507.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrVEw4mOdaeIZMA5aphHMAaAdxPiwF8IVrNJtEhAi7sVVHkFq6owF99rDq16DRO379zJd7uR7e_GuyQ-cKrySggKOyQwrKhgCuTdX9zDb1vCG7T1T8xXEkcVFOOoThcOdsNCY46093Ic/w400-h225/20201218_090507.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> The drive was long, and once there we realised that
Mioni didn't have her hat. It was missing. We looked around for a boat
ride to an interesting bird sanctuary island, but the main one that goes
to the island I went to in 2009 left at 8am so we missed that by hours
already. Sabine was more so thinking of the other island which was very
close by. The price to get to this peninsula (its not an island) is
extortionate as you have to get there via boat. We reluctantly accepted
and paid the $40 each. The boat ride was next to no time to get there.
Its still a part of Picton harbour after all. Its a peninsular that's
sectioned off by an animal fence. We decided to give ourselves 4 hours,
but you could easily do the walk in 1 hour. We didn't see any birds other than
a lazy Fantail sitting in a tree. I was expecting more. The track was
well maintained so we could have taken the baby stroller, but I wore the
baby backpack.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF20XnGF1x-ge_RKWtXlhQrQbcexFKG6hgIr-GhnPO3D6fFTfiAQMF5yukPhUln5acbY91iS1zi3ctAh8Me9SJWVGjpcFw13vkAihXNOBb8fOinkf-quEfUZSpI0jmBHZz4gWawSCt3QQ/s2048/20201218_150404.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF20XnGF1x-ge_RKWtXlhQrQbcexFKG6hgIr-GhnPO3D6fFTfiAQMF5yukPhUln5acbY91iS1zi3ctAh8Me9SJWVGjpcFw13vkAihXNOBb8fOinkf-quEfUZSpI0jmBHZz4gWawSCt3QQ/w400-h225/20201218_150404.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>On the way back we laughed at this decorated Christmas tree in the middle of the nowhere in the mountain roads.<br />We dined at a sushi restaurant once back which was nice. One of the other restaurants we went too one evening was 'The Styx' in Nelson where I ate one of the best seafood pastas I've ever had. Also, Richmond has a decent pizza parlour.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYM3Lm0ktODJXtB9_7yRsGtLRswuN1lEOL8izcFFlhg_KGB4XxWhTmVAk8kRMYEkP-6DnBwi18PBsHkrXJc44KSF7DJY8efgN22QvukINPzpFmxkqBSExJDY19KyyPt7UT5fF1hDo9gv0/s2048/20201217_182834.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYM3Lm0ktODJXtB9_7yRsGtLRswuN1lEOL8izcFFlhg_KGB4XxWhTmVAk8kRMYEkP-6DnBwi18PBsHkrXJc44KSF7DJY8efgN22QvukINPzpFmxkqBSExJDY19KyyPt7UT5fF1hDo9gv0/w400-h225/20201217_182834.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>On another day we visited Natureland Wildlife Trust Zoo. Its small yet compact and on the seafront, and you don't have to trek a mile just to get to an enclosure. They don't have big animals, but its still not bad. After that we went to the Beach Cafe nearby then to the play park where I played mini golf in 2009 with my parents. This time I took Mioni to a free trampoline area for under 5's which she enjoyed.<br /></p><p>Going home we drove clockwise to Christchurch. We stopped off in Havlock to this quaint tea room, then in Blenheim for a quick look around. The East coast was raining, and Chevoit was closed. We eventually arrived in Amberley and stopped for an Indian dinner next to their Countdown.</p>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-56179965406621605482020-12-12T16:38:00.000+13:002020-12-12T16:38:00.190+13:00Places We Visted Over the Last Month<p>On the 16th November we bought a Christmas tree online and a few decorations in some stores. We actually put the decorations up on the 11th December. We have a few interesting decorations such as a Christmas Pukeko. </p><p>We visited the Antarctic centre. It wasn't a bad place to be fair, but it certainly wasn't worth the tourist prices. They had penguins though. They were the best bit. There was also a big snow room at -8°C, which blew snow around somehow. The 4D film show was okay I guess. It 'took us' to Antarctica and jolted our seats during the boat scenes. It was only a 15 minute video, but a bit of fun. There was a ride on a tank like vehicle that drove around a purpose build track outside. I went on it but Sabine didn't. It jolted my spine a few times going up and down the steep mounds, so its not for the faint of heart.<br /><br />We have used the barbeque a few times. Its a bit tricky making sure the gas is lit as the wind can easily put the fire out, but it seems to work just fine otherwise. We cooked corn on the cob which was a winner. I haven't eaten that in years. </p><p>On the 22nd November there was a cosplay party at Riverside Market so we attended that. There was a giant Pikachu walking around which was awesome. </p><p>We have visited two places that set up awesome outdoor Christmas light displays. One was in a normal residential street which completely decorated their garden in lights with music, the second was in the country and was outrageous. Totally over the top. Its actually quite incredible. The second house is kinda secluded so they go
all out and have music on at full blast and display as many tall light stands as they can. The best one was the death metal band
singing among killer clowns. I talked briefly to the owner. He said he
loves both Christmas and Halloween, but hasn't got the time to decorate
both in the same year, so one area is dedicated to Halloween each year. I
think the most impressive thing they had was a giant inflatable Santa
that was nearly as tall as the conifer trees it was up next too.</p><p>Last Sunday we visited Steam Scene at McLeans Island, which is only open every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. It was a lot more busier than I initially thought it would be. They had two train circuits, one for a proper steam train, and another for a miniature train. They both followed similar paths through the wooded area. So much cooler than Paradise Parks.</p><p>We have also visited Papanui library for baby song time. It was really great but there are a bunch of NZ baby songs I now need to collect somehow.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuMcve8bvSncyeFoDzVLwrHfsetqSxTjL3D73ziLtDno_XL82zXv3rqCv7l1eM3B4HOm-GSpNK8un7La9HSoe8Mv-lZTBHCbGPD6I8xvyrevtMOMPviBsEwrreuk_y4Yhw2KtPSY3Gwo/s2048/20201210_223619.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuMcve8bvSncyeFoDzVLwrHfsetqSxTjL3D73ziLtDno_XL82zXv3rqCv7l1eM3B4HOm-GSpNK8un7La9HSoe8Mv-lZTBHCbGPD6I8xvyrevtMOMPviBsEwrreuk_y4Yhw2KtPSY3Gwo/w400-h225/20201210_223619.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEAiaUy5anX2xIgnsimn45MwJUYwKrLV7Ke3TIzQSodxtJZqZhcbMh8mfFUYGCzd1xItxwZTTlQTzSODh4AZJyZDrFdAb2Q61-fP4TSOTZrYMUJSsJruoh_Ep4p2Plnvs7EVrTAMoJm6Y/s2048/20201210_221131.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEAiaUy5anX2xIgnsimn45MwJUYwKrLV7Ke3TIzQSodxtJZqZhcbMh8mfFUYGCzd1xItxwZTTlQTzSODh4AZJyZDrFdAb2Q61-fP4TSOTZrYMUJSsJruoh_Ep4p2Plnvs7EVrTAMoJm6Y/w400-h225/20201210_221131.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXywX1-Fvhang-5cnwkrwa1OSM_JGgQL01iPDFyDW5_6SBcp5aEZTipWS7FqscwGp4s1jhTZyduNvuGTnBy-AkZqdALIojQ6wNH20ijpiP7wx8Ql1vvOVwU5jb7i2zjpRX5P1FUrE_M7Q/s2048/20201210_221045.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXywX1-Fvhang-5cnwkrwa1OSM_JGgQL01iPDFyDW5_6SBcp5aEZTipWS7FqscwGp4s1jhTZyduNvuGTnBy-AkZqdALIojQ6wNH20ijpiP7wx8Ql1vvOVwU5jb7i2zjpRX5P1FUrE_M7Q/w400-h225/20201210_221045.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvN51GGxWDf0AHgqR8n3LgJywnTrEYF4nYVt3chaKkRtIycaDwkLiPilWkslV3OVvFVG-uly2Wuk8vt2NxvLRJlSXIgYQYUU8Fi2xHN0I_EvjmrqAgk8PNWWQShnlA6OiMTxY-GxZPys/s2048/20201210_220843.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvN51GGxWDf0AHgqR8n3LgJywnTrEYF4nYVt3chaKkRtIycaDwkLiPilWkslV3OVvFVG-uly2Wuk8vt2NxvLRJlSXIgYQYUU8Fi2xHN0I_EvjmrqAgk8PNWWQShnlA6OiMTxY-GxZPys/w400-h225/20201210_220843.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOpbDrWM4KJtH-iU3kCEvIION4mHyqFmsdylOYzZpHIx0233D0oJtop6Q5FYzeHu0_NrNzekBJ52fK1ZDWjMEd6mwY5HItoQEmKXVj0qCMEvtEogZ2c2XigMsuflStmQJAeHdGz2XZiE/s2048/20201210_220603.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOpbDrWM4KJtH-iU3kCEvIION4mHyqFmsdylOYzZpHIx0233D0oJtop6Q5FYzeHu0_NrNzekBJ52fK1ZDWjMEd6mwY5HItoQEmKXVj0qCMEvtEogZ2c2XigMsuflStmQJAeHdGz2XZiE/w400-h225/20201210_220603.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5wYSTsrKZAUHvqkzcR8xvTBAnhU_PxJlLGTbE6LilnWhquH3HHxkUIQsA0n8hwk6Jm8zThv-fTLN6nfQdXEJ5JCgvpmdnmvoZXmsTqR4Mdjvu3FpOLuaRVeVmyjFr8XL-R1VbjO8lI8/s2048/20201208_095424.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5wYSTsrKZAUHvqkzcR8xvTBAnhU_PxJlLGTbE6LilnWhquH3HHxkUIQsA0n8hwk6Jm8zThv-fTLN6nfQdXEJ5JCgvpmdnmvoZXmsTqR4Mdjvu3FpOLuaRVeVmyjFr8XL-R1VbjO8lI8/w225-h400/20201208_095424.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The penguins in town is the same concept as Brightons Snow Dogs from 2016. They are dotted all around the city, painted in different patterns. This is one of my favourites.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8ERUOTOk868fl7GckX0pIIlNXeDb5OV17CqF1CPAQ8EhJyltdwjxGHIUsvATE73X_0X2EDnEkaO-lpVCk9t2P2cRcx2MoM_9eJPYojOot2iWgkp5Y0Cb-CoxINAswI_0k339fLCIGlo/s2048/20201206_124742.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8ERUOTOk868fl7GckX0pIIlNXeDb5OV17CqF1CPAQ8EhJyltdwjxGHIUsvATE73X_0X2EDnEkaO-lpVCk9t2P2cRcx2MoM_9eJPYojOot2iWgkp5Y0Cb-CoxINAswI_0k339fLCIGlo/w400-h225/20201206_124742.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvyZmTaSU8ZEbQ7nVAvwlJb285x30YJMcPCURYC9gAldeUWVRwaf6sBJwgeTQKnIb-cTozDqoH-tpjQ5uvEKpnjwAvDjkhaXICV4ND3U7fmNBgDQPlPUlxJp3TFH_klGz27qybbbFaS0/s2048/20201204_213548.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvyZmTaSU8ZEbQ7nVAvwlJb285x30YJMcPCURYC9gAldeUWVRwaf6sBJwgeTQKnIb-cTozDqoH-tpjQ5uvEKpnjwAvDjkhaXICV4ND3U7fmNBgDQPlPUlxJp3TFH_klGz27qybbbFaS0/w400-h225/20201204_213548.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HD3aH2s2D8yKbitNJsMTZp5qTVo5KXSyg2Gd9VsT1C7eE0GM-Ey4ZLTJ4BQlx7SwujaItwEJnJLVW_ElnkcdkMIoMA6MDrr6yit5b69q4wjqLo_Xe9F4BGwHC_cYnL0IhR9f48M3Obs/s2048/20201204_212259.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HD3aH2s2D8yKbitNJsMTZp5qTVo5KXSyg2Gd9VsT1C7eE0GM-Ey4ZLTJ4BQlx7SwujaItwEJnJLVW_ElnkcdkMIoMA6MDrr6yit5b69q4wjqLo_Xe9F4BGwHC_cYnL0IhR9f48M3Obs/w400-h225/20201204_212259.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6i07khbpWVOCM1hogpwfvcDqXtt6Tui-mZyutUUdkm1G51y7DfWGWfSGooxsF9oyTjqFoLlPUJgshdBMmD0YRgK8njWznzpfX-UWoRM8iHF3_jeVoCmtj9Mx0Bo2g53F-fApiyYM90dk/s2048/20201204_212250.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6i07khbpWVOCM1hogpwfvcDqXtt6Tui-mZyutUUdkm1G51y7DfWGWfSGooxsF9oyTjqFoLlPUJgshdBMmD0YRgK8njWznzpfX-UWoRM8iHF3_jeVoCmtj9Mx0Bo2g53F-fApiyYM90dk/w400-h225/20201204_212250.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyoUIArx00XTKIpDfWXNvrAjhtxyGtrTbIpo6_LQ2CwJm1qF3T3xWHsypBGPGMCRIWF2VPSmfaXpdZsPXhDb16TIjOvu1GR04J-NTQFMBAxx21rizUg7Gcx8S9OJEeU9rF3QYcA9Vcy8/s2048/20201118_122526.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyoUIArx00XTKIpDfWXNvrAjhtxyGtrTbIpo6_LQ2CwJm1qF3T3xWHsypBGPGMCRIWF2VPSmfaXpdZsPXhDb16TIjOvu1GR04J-NTQFMBAxx21rizUg7Gcx8S9OJEeU9rF3QYcA9Vcy8/w400-h225/20201118_122526.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real penguin enclosure at the Antarctic centre.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-21502623042663931242020-11-18T06:44:00.003+13:002020-11-27T23:31:38.118+13:00Highlights of the Last MonthHomegrown are a brand of smoothies that have no preservatives. The spirulina and berry drinks were my favourites when we lived in Dunedin, however I've recently tried the Fiejoa one and it tastes a bit like elderflower so that's cool.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uwEPbw1JpMga6ncrcLyFhNRRjlnIeYwxw-Y0NvOGDNrXkquyWyJZcpLyONSEyw2Yp-FbUpPUlfD5gcS2qaHpPsS6RJhOttJA_Z2GAR-MbFQggxrS4gLUrRpk7ixvTP2UTbdWSirIeuI/s1600/1L-line-up-A-nz.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1600" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uwEPbw1JpMga6ncrcLyFhNRRjlnIeYwxw-Y0NvOGDNrXkquyWyJZcpLyONSEyw2Yp-FbUpPUlfD5gcS2qaHpPsS6RJhOttJA_Z2GAR-MbFQggxrS4gLUrRpk7ixvTP2UTbdWSirIeuI/w400-h135/1L-line-up-A-nz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>On Saturday 24th October Hagley Park held an Indian festival. In all honesty it could have been better. It was unfortunately 95% food stalls with no real fun. There was a sound stage with people singing songs for minutes at a time with only the two words "Hare Krishna" as the lyrics. Ergh. We walked around and drank a Mango Lassi each. At least the weather was nice. </p><p>We've been to the beach a few times. Not much to say other than its nice being on a sandy beach. </p><p>We were stopped by a woman at Pac N Saves car park one day. She saw us with Mioni and ran towards us with a bunch of knitted woollen hats for babies, insisting we took a few. She apparently had them handed to her from a a member of her church and didn't know what to do with them, so she had them on her to give to random parents with babies. </p><p>We visited Victoria Park. Its on a high hill to the south which overlooks the city. We took Mioni on the swings and slide for her first time. Also the fantails were friendly and close to us.</p><p>On the 30th we visited a cafe in a cool yet old looking building. Its called 'The Sign of the Takahe'. Apparently it used to be a meeting place over 100 years ago, and is 1 of 4 similar buildings in the area related to travellers going to and from Akaroa / Banks Peninsular. This cafe was being decorated in a Halloween theme.
After that we visited The Sign of the Kiwi, a smaller cafe this time, located way up high on the hill, kinda near the radio tower. We spoke to a waitress and she told us the location for The Sign of the Bellbird, so we visited that. Unfortunately it's a ruin, and it used to be a house apparently. Yet it overlooks two views, one of Christchurch and one of the harbour of Lyttelton.
Back home I Googled the location for The Sign of the Packhorse. Its in the middle of nowhere somewhere in Banks peninsular, yet it is used as a DOC Hut for trampers. It kinda makes me feel bummed out even more that the Bellbird place is a ruin. It's not that far away from civilisation. Maybe it suffered from a fire or something?
This afternoon we went back to the beach, this time a bit more prepared than before. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCK3QLxos_MHBzSp1fDn_OT0-qbYoL_WGnJXfiguy1O5a9QtJrR0DDA8R9divbBVNi80ZME6mL951V4kkqA7w-zBI-zdQ3oLK41UQdCGo1H8PJ9rrd9-Q5Vd9Nu__X7Rg3B0KT9PmQIg/s2048/20201030_113607.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCK3QLxos_MHBzSp1fDn_OT0-qbYoL_WGnJXfiguy1O5a9QtJrR0DDA8R9divbBVNi80ZME6mL951V4kkqA7w-zBI-zdQ3oLK41UQdCGo1H8PJ9rrd9-Q5Vd9Nu__X7Rg3B0KT9PmQIg/w400-h225/20201030_113607.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ek1S9N6FNSHzEmWv3wGQBjspitgdG_Vq9QKmJ2DQmD3NFTbiybJoiyTiX5Fm8dCPVXPZW5vhs4f-Z-rrN448o8utv8ky4KsUkjnDVM-eWVZbFmYp5HagZonHlAmkiXekcvgANDNsz0E/s2048/20201030_114945.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ek1S9N6FNSHzEmWv3wGQBjspitgdG_Vq9QKmJ2DQmD3NFTbiybJoiyTiX5Fm8dCPVXPZW5vhs4f-Z-rrN448o8utv8ky4KsUkjnDVM-eWVZbFmYp5HagZonHlAmkiXekcvgANDNsz0E/w400-h225/20201030_114945.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUcTUC6K0TLvlzQUqg5lHB8gOnKgLZAV4Vgw_O7Q_jHTnGyHr4TzWlsV00KR1WracXd8X10LbuOBOUtGiReTVed4ERjvCDXK-786Sto-JPuwfSU_jzNS_Lzc_EVngBE7qA_8eEQAZmYQ/s2048/20201030_115523.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUcTUC6K0TLvlzQUqg5lHB8gOnKgLZAV4Vgw_O7Q_jHTnGyHr4TzWlsV00KR1WracXd8X10LbuOBOUtGiReTVed4ERjvCDXK-786Sto-JPuwfSU_jzNS_Lzc_EVngBE7qA_8eEQAZmYQ/w225-h400/20201030_115523.jpg" width="225" /></a></div> <p></p><p>New Brighton has heated pools on the seafront, big enough to dip into and enjoy their warmth, so we did that one day. </p><p>On the 1st of November we went to this private garden in Governors Bay. Called Ohinetahi. It had many art installations around which were quirky, supposedly to fit the landscape around them. Fair enough. The gardens were very well kept too. After that we visited a nearby cafe, which took 40 minutes to serve the food :/ </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBaq1Nnt97lcTzZ-LbXW6tBZDsAXW_L59t9SUnTBNCAA4849lxaMHcQ_8gsSfyXk0ESXU2o1BtgzxW3r0ZZ8o0O2LuaGVGlSQ7gjXijWTxUky7o0GOTcgnui44hIuaNe9N9_mV4w6030/s2048/20201101_115740.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBaq1Nnt97lcTzZ-LbXW6tBZDsAXW_L59t9SUnTBNCAA4849lxaMHcQ_8gsSfyXk0ESXU2o1BtgzxW3r0ZZ8o0O2LuaGVGlSQ7gjXijWTxUky7o0GOTcgnui44hIuaNe9N9_mV4w6030/w225-h400/20201101_115740.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibjNqgmKVzHsr9-TyMfa5xzVW6e9s9FzKlODglE8E9ebhelXIoq-SZOV60fRMRM23VPQ-sCNLz9eOsGVtM5LgT4dgb7znClRqVBO4acEGbj8UfINB5PCokqU1zNVIPZS2gWi_XZgnyijo/s2048/20201101_121907.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibjNqgmKVzHsr9-TyMfa5xzVW6e9s9FzKlODglE8E9ebhelXIoq-SZOV60fRMRM23VPQ-sCNLz9eOsGVtM5LgT4dgb7znClRqVBO4acEGbj8UfINB5PCokqU1zNVIPZS2gWi_XZgnyijo/w225-h400/20201101_121907.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh734E_AaZjLhk60CqRGQqaNMF-hoAWDUZJd32n7jX78CUxcQ8ZI4S3IzOckMGQOfz7PnlBO8TLW3MkECxcYdlQRkIUZbLfS_ymr6nXzMVPvmMxY4Pa91-BaKgSA3IWZIOBKeYClktgBi0/s2048/20201101_132250.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh734E_AaZjLhk60CqRGQqaNMF-hoAWDUZJd32n7jX78CUxcQ8ZI4S3IzOckMGQOfz7PnlBO8TLW3MkECxcYdlQRkIUZbLfS_ymr6nXzMVPvmMxY4Pa91-BaKgSA3IWZIOBKeYClktgBi0/w400-h225/20201101_132250.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>On Friday the 6th we were awoken by an earthquake. 4.6 on the Richter scale. This was my first earthquake I felt since living here in NZ over 30 years ago. It felt like a mixture of a truck passing by and being in a swimming pool, but it woke me up, so I wasn't fully awake. I woke Sabine up during it; she would have stayed asleep otherwise.<br /><br />On the 7th we moved from Wigram to Papanui. Our expensive but new build place in Wigram was really nice and I got too used to it being our home. Such a shame we moved. :( The new one is a lot cheaper and is much darker due to lack of windows. Its a downstairs granny flat.</p><p>On the 12th we went swimming at the Jelly park pool. Sabine took Mioni to the small child pool and I did some lane swimming.</p><p>On the 14th we drove along Arthur's Pass and stopped at the Castle Hill, which has limestone boulders. Pushing the pushchair up the hill was tricky but doable. On the way up we passed a family where a little girl stopped at Mioni and wanted to make a huge fuss over her, holding her hand and talking to her. Next we attempted the first two parts of the walk to The Devils Bowl waterfall, but it was too tough holding onto Mioni. We got to the second swing bridge then headed back. We stopped in the village cafe and saw a Kea. On the way back we briefly stopped to look at Cave Stream Scenic Reserve but wasn't there too long. This evening we went to the bar/restaurant at Wigram. They had the live rugby match on. Argentina won their first ever game against the All Blacks. The fans in the bar were complaining at all the bad passes etc during the match. lol.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2EtmuyEAJjBU5Mz0WjcKRV2d9AOFj6vjBuBtIYJ1DojZ8slEJUrJfd16QijScY2vek4t7nf8ngFY69jJV_KnCL-rM5FzYeHKyfnDrBt57wePsatsP6SGuI4NZ3hK_GW9_yQDVTqxzUc/s2048/20201114_105031.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2EtmuyEAJjBU5Mz0WjcKRV2d9AOFj6vjBuBtIYJ1DojZ8slEJUrJfd16QijScY2vek4t7nf8ngFY69jJV_KnCL-rM5FzYeHKyfnDrBt57wePsatsP6SGuI4NZ3hK_GW9_yQDVTqxzUc/w400-h225/20201114_105031.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhvl_V6izbKiOqywNddGwGXQodTgis6GjwshTMInKi9V8vxJk8yjgdq7RaA3w2Se00OUcaX6boVp0feXUeoZrG-xm5uQ17UAeVAW1CuWRGOva2IvPygZbxfOYmcsG4748hp4Vd2JekhA/s2048/20201114_110910.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhvl_V6izbKiOqywNddGwGXQodTgis6GjwshTMInKi9V8vxJk8yjgdq7RaA3w2Se00OUcaX6boVp0feXUeoZrG-xm5uQ17UAeVAW1CuWRGOva2IvPygZbxfOYmcsG4748hp4Vd2JekhA/w400-h225/20201114_110910.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1tM5ckd97ffZaOlXkGf7qYgGwqv0v50uB6JtJBNtwY7pvzWXREI6_wreN4spm9MxvcFwTvQPllGq6FQQiiNXrSxSJqX3_oi6Qa7YS-vu0U20EylTXwepUoCJUyZ-WETzdKVNNLw4oQk/s2048/20201114_111217.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1tM5ckd97ffZaOlXkGf7qYgGwqv0v50uB6JtJBNtwY7pvzWXREI6_wreN4spm9MxvcFwTvQPllGq6FQQiiNXrSxSJqX3_oi6Qa7YS-vu0U20EylTXwepUoCJUyZ-WETzdKVNNLw4oQk/w225-h400/20201114_111217.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>On the 15th we visited the nearby run-down zoo. Not many enclosures open to be honest. The kiwi exhibit was okay I guess. The place needs an overhaul. Its very large and has highly under utilised space. Its also very expensive. We wont be going back there any time soon.<br /></p><p></p>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-84850921439228028332020-10-23T13:12:00.002+13:002020-10-23T13:17:26.778+13:00A New Car and a Trip to Dunedin<p>In this post I will state the highlights instead of the exact dates.</p><p>For starters, we bought a new car. We shopped around online and found a trustworthy car dealer called Paul Kelly. We visited their garage in town and looked at what they offered. We needed a bigger car than what we've previously had due to our growing family. We ended up buying a Toyota Prius 2011 hybrid car. It only has one car key though, and ordering spares are VERY pricey. :/ I'm naming the car "Nescafe", as it has 'NCF' in its number plate. </p><p>We handed in our hire car a few days later.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlwhXlhxcraZt5nwSBfc-JqdptlyGz_ITMnHV6Buf0OeUCpJVw_AWkTh05i3Oni_m1fM_-At5Xi6GbZF1EdRibFN2Tw0OL2FnOqAUN122_-Xa_4DCZxSvJ-_JQ1uU9ov-2vzYj3LajGs/s2048/20201008_101735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlwhXlhxcraZt5nwSBfc-JqdptlyGz_ITMnHV6Buf0OeUCpJVw_AWkTh05i3Oni_m1fM_-At5Xi6GbZF1EdRibFN2Tw0OL2FnOqAUN122_-Xa_4DCZxSvJ-_JQ1uU9ov-2vzYj3LajGs/w400-h225/20201008_101735.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New car, with old hire car on the right<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>A new car also meant buying a child car seat for Mioni. New Zealand has this huge superstore for baby's, called The Baby Factory. Its like the UK's Mothercare, only, still in business. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismznKx8qAyBFrgM7XnJYIz1_Wj6x_GnOnMQoGIYirStIXz1lSh_MHviGrZQkwd42dF7EkxDLdkCAQg4pBfk4zI0FgfVRa-n9186iPdvonekiGJ3HMiqQaVgBqn1kHdfkXXdaIIQ85Fc0/s200/200.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismznKx8qAyBFrgM7XnJYIz1_Wj6x_GnOnMQoGIYirStIXz1lSh_MHviGrZQkwd42dF7EkxDLdkCAQg4pBfk4zI0FgfVRa-n9186iPdvonekiGJ3HMiqQaVgBqn1kHdfkXXdaIIQ85Fc0/w200-h200/200.gif" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p>The worker in there said that some time ago, it became illegal to drive children under 11 years (or under 148cm tall) without a child seat. How times have changed! She said it gets awkward if you have your child's' friend ride in your car. In this instance you either need to own a spare car seat, or borrow that child's one from their parents. What a head ache! Oh, and car seats all have expiry dates on them. Roughly 12 years before they are deemed unsafe for use.</p><p>Putting aside the headache legal jargon that is child car seats, we bought one that Mioni approves, because she finds it so comfortable that she easily falls asleep in it!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BaMqgfxoteutghprJr2zbCcx2zJGwwraT22cMd0urX3x0ITq07Z4I8gfG9uI_Sfd0xR9jKghlOXPDVz3U5wCMosxIVABO-EsHo7SR-gCL-cAkBIuDdZOsDQciK83n6SG3dU-TNgO8pM/s2048/20201008_154325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BaMqgfxoteutghprJr2zbCcx2zJGwwraT22cMd0urX3x0ITq07Z4I8gfG9uI_Sfd0xR9jKghlOXPDVz3U5wCMosxIVABO-EsHo7SR-gCL-cAkBIuDdZOsDQciK83n6SG3dU-TNgO8pM/w225-h400/20201008_154325.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p>We were told of a cool new place in town, which is under a year old. Its called Riverside Market. It like the hippest
place in town, buzzing with lots of people. Its like a Tokyo/Japanese market in
that there are a hell of a lot of shops/stalls, nooks and crannies and
places to eat in such a small area. They thrive on selling real foods
from all over the world. If you rush or walk too
fast you would miss everything on offer. We have been there multiple times now, and ate at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, had a sweet crepes, a souvlaki, a real German bratwurst hot dog, ate a burger, bought real Turkish delight, cakes, interesting real fruit tea, and also bought decent fresh bread. But there is much more there, including Italian cheese and interesting Asian foods.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Wb97seBRLplezUq83lRpkMbrpLptvwJAJ6gmbBoYy_IL6sEY6ysCgcq_9Y2ILp5X2YCPdDsVs5VlJADrAUCB-zIumXj55IfpvY8jLRRYsWdcpRW1dGTHC_XBoRWTBoRlO-sDBj8tHQs/s2048/20201012_134703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Wb97seBRLplezUq83lRpkMbrpLptvwJAJ6gmbBoYy_IL6sEY6ysCgcq_9Y2ILp5X2YCPdDsVs5VlJADrAUCB-zIumXj55IfpvY8jLRRYsWdcpRW1dGTHC_XBoRWTBoRlO-sDBj8tHQs/w400-h225/20201012_134703.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conveyor belt sushi</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>On top of this, we have also been to a really nice sushi restaurant which is kinda close by where our AirBnB is. Their sushi specialises in local Salmon. Its really good quality, even though I'm not the biggest fan of the stuff. To me they all taste kinda the same, despite what each one looks like.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOE4a6bo8rq5xvIIRhVRBf2m75uD4PpAumIbilq19MfVBKrs56GuB8765gWb_y2Usu3ZEdRp2t_HWinH_Yqkk1K_epfzuOhrLq3rtoRwSOkBW_K6dsUgM_pj36WyMecRCw0J_F_4_iyM/s2048/20201008_113407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOE4a6bo8rq5xvIIRhVRBf2m75uD4PpAumIbilq19MfVBKrs56GuB8765gWb_y2Usu3ZEdRp2t_HWinH_Yqkk1K_epfzuOhrLq3rtoRwSOkBW_K6dsUgM_pj36WyMecRCw0J_F_4_iyM/w400-h225/20201008_113407.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>We went for a short walk around a wetlands on a nice day. Pictures below.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQ4CHw1dBs30LMTHuGcDEWfQCR1qESb4zcx-3-lbt28MyEXHbble3L5SBJxJbSiWdY0mRNcCd3sPlYmY2YKUiMvtKKxTRNEnNhhb4gu-O96HrsFA_Whbi-SxtzMeutGeNiRj5IVU0s5g/s2048/20201013_142744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQ4CHw1dBs30LMTHuGcDEWfQCR1qESb4zcx-3-lbt28MyEXHbble3L5SBJxJbSiWdY0mRNcCd3sPlYmY2YKUiMvtKKxTRNEnNhhb4gu-O96HrsFA_Whbi-SxtzMeutGeNiRj5IVU0s5g/w400-h225/20201013_142744.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QhJTIN7qfc31pyRuPIiwDU05Ow8Aa_ppeJdHV0QRepGMHwKfJkyGAIng_8D9_jjrTf7NGtRcIIjzaabtDD33MXcIFT8VgHhtIWi3ujZ1RuLJ1DIrB3uiQvMBWHZkQmJuECF12Fm5n1w/s2048/20201013_142916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QhJTIN7qfc31pyRuPIiwDU05Ow8Aa_ppeJdHV0QRepGMHwKfJkyGAIng_8D9_jjrTf7NGtRcIIjzaabtDD33MXcIFT8VgHhtIWi3ujZ1RuLJ1DIrB3uiQvMBWHZkQmJuECF12Fm5n1w/w400-h225/20201013_142916.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lR9N5nP1-s6mcePoUTV65mLKOBvx39ceb61qQ5bI_zXJMb04lR42QWlxeNfdLQvT4iPwv5wQa7rkkH_Yjx5jZlxocdZj5hP6PCwAVefi8R6ON20sbaiWVKL0IULdwSjuju7k_oHGhB8/s2048/20201013_143326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lR9N5nP1-s6mcePoUTV65mLKOBvx39ceb61qQ5bI_zXJMb04lR42QWlxeNfdLQvT4iPwv5wQa7rkkH_Yjx5jZlxocdZj5hP6PCwAVefi8R6ON20sbaiWVKL0IULdwSjuju7k_oHGhB8/w400-h225/20201013_143326.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlynu82apkFCVHqOxXlX36mHwDzYsTjWKKKskFgMXk7LodaY5hsVmaAWFfxRg98LMP6Zou9FVNAT2rei3U4k2-DVbPSnJm1bO7jYs-YWhvXIWg4Igk0NDnR6r8XBFsWd3rphyphenhyphenYlDKLNi8/s2048/20201013_143931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlynu82apkFCVHqOxXlX36mHwDzYsTjWKKKskFgMXk7LodaY5hsVmaAWFfxRg98LMP6Zou9FVNAT2rei3U4k2-DVbPSnJm1bO7jYs-YWhvXIWg4Igk0NDnR6r8XBFsWd3rphyphenhyphenYlDKLNi8/w400-h225/20201013_143931.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>All 3 of us are registered at a local GP. Mioni needed an injection
to catch up to the NZ system. Her next immunisations are at 1 years old.
I also got her registered on the Plunket system. Plunket are basically
the equivalent of the baby health visitor that the UK does.<br /></p><p>Mioni
is getting old enough to start wanting to climb the stairs. She has 4
teeth now, the bottom and top front two teeth. She hates me cleaning
them each morning and evening.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1LZskfN0HRrQ_NDF71zMk3w2UI5zI8XPWNqMcDbxkZSyVM8S_hxd3iocDIGoJtu7LGz5MtIuYKCUoc5y22zhfNWaTPg7R5PKphqQtXn_53O5tey9kFcn28k_xq18DcqTDc2Y7f0j4GQ/s2048/20201011_133311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1151" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1LZskfN0HRrQ_NDF71zMk3w2UI5zI8XPWNqMcDbxkZSyVM8S_hxd3iocDIGoJtu7LGz5MtIuYKCUoc5y22zhfNWaTPg7R5PKphqQtXn_53O5tey9kFcn28k_xq18DcqTDc2Y7f0j4GQ/w225-h400/20201011_133311.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqg3bVzdz1vLlU6UtYXpAayJ_Wmj89YJ5072pMZwwFVXB2iPIZCGMCWk_90fteCMRxJoPGYFJZkXn7AcKOvSqJZExKEKNurS1v4T7a3JpUnasw9sWKDfwttIm4JtVxHxKnCxjULIIcfs/s2048/20201013_134150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqg3bVzdz1vLlU6UtYXpAayJ_Wmj89YJ5072pMZwwFVXB2iPIZCGMCWk_90fteCMRxJoPGYFJZkXn7AcKOvSqJZExKEKNurS1v4T7a3JpUnasw9sWKDfwttIm4JtVxHxKnCxjULIIcfs/w225-h400/20201013_134150.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvG1oV5Lle3hBwMlV6QaX7ykUvq8LxGbf4NzyHBfHla0woZIziDzn-KgJSf21OmtKVwOs3wDlqwV6S7UlGYgr-h8lsntwsFORqb2ugdP0p35Sh0mcGo4tQNYZlPzFszJKH4E1fUrOI0I/s2048/20201015_104851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvG1oV5Lle3hBwMlV6QaX7ykUvq8LxGbf4NzyHBfHla0woZIziDzn-KgJSf21OmtKVwOs3wDlqwV6S7UlGYgr-h8lsntwsFORqb2ugdP0p35Sh0mcGo4tQNYZlPzFszJKH4E1fUrOI0I/w225-h400/20201015_104851.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkhfkmxfTAZuQyR2BrIC3BmyLh-4ICULx2V2Z6WX94YRS-YCp1XHsKLEc9aFhPBR0oRxsV1dGBT5jwN7k85KOvIlthG1v3xA1DQFbmwYLycnVKOBMuon3p72lKZ8W-YLEzTLPz-nVBOw/s2048/20201016_145430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkhfkmxfTAZuQyR2BrIC3BmyLh-4ICULx2V2Z6WX94YRS-YCp1XHsKLEc9aFhPBR0oRxsV1dGBT5jwN7k85KOvIlthG1v3xA1DQFbmwYLycnVKOBMuon3p72lKZ8W-YLEzTLPz-nVBOw/w400-h225/20201016_145430.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>We visited Yue. He had been kicked out his room because the lady is caring for more kittens, so he is now based in the main room with a lot of other adult cats and kittens. He appreciated us being there, and I even got him on my
shoulder for a while. </p><p>Labour won the election at 49% of the vote.
Well done Jacinda! To be honest though, its hardly surprising as she's
one of the best leaders in the world at the moment. <br /></p><p>We also drove to Dunedin last weekend. The weather wasn't that great to be honest, but we enjoyed catching up with people we knew, including an afternoon with Gerald and Gaylene, our previous next door neighbours. A year ago Gerald was building an aeroplane in his garage. Well now he has had a hanger built in Taieri airport for his plane to be moved to for the rest of its build. Gaylene is looking forward to being able to park her car in the garage again! lol!</p><p>Sabine had an evening at a pub with Caroline, one of her ex-colleagues, and another time we both visited Rebecca, one of Sabine's ex-supervisors. That was a nice chat.<br /></p><p>We went to see the butterflies at the museum, and dined in our old regular cafe's and restaurants. The prices have gone up about $3, but still just as good.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7KBWP2e8NMXIdRwpylMkiOANOOobd4NEJkkuFwN2r6KeTcjWsevSR-516dL4LtKjmGdjUx4BrbAV0f5Aii37se3cpM5ccL0GQE58_1PE_nDwT6kHw6MJCY_nFMeUExnqj1PuDroaS0U/s2048/20201016_105933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7KBWP2e8NMXIdRwpylMkiOANOOobd4NEJkkuFwN2r6KeTcjWsevSR-516dL4LtKjmGdjUx4BrbAV0f5Aii37se3cpM5ccL0GQE58_1PE_nDwT6kHw6MJCY_nFMeUExnqj1PuDroaS0U/w400-h225/20201016_105933.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>I drew this picture (below) at Governors cafe. I
decided to draw a picture on their napkins again. This cafe encourages it, they actually display them on their wall. Last time I drew a flower that was sitting on the table. Not knowing what to draw, I asked Sabine and she said
jokingly to drew a person with Venus fly traps for hair. So I did. But I wanted to add some other flowers too. I had no internet. I was drawing purely from memory and not being too judgemental on myself for getting it a bit
wrong. I liked the idea of it being a bit abstract and imperfect. I
handed it in before we left, so its likely on their wall now.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDq-xVvxijuthlqgJbmuURslfoZHdejlrGL3xOipC7ccAlHbGorLeCqpgBEO_4rB7oCjmhHzKgqAM0p0sQJ3OD45akOWyEMzMThUy_6zrxHbq0YrevL9IrGda1RzTOeeCnv-j5RoVo5HU/s2048/20201019_094231%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDq-xVvxijuthlqgJbmuURslfoZHdejlrGL3xOipC7ccAlHbGorLeCqpgBEO_4rB7oCjmhHzKgqAM0p0sQJ3OD45akOWyEMzMThUy_6zrxHbq0YrevL9IrGda1RzTOeeCnv-j5RoVo5HU/w400-h225/20201019_094231%257E2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>We also visited Orokonui Ecosanctuary despite the grey weather. Lucky it didn't rain.
Their cafe is closed for good, as well as the opening times having changed from every day to Saturday to Monday only. We had the majority of the place to ourselves,
though there were two other families around. The Robins were very
active, and I saw a Rifleman very clearly at one point. The Kaka were not active at all.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZ42Dtz_2sbqQRmIjnafsLr_PLPfivCJnhTu9YJk8zyBNQMYpV8ilQR0LgNN-q_Gwyq2Qf2KYxmAZN3xQTfP8RhbOq6wRNf1hqOjfqmHluRZIHAPo84lT29QOEbvGcXBsbrUwxosxk7U/s2048/20201018_104140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZ42Dtz_2sbqQRmIjnafsLr_PLPfivCJnhTu9YJk8zyBNQMYpV8ilQR0LgNN-q_Gwyq2Qf2KYxmAZN3xQTfP8RhbOq6wRNf1hqOjfqmHluRZIHAPo84lT29QOEbvGcXBsbrUwxosxk7U/w225-h400/20201018_104140.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p>As per usual, to get a fuller idea of things, I also film short videos which you can still find here: <a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPQFbxh_BoDXEfEB7EpWaIuTYGzlFRzA1qc_4Ip2B9HVDqJiv7-Rr0AoUpiv0mmtg?key=T1ZZb1pRLXZ3Vk14YUVSSGs0Mm13N0ZQT0c4NERR">https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPQFbxh_BoDXEfEB7EpWaIuTYGzlFRzA1qc_4Ip2B9HVDqJiv7-Rr0AoUpiv0mmtg?key=T1ZZb1pRLXZ3Vk14YUVSSGs0Mm13N0ZQT0c4NERR</a><br /></p>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-73798297125189219572020-10-06T22:28:00.004+13:002020-10-06T22:31:44.877+13:00Getting To Know Christchurch<p>As well as applying for jobs, we have explored a bit of the city, and get handy tips from the people we meet along the way. There are multiple Pac n Save's, some smaller than others. The same with The Warehouse.</p><p>The Japanese ramen place we have been to a few times before is still just as good as it was, but the prices have gone up. The food courts in the mall serve roughly the same food as in Dunedin, and seem to have increased a few dollars. Outside of that we tried a local sushi place called Mugan which is only open during daylight hours. That was pretty good to be honest. Very fresh sushi.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaG1TjjtiwmVyRUg7KvAPsnAQ-AJ2vwp1WQCIGkrx7PhgARSxIrRN2PADReY69YP3ZQiwUEwsap7KA1m22zVoS8XHrMXdaB_ctfkdv8vcMigsYdnndj4aLdlkFmKmB3Tl6MeE53o79fk/s2048/1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaG1TjjtiwmVyRUg7KvAPsnAQ-AJ2vwp1WQCIGkrx7PhgARSxIrRN2PADReY69YP3ZQiwUEwsap7KA1m22zVoS8XHrMXdaB_ctfkdv8vcMigsYdnndj4aLdlkFmKmB3Tl6MeE53o79fk/w225-h400/1.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS-DYUoGSeQxP45l8sq1GAqmBkZAvuAWUtsvydZxOFfD-hbJ1DXSDiH9GwWZnPHqXyyte2wXSsm7v3rDED0-yLt250gbNLfvUY6ODsEluYFbR36HZ30MThEH2wda33MsLn_fcF8nKwzk/s2048/2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS-DYUoGSeQxP45l8sq1GAqmBkZAvuAWUtsvydZxOFfD-hbJ1DXSDiH9GwWZnPHqXyyte2wXSsm7v3rDED0-yLt250gbNLfvUY6ODsEluYFbR36HZ30MThEH2wda33MsLn_fcF8nKwzk/w400-h225/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The Botanic Gardens is nice. We only visited one time so far, but we have been to Riccarton Bush about 3 times. There is an amazing cafe there which is actually in the ground floor of an old stately building called Riccarton House. There is also a small enclosed sanctuary there with a predator fence. I have no idea how well kept it is from predators, but all that is in there are city pigeons, blackbirds and a few fantails. Its still nice walking around it. Outside of this is a nice garden, with small pockets of bluebells dotted around and emerging cherry blossom trees. There was an old woman who stopped us for a chat on our first visit. Nattering Nana she called herself. She was a nice lady who wanted to talk about all sorts of things. She lived up to her name. lol. Even though she talked for ages, we didn't mind. We contributed to the conversation. It was actually pretty nice to be honest.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArHFzaimcruFsilHWsy3mD0BCo4O8Be26xGa0EDhkiFpmgVekACJOrfXdDh0y749FVvygVzRbMgBvcX-RGv10k1MTjJ1gHkzkWEgiPeeqJmgvZWvZ-i2f9OLzNP_m7369a7YnPc5jqek/s2048/r1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArHFzaimcruFsilHWsy3mD0BCo4O8Be26xGa0EDhkiFpmgVekACJOrfXdDh0y749FVvygVzRbMgBvcX-RGv10k1MTjJ1gHkzkWEgiPeeqJmgvZWvZ-i2f9OLzNP_m7369a7YnPc5jqek/w400-h225/r1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLRYzNd6az8zWTFykmrdYisSJOurFrBaCNF0do6FzY8S3LzOFHRy1Nx7W9nPBzUnicrVZYx7iuiIbmwuAKgDkTpyCcrOJfQFmGnAbvVPL9vU2d5HdeF4JU59hCWXI3fT5xpy7N_njTj0/s2048/r2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLRYzNd6az8zWTFykmrdYisSJOurFrBaCNF0do6FzY8S3LzOFHRy1Nx7W9nPBzUnicrVZYx7iuiIbmwuAKgDkTpyCcrOJfQFmGnAbvVPL9vU2d5HdeF4JU59hCWXI3fT5xpy7N_njTj0/w400-h225/r2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcL5OIjgaOXqQ2Yf8hUYyK9bARNwGl9ioDPm3hKn1qZpuxahdewGgDjPAeqkH1Tlinv4_sKJyWVo0DWRYkKAGrGWs7-ihEsc3yVB6Xqy6DtHdLCKyJaK_AC_gk_W9lAC30Lw7bTNsneE/s2048/r3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcL5OIjgaOXqQ2Yf8hUYyK9bARNwGl9ioDPm3hKn1qZpuxahdewGgDjPAeqkH1Tlinv4_sKJyWVo0DWRYkKAGrGWs7-ihEsc3yVB6Xqy6DtHdLCKyJaK_AC_gk_W9lAC30Lw7bTNsneE/w400-h225/r3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4EaBiJLeBHQpl2-vEZWprRDLpkxESRdLCE7T3T01TPnArtZPL0LGFwnIL6m4sQeeTteEBD3aEXAAP6NkVI0aT97C6OjEKiIr6V0RdHM6E29t0R0vx4u6yeveRsKRlTc3Pk_qAXLWhfE/s2048/r5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4EaBiJLeBHQpl2-vEZWprRDLpkxESRdLCE7T3T01TPnArtZPL0LGFwnIL6m4sQeeTteEBD3aEXAAP6NkVI0aT97C6OjEKiIr6V0RdHM6E29t0R0vx4u6yeveRsKRlTc3Pk_qAXLWhfE/w225-h400/r5.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOyo7EQhNLBHFhNa2V5fQnNXOi_iGnMUWdnDuLSYuP7dZRRUiNt5Z5nXuJYULlYAAhTnw2p5uqG6ISKpwTr_kLoOvCdOqqswcGvbV2HdWpB9rRHrFjZago1sHbCB2A3iNjtMPTZKSDJQ/s2048/r7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOyo7EQhNLBHFhNa2V5fQnNXOi_iGnMUWdnDuLSYuP7dZRRUiNt5Z5nXuJYULlYAAhTnw2p5uqG6ISKpwTr_kLoOvCdOqqswcGvbV2HdWpB9rRHrFjZago1sHbCB2A3iNjtMPTZKSDJQ/w225-h400/r7.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuICCmeZVJZRZwEFKpJXKgyFrcXgPrsfBok_lPvUDWld9TMSgx_z-SWLcBH587k3cQp3Ht_UmsDa7I70ajMj6pyNR4oAil5EHCtmr6v07SmY80fWdSCN5qCaGtSF19wc2J2aj1ZPNpcA/s2048/r8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuICCmeZVJZRZwEFKpJXKgyFrcXgPrsfBok_lPvUDWld9TMSgx_z-SWLcBH587k3cQp3Ht_UmsDa7I70ajMj6pyNR4oAil5EHCtmr6v07SmY80fWdSCN5qCaGtSF19wc2J2aj1ZPNpcA/w400-h225/r8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmgU0KYyWS7tJlwORXKlZabVi0VVVMQy6y_XmJ6OiKqAfBLvfLPmwxNLNU3y9IKKsGkaz9u1kyh4U6da7xFzjHB3CgLUyBHLfLahEeedvxk2ghRbDmd0_5m3XmVLJsaubEV0ehAUSI3U/s2048/r9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmgU0KYyWS7tJlwORXKlZabVi0VVVMQy6y_XmJ6OiKqAfBLvfLPmwxNLNU3y9IKKsGkaz9u1kyh4U6da7xFzjHB3CgLUyBHLfLahEeedvxk2ghRbDmd0_5m3XmVLJsaubEV0ehAUSI3U/w225-h400/r9.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQpoGbpMD9V9whKWZcGZnlXoNDKkYWRWwY8alCxVKy4Po-QXfpObntuRPkGR_1tfDkFTFa6Laiv5seaCj_AyqFP_RtikzpTYyB2zomZ1vzib05OUomxVnCF95JV-4MJOt8nHp_BZmYnU/s2048/r10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQpoGbpMD9V9whKWZcGZnlXoNDKkYWRWwY8alCxVKy4Po-QXfpObntuRPkGR_1tfDkFTFa6Laiv5seaCj_AyqFP_RtikzpTYyB2zomZ1vzib05OUomxVnCF95JV-4MJOt8nHp_BZmYnU/w225-h400/r10.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br />The AirBnB provides some DVDs for us to watch, so we have been doing so.<p></p><p></p><p>On Saturday we visited a German cafe, where we each had a leberkase sandwich.
After that we visited Jellie Park for a walk around, where there was a
lake and ducks. They also have frisbee golf here for free which seems
like a cool thing to do one day. We also inquired at the swimming pool
that was there just to get accustomed to membership fees etc.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWQyEZaQs3BiMGC81OGJxrkPNiOp-kyO6J6-RP8ReqFoGHhfkCE-uhgmfEya0e5lY9it81d1eWtTnkspBGply4Ua7EV9BpRQpAFMv0JRELqbdkKxANnV2fxGYPXbj8RHrTm8x7o_cqH0/s2048/20201003_123353.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWQyEZaQs3BiMGC81OGJxrkPNiOp-kyO6J6-RP8ReqFoGHhfkCE-uhgmfEya0e5lY9it81d1eWtTnkspBGply4Ua7EV9BpRQpAFMv0JRELqbdkKxANnV2fxGYPXbj8RHrTm8x7o_cqH0/s320/20201003_123353.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A leberkase sandwich, something I didn't think I would see in New Zealand<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>On Sunday we had a lovely 'ploughmans' lunch at Riccarton House. Don't get me wrong, it was nice, but alas no Branston Pickle. NZ doesn't really know about the Branston flavoured pickle. I don't care about the knock offs, they are all the same in my opinion. But its very hard finding it out here. Eating here is very much like taking a step back in time, kinda like eating in a National Trust property, but better, and quieter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_OwgEcU-qI-GF2FjI_uWlGlLw8t9qgU5l_SAaRTW3-U9cKysybg5hztnbOSIBljde9fm1FFdnHJ7f7JIShyphenhyphenoPEQPoo9zXaJIGcogr0NBab17sSsrAS5dLmfqyDhDj9DkDmrH2lS2LiI/s2048/r6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_OwgEcU-qI-GF2FjI_uWlGlLw8t9qgU5l_SAaRTW3-U9cKysybg5hztnbOSIBljde9fm1FFdnHJ7f7JIShyphenhyphenoPEQPoo9zXaJIGcogr0NBab17sSsrAS5dLmfqyDhDj9DkDmrH2lS2LiI/w400-h225/r6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>After that we decided on the fly to drive to Akaroa for the afternoon, as you do. The drive is spectacular, and the seaside village is a bit touristy but still a bit of fun. We had real fruit ice creams. I had the boysenberry flavour, Sabine had the banana. Hers was strangely better. Mine was more like a generic berry flavour, sadly. No photos nor videos were taken of this afternoon excursion. The weather was glorious. I wonder how busy it would have been if there was international tourists around? It made me think about how things would have been in say the 1980s when I was living here as a kid.</p><p>On Monday we visited the cats for the last time with all three of them together. Calcifer and Hermione will have new owners to another young couple.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpOOZxwBHOCkCMh9Ih5Tklepf9HI9I5exLpHb_Y_U0jgP9Xlb4c5XcDD2u-hC9s_UBXaswoWOnx5lmEQd2w9QQNztF8g0K_gxSNmscQaKQAUvyBZlHP-nrW0lUi8u5rBvL8-fzn89tjY/s2048/cats.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpOOZxwBHOCkCMh9Ih5Tklepf9HI9I5exLpHb_Y_U0jgP9Xlb4c5XcDD2u-hC9s_UBXaswoWOnx5lmEQd2w9QQNztF8g0K_gxSNmscQaKQAUvyBZlHP-nrW0lUi8u5rBvL8-fzn89tjY/w400-h225/cats.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last ever photo of the 3 cats together<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Today we looked at registering with GP's. Mioni is eligible to be seen by Plunket, a NZ child organisation which I think is a bit like the baby health care visitors from the UK. So that's good. We still need to register her with a GP.</p>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-17164002865263944092020-09-28T22:06:00.004+13:002020-09-28T22:22:14.153+13:00Rehoming Our Cats<p>Trying to pick up the shattered pieces of a life back in New Zealand comes with some compromises. One of which is that we have no home of our own. We know what it's like trying to rent a place with pets. It's quite frankly a nightmare. In the UK all the houses that accept pets are pigsties. Totally grotty. The only real solution is to rent a place that doesn't accept pets, and try to go about making sure they don't do any damage to the property whilst you're there, and hide them when the landlord/estate agents are around. You cant do this with dogs because they are foulest creatures on the planet, and those people that don't really know about cats just think of them as animals with claws that scratch everything. Well, cats don't scratch everything if they are trained properly, and if you provide scratching posts. As long as you keep the house clean from cat hair, they can be pretty easy in this regard. However this doesn't stop the fact that most of the time, you can't hide pets from nosy landlords. Anyway even though we lived in a house for a year that doesn't accept pets, we did pretty well to hide our cats. And the house was cleaned before we left to the best standard we could achieve.</p><p>A few years ago we looked at rentals in New Zealand after our 1 year lease at Ayr Street came to an end. Nowhere did rentals that accepted pets, and all the landlords were locals that lived nearby. This is one reason we can't have cats anymore.</p><p>The other reason is that we have no time for them anymore with Mioni in our lives. Yue, our tabby, begged for alone time. Every cat is different and this cat loved having us around without the other two. He was a totally friendly cat who begged for a fuss and headbutts when alone with us. We would give him this time during the evenings. But once Mioni was on the scene, he acted aloof, just the same as he acts with Calcifer and Hermione around.</p><p>Hermione loved Mioni, surprisingly, and Calcifer didn't really get on. All cats loved their interactions with us before Mioni was born, but they couldn't get the lap time and the fuss they desired anymore.</p><p>The last 5 or so months with our cats was disheartening. Calcifer was depressed and bored, Yue was messy in his litter tray in protest, and Hermione was actually not so bad.</p><p>In December we looked at the adoption process in the UK and most of the organisations have bad reviews. We contacted Blue Cross and even visited them, but they wanted money from us to re-home them, plus they had a policy that those that give up their cats have no say in where they will go, with no contact ever again. It's horrendous. There is simply no human element. And who spends money to give away their pets? For fuck sake. Most people get money back by selling them. We were aware of Dunedin's Cat Rescue charity and knew how they ran, which is far superior than that.</p><p>Simply put, there was no way we would leave the cats in the UK under these conditions.</p><p>Sabine was in contact with a lady here in Christchurch that runs her cat adoption business from her own home. After an extensive phone call and even meeting her yesterday, it reaffirmed our decision of bringing our cats into the country and putting them back into adoption from here. The lady's policy is that previous owners are allowed to have updates and even a say in who can re-home them, and what sort of home the cats need. Calcifer and Hermione need a home together as they are brother and sister, Yue needs a home that doesn't have other pets nor children, and all 3 of them need to be with a family that can give them the time they need.<br /></p><p>Our cats arrived at Christchurch airport at 4pm this afternoon at the Air NZ Cargo building. The lady was there too. We had to wait until roughly 4:30pm before we had them. The lady took them back to hers and we followed some minutes later.</p><p>At her place she allocated a bedroom for them and we were allowed to spend a good amount of time seeing them. Typical cats, they didn't care about us. They were too busy exploring the room. They looked great though. Very healthy. Yue was hiding under the bed for the most part.</p><p>Kitty Haven is the name of this lady's business. They will be in a household full of other cats up for adoption, so they certainly wont get bored. We are allowed to visit them and even have a say in who will eventually own them. So that's that. Sabine is very upset. She bonded very highly with them, especially Yue. I bonded with the cats too, but this will be harder on her.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AotKrx2chu_jmqUY5JD-q3NkvAtyDb0Jp6psA94K3qzLPXfYk8fHABv53lWSzgL9Dy7EiGQH-1JRCIH0jWbMyaGn8hDiuSG5CJwsPfXjv7WGKzWtr7vSApGhKHLAeuz9C7XFdSKUFGM/s970/Calcifer+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="970" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AotKrx2chu_jmqUY5JD-q3NkvAtyDb0Jp6psA94K3qzLPXfYk8fHABv53lWSzgL9Dy7EiGQH-1JRCIH0jWbMyaGn8hDiuSG5CJwsPfXjv7WGKzWtr7vSApGhKHLAeuz9C7XFdSKUFGM/w400-h245/Calcifer+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjRCFLWOWwzg1wf6Thq9cCF9ok4BjGyhpc17ozFQ8d_4WOc5hUVhBxwTinEQiSzCRI-9uwOxo7bFuYPon8vF1hiE_KjIwASrkroCi-BVdWWjS1PNkguXyndP4wZVIfOP9cDQfNAhT3IA/s1152/Calcifer+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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Beginning of Christchurch.<p>The last week of quarantine was boring and samey. The internet was playing up a lot and dead slow, which didn't help matters. The second Covid test we had was longer than the first, and much worse because of it. There were a few new people to talk too, but otherwise not much else to say.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsv2nLD0Wg0fk79A0v90vNB4cxdhBUGWK5EA21BIREYfPi4fMixaX_GFWdHUfbHc5sKb90doP1jjfzJQQNfN5U4r-Gb_aZIWBn2gqEitS9SXHI141mPJgwEbJa3Gj36uxlJYoG2tUSmU/s2048/20200925_133143.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsv2nLD0Wg0fk79A0v90vNB4cxdhBUGWK5EA21BIREYfPi4fMixaX_GFWdHUfbHc5sKb90doP1jjfzJQQNfN5U4r-Gb_aZIWBn2gqEitS9SXHI141mPJgwEbJa3Gj36uxlJYoG2tUSmU/w400-h225/20200925_133143.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><b>Saturday 26th-</b><br /></p><p>We evicted the quarantine hotel at 7.30am. We took the super shuttle to the airport and got our luggage checked in. We had to wait an hour or so but it didn't matter. Our plane to Christchurch was on time at 10:30am I think. I played my switch on the plane and time went by pretty quickly. Mioni was on me for take off and landing. The journey was only an hour long. Sabine and I split up at Christchurch. She took a shuttle to the car hire place, and I took the Super Shuttle to our new AirBnB for the next month with a few cases that wouldn't fit in the hire car. I wasn't at the new place for very long before Sabine showed up. The car is a saloon. Its purpose was to be used for the sake of taking on our cumbersome cat crates, but even with this car it wont work. We have to work something out.<br />Our AirBnB is pretty good with stunning views right across to the mountains looking west. The rooms are spacious and the house is a newer build, yet still a terrace house. But don't be fooled, its huge inside. I'll do a video to show it off when the mountains are visible.<br />There is a family of plovers on the green outside, right on the other side of the fence. The green beyond this is very flat with not much else happening, making it very scenic and quite.<br />We shopped in the Warehouse and Pac n Save nearby, which was fun, and this evening visited the local Joes Garage restaurant chain, but the prices have gone up. The food is still good though. Interesting from our perspective how there isn't any social distancing happening. Kinda isn't needed right now, and the government are managing it very well compared to other countries such as the USA or the UK.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-lv791qNGToq8bTA5b0iHhvqMlR4X_np55y5fej0tFHT0RVh9uxnJs03BrrSFte-wXDhIDUvQJHn9xGfPRfYCY6rXfNjYEjV2uarPwOpUP8I2BiOTXx3w2aaf6xwuWY-qiFZIYULON4/s2048/20200926_143244.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-lv791qNGToq8bTA5b0iHhvqMlR4X_np55y5fej0tFHT0RVh9uxnJs03BrrSFte-wXDhIDUvQJHn9xGfPRfYCY6rXfNjYEjV2uarPwOpUP8I2BiOTXx3w2aaf6xwuWY-qiFZIYULON4/w225-h400/20200926_143244.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mionis first time sitting in the trolley.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXNR6mHjSaHx2-91BHDREhrDRrTwZkVWexMIsYS70gduYOZPJmOUoFJkM4dz0tzJj25X2bQGhw31NjxsckT7KdL_P3qwAdxFO458LLMHoQ0qYwmRssP2s2wd_Mu8-UHJ8UsLainGh3bY/s2048/20200926_182043.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXNR6mHjSaHx2-91BHDREhrDRrTwZkVWexMIsYS70gduYOZPJmOUoFJkM4dz0tzJj25X2bQGhw31NjxsckT7KdL_P3qwAdxFO458LLMHoQ0qYwmRssP2s2wd_Mu8-UHJ8UsLainGh3bY/w400-h225/20200926_182043.jpg" width="400" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKKGjyW6GTjHf9IBeyFswbPULvmVfUMsEuXwVama33aITd2cQjM5mlQpD7F1WADADzGCRZEG4f2PfBbBkNkhQ8gGglPbZKTY52aNMboq-zNawEJwd68biLJ06plisspJXdDD1O3FKk8Y/s2048/20200926_183558.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKKGjyW6GTjHf9IBeyFswbPULvmVfUMsEuXwVama33aITd2cQjM5mlQpD7F1WADADzGCRZEG4f2PfBbBkNkhQ8gGglPbZKTY52aNMboq-zNawEJwd68biLJ06plisspJXdDD1O3FKk8Y/w400-h225/20200926_183558.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><p><b>Sunday 27th-</b><br /></p><p>We went to the Botanical Gardens today. The sun was shining and glorious! There were baby ducklings running around our feat, and pecking on Sabines shoes. We had a nice walk around. There was a small patch of woodland with bluebells. that was cool.<br />We later went to the mall and looked in the baby shop for things, then we shopped at Pac n Save for dinner food.<br />Sabine contacted a lady who takes on cats for adoption. This evening we visited her and explained our situation. Her house is full of cats, and Sabine thinks she's good enough for our kitties. We have arranged for her to help pick up our cats tomorrow.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_FNQwsgum2nW1epJrYMiyeA2vU8NJAkBKoQ7qa-7L1m2tO8cQgB4zvQiu0jlr-59VoSQ3vBKdQzTVFSv7yGwQoVqXgwRAPi7_GPat_HsfCdyEtmIEFOANXCofBw0U0J4xmbS53AS_TY/s2048/20200927_123313.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_FNQwsgum2nW1epJrYMiyeA2vU8NJAkBKoQ7qa-7L1m2tO8cQgB4zvQiu0jlr-59VoSQ3vBKdQzTVFSv7yGwQoVqXgwRAPi7_GPat_HsfCdyEtmIEFOANXCofBw0U0J4xmbS53AS_TY/w400-h225/20200927_123313.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenia8yE6106lyLQOQ5Wfw8E1r4TKMndokjcfG2JdWLq8syP001TBJ6KKCOoE8DR9StVpPGvKIcjkJXLulKrVkQZNe1Z-LkbHtCx56YmgBjWGt44wxl3zAfPeBeJecPNTqsOYJ2DF8jHY/s2048/20200927_125241.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenia8yE6106lyLQOQ5Wfw8E1r4TKMndokjcfG2JdWLq8syP001TBJ6KKCOoE8DR9StVpPGvKIcjkJXLulKrVkQZNe1Z-LkbHtCx56YmgBjWGt44wxl3zAfPeBeJecPNTqsOYJ2DF8jHY/w400-h225/20200927_125241.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBtG8JNDwJRNFijm22Mg2zJQXgG4bMln1T5ioIcYxsUrNAaoOEsRXOgA2DQMILyujfR0ptms-0wXBoykeLarHg54tuRiU2WJKUWW0u63P73a9F72i8vzcgx7QopzTOhyEqpuzEQKax1c/s2048/20200927_132204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBtG8JNDwJRNFijm22Mg2zJQXgG4bMln1T5ioIcYxsUrNAaoOEsRXOgA2DQMILyujfR0ptms-0wXBoykeLarHg54tuRiU2WJKUWW0u63P73a9F72i8vzcgx7QopzTOhyEqpuzEQKax1c/w400-h225/20200927_132204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-83147382828576579522020-09-22T09:01:00.000+12:002020-09-22T09:01:05.058+12:00Continuing Our Stay in Quarantine<p><b>Tuesday 15th-</b></p><p>Jet lag. We were awake at 3am. I went down to get us coffees at the 6am cafe opening time. An hour later, instead of waiting for todays breakfast, I ate the two prawn & mussel cocktails from the fridge that we didn't get round to eating from a few days ago. Delicious!<br />Todays breakfast which I chose was the French Toast, which was naff. There wasnt much else to say regarding today. It rained a bit, but we still got outside 3 times, and I have blisters from my new shoes.<br />We got over our daytime jet lag by staying awake the whole day, at least until 8pm.<br /></p><p><b>Wednesday 16th-</b></p><p>We slept throughout the night with no issues other than Mioni needing sorting out, which is normal anyway.<br />Sabine went to get her morning coffee at 6am, and saw kingfishers outside on the fence. Naturally we went outside at the 8am opening time to try and see if they were still on the fence, but they weren't. The sun is shining outside again today, much like day 1.</p><p>The internet is down today. Has been since 2am.<br />There was a bus load of new people today, meaning we weren't allowed out of our rooms until they were processed and in their rooms. I still managed to get out though for a bit. We got a negative Covid result from the other day.</p><p><b>Thursday 17th-</b></p><p>Not much to say. We had a pizza for lunch, and lamb in the evening. There are new people here and some are from the NZ Black Caps. One of which isn't wearing his face mask properly, and everyone is telling him to put it on, but he only swears as a reply. One old guy looks like Grant Nesbit, the television commentator. Might actually be him, But he wears sun glasses as well as his mask, so its really hard to tell. He doesn't have anyone else in his bubble which makes me think its him. Its probably not him, but simply by having semi famous people around, It makes me question who is who.<br /></p><p><b>Friday 18th-</b></p><p>I took part in Tims Listening Party on Twitter, listening to Bis' New Transistor Heroes album at 7am / 8pm UK time. I was listening and discussing about this album at great length at the same time as all 3 band members, and fans alike. The internet can be a wonderful thing.<br />It was raining off and on all day today.</p><p><b>Saturday 19th-</b></p><p>Our Countdown shopping arrived and was in the lobby for pickup. We bought some things online yesterday such as baby milk powder and a few other things such my favourite smoothy drink. We also bought 2 Vodaphone Sim cards, so at least we can have telephone numbers again.<br />Outside this afternoon I had a chat with a guy who recognised me from the plane last week.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-hE1NulLbn4J8bzsoogRbaBqWi8MJK_pKbzMJYJ65fjejVGVD-QmYjfESw5mB9kRZ1ytMNwybSx29UOmsjS8UsJqJGmfDiTC5pJvMVTY6zbDda8d0FB0ZTrvZwH_mVUuF7j1pnjosdk/w400-h225/20200919_120635.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had the burger again tonight so I can show what I mean about it keeping its shape<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KNZ0uJkBzXLG4fTyLaLfJzOmKY23nCptDqnuLd3Ry_Mgq5wtAkEi7MFF4qYCsOY4Av8dDDik_cbG4IL5ZRYold8DMfpOPoN3tfLFS0qLsrJhPt1RHdwiqlyX23MycuEc7ZwMa7A5agw/s2048/20200919_120815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KNZ0uJkBzXLG4fTyLaLfJzOmKY23nCptDqnuLd3Ry_Mgq5wtAkEi7MFF4qYCsOY4Av8dDDik_cbG4IL5ZRYold8DMfpOPoN3tfLFS0qLsrJhPt1RHdwiqlyX23MycuEc7ZwMa7A5agw/w400-h225/20200919_120815.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><b>Monday 21st-</b></p><p>The weather was nice. There was a guy throwing a hissy fit in the lobby. Probably a guy not used to the idea of being in quarantine. Quite a few staff members were buzzing around the area making sure things didn't escalate.<br /></p>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-8432484931745002762020-09-14T20:01:00.002+12:002020-09-14T21:00:19.205+12:00Monday 14/09/20<p><b>Monday 14th-</b><br /></p><p>Mioni woke up in the middle of the night. I only got 3 hours sleep at that point. I still managed to get 5 hours sleep in the end.</p><p>We speak with a few families around the complex when we are walking around outside. There is a family in the room next door to us who have a 6 month old
baby who we're on good terms with. They were also on our 2 flights from
London. They are staying here from the UK for roughly 4 months. It's
great getting to know them. Everyone in the hotel just has
to wear face masks when outside our rooms, and keep 2 meters away from
each others 'bubble' on a compulsory level. the word 'compulsory' being
used here, unlike in the UK where during lockdown such terminology was
never used.</p><p>We are also friendly with the police and army staff that patrol the perimeter. Everyone is up for a chat, including the nurses when we get our daily temperature checks. We didn't know until today that this hotel is chosen for families with babies and those who suffer from mental health issues. At the airport we were specially directed to a bus that would take us here. That's why we were bumped up the queue like we were. Others are taken to less impressive places with no real outdoor space.</p><p>We have to choose our food the day before from an order form which we place outside our room for collection. Yesterday I ordered a burger for lunch for today, and I had no idea it was going to be so good. Im sure it was 'medium steak' with pink in the middle, with a very slight layer of cheese and relish and nothing much else to be honest, but boy was it good. The whole burger kept its shape right up until the very last bite, with the top and bottom of the bun easily meeting in the middle somehow. It's a shame I didn't take a photo of it. We were told by staff earlier that some adults are apparently ordering the kids food cause of the portion sizes. lol</p><p>At around midday we were called down for Covid-19 testing. We had to go into a room where a team of people in full PPE had to administer a swab right up our nose and twist it around for a full 4 seconds. 6 month olds and over have to get it done too, but luckily for Mioni it's only an in and out job. Its a weird sensation. The scratchy effect is one thing, but it takes about 15 minutes to get over it. My nose felt like it was suffering from a cold afterwards.</p><p>I tried to go for a brisk walk around the outside this afternoon, but after 15mins the rubbing in my new shoes caused blisters on my heals. Ow.</p><p>Tonight's dinner was a lamb roast. It was tasty, but full of inedible fat.</p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg726i0IbPvMewVoB0TVixRqrrnemK_4nGdeuD5BQqOIueE1nHdOfYgyHPS2r7GiO2kKizEEni2_x_TfQ8HMUOuzrR54feWwdX79MIqRx2x6pMR31XR2IXsAaq74_J4QTofmiXaR-BLk/s2048/20200914_085523.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg726i0IbPvMewVoB0TVixRqrrnemK_4nGdeuD5BQqOIueE1nHdOfYgyHPS2r7GiO2kKizEEni2_x_TfQ8HMUOuzrR54feWwdX79MIqRx2x6pMR31XR2IXsAaq74_J4QTofmiXaR-BLk/w400-h225/20200914_085523.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4H9aHK8IKUJsh9XLPMpOaetPVK3EUfhmDtG_OVE9RFdWw5cNHxT-URqk3wsna877QtozgcctlRmp0U7kddGTAOwdZ_f9udWpzDiUZT0d6b0zOfQgeLkx_0HoBhlsg3P4EPfsvFXPTTJI/s2048/20200914_181132.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4H9aHK8IKUJsh9XLPMpOaetPVK3EUfhmDtG_OVE9RFdWw5cNHxT-URqk3wsna877QtozgcctlRmp0U7kddGTAOwdZ_f9udWpzDiUZT0d6b0zOfQgeLkx_0HoBhlsg3P4EPfsvFXPTTJI/w400-h225/20200914_181132.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamb dinner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-4199696344262909712020-09-13T19:59:00.002+12:002020-09-14T21:01:06.838+12:00Sunday 13/09/20<p><b>Sunday 13th- </b><br /></p><p>Mioni woke up at 1.45am. after that we got little sleep. We had fun eating the dinner at 5am. Though we skipped the chicken and went straight for the pasta and chocolate cake. Each meal comes with something cold and hot, with a bit on the side. It's actually too much food, but better too much than too little as we heard from how other isolation facilities are operating.</p><p>I didn't keep tabs on today. Too tired for the most part. I slept a bit here and there. We managed to walk around outside in the morning and afternoon. We saw our first Fantail and Welcome Swallow this morning, and Rosella's this afternoon. The food is too much, though the carrot cake was something special.<br /></p><p>I took photos of the outside space. It isn't much area to walk around, but better than nothing.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynFyvDvHU7zgFJ6dn9V2ozdmb1FDL7Sh6irhouMAukqXYKztFhUPUgJ3OuJUneqLlRAUnl6pOuP3tdEGvd_T00CetwKAkA4am0T2BtmVbSy0KpN4RMW33LPa-jZa6tl3vEEOg6-dgvfQ/s2048/20200913_094922.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynFyvDvHU7zgFJ6dn9V2ozdmb1FDL7Sh6irhouMAukqXYKztFhUPUgJ3OuJUneqLlRAUnl6pOuP3tdEGvd_T00CetwKAkA4am0T2BtmVbSy0KpN4RMW33LPa-jZa6tl3vEEOg6-dgvfQ/w400-h225/20200913_094922.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKr5ltev2Xj1TkOJFlFwMnRQkiRH17gvgYU8h5tTygIRPkTtHlv9I7SKknPXmLEtPPlIYq1_BqJH9tFmhRNkLblSqup5mddo_XnT-1kxjUin-Vl5G6wr-buWMriPWeVei-tz7tkBPAkA/s2048/20200913_094932.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKr5ltev2Xj1TkOJFlFwMnRQkiRH17gvgYU8h5tTygIRPkTtHlv9I7SKknPXmLEtPPlIYq1_BqJH9tFmhRNkLblSqup5mddo_XnT-1kxjUin-Vl5G6wr-buWMriPWeVei-tz7tkBPAkA/w400-h225/20200913_094932.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTlY_qNHf1R1QavU3dU2YbakkFhydrEKAwIJRjW9QPdy2rOiQ0BoZeN5m-JWe2pljUDigiV7sNgle2rL10ASonEKDBzx-NQw3y8ZH7FeDHbUSTkW1dlnVyjx9X2sfxWrVAHDLzeftM7w/s2048/20200913_094956.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTlY_qNHf1R1QavU3dU2YbakkFhydrEKAwIJRjW9QPdy2rOiQ0BoZeN5m-JWe2pljUDigiV7sNgle2rL10ASonEKDBzx-NQw3y8ZH7FeDHbUSTkW1dlnVyjx9X2sfxWrVAHDLzeftM7w/w400-h225/20200913_094956.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfjR86MoYi01eP-Van60GjSQgho4Cdm-Xkbn3XQ036LytCASY54LPV3r46NOsTo4KB8qE3wgiQo61Y6a6y4_Gg1ESdUTPFXRlpjLX8plf71m2lutSEzGBuk13qURitq3qYsDMTrooa24/s2048/20200913_095005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfjR86MoYi01eP-Van60GjSQgho4Cdm-Xkbn3XQ036LytCASY54LPV3r46NOsTo4KB8qE3wgiQo61Y6a6y4_Gg1ESdUTPFXRlpjLX8plf71m2lutSEzGBuk13qURitq3qYsDMTrooa24/w400-h225/20200913_095005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-5200559216582553262020-09-13T02:36:00.006+12:002020-09-14T21:07:42.418+12:00Heading Back to New Zealand!<p><b>September 2020.</b></p><p><b>Thursday 10th-</b></p>
<p>Sabine set the alarm for 1.30am, after a second rough night sleeping on the floor in an empty house In Swansea, Wales, UK. Finishing off things until our taxi at 4am was a mad rush. I took a whole heap of black bags to the refurbished church near the house as they have a great big black bag bin for their residents.</p><p>
The local taxi we booked (Phoenix Cabs) was on time and had a car seat for Mioni, our daughter, as promised. I should rate them really well as they were a great service. He dropped us off at Davis Homes, the estate agents so we could drop off the keys for the house through the letter box. Approaching the local supermarket, Lidl, Sabine realised we forgot to get the final meter readings of the gas, electricity and water. The water we could still get as it's outside the property, so the guy drove us back and I got a photo. Along the M4 he wanted to make light conversation but being a typical welsh guy, we hardly understood what he was saying. I just agreed and picked out a few key words from what he was saying to piece together what he was talking about.</p><p>We stopped off at Readings service station quickly and got to Heathrow at a reasonable time. In fact the drive there flue by. I've never traveled that distance before where it felt so short. Mind you I did get some sleep along the way. The airport was slightly more sparse than usual, but to be honest it de-stressed me. I used this time to phone Colin, the landlord, and the estate agents regarding the recycling pickup for tomorrow and next week. Someone needs to put the green waste bags back into the greenhouse tomorrow, and deal with the pink bag for next week, as well as take photos of the 2 indoor meter readings we forgot. It wasn't long before our flight. We took off just before 12pm, and this flight accepted smartphone use for take off and landing, So I videoed Mionis reaction at take off (currently viewable in the google share folder as of this posts publication date). </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOu69HFZf9Ay9YOabJQW3GIZlYyAWTuvBgdZFMdzi8pfdVtPRapBwcmFMYyBvcQz3iiQzM23nhj_vK-R5h4o2ooK3K7M8CGi7cp779xHY6ZqEGyQRU6qfbo1Oisvc7w4Bt92sPBwF3AzQ/s2048/20200910_112321.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOu69HFZf9Ay9YOabJQW3GIZlYyAWTuvBgdZFMdzi8pfdVtPRapBwcmFMYyBvcQz3iiQzM23nhj_vK-R5h4o2ooK3K7M8CGi7cp779xHY6ZqEGyQRU6qfbo1Oisvc7w4Bt92sPBwF3AzQ/w225-h400/20200910_112321.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>I watched the new Sonic movie. Unbelievably it's a hell of a lot better than I thought it would be. My god it was actually awesome!<br />A little later I watched Batman 1989. Again, pretty good to be honest. Iconic, and Noir. Very similar to the animated series in its style. I guess that's the point.
I started watching Birds of Prey towards the final leg of the flight.<br />The plane took 12 hours 30 minutes to Singapore, and Mioni was a good girl, though took to me better than Sabine for comfort.
</p><p><b>Friday 11th-</b></p>
<p>At Singapore, we were directed to the gate next door, along with every other New Zealander. Because we have a baby, we were taken directly there and jumped the queue. Because I'm an idiot and was doolally, I forgot to pick up my bag after security. Our personal assistant noticed I didn't have my bag and escorted me back. What a star she was. We ended up in the same 3 seats in this new plane, but it was at the gate next door to our old one. Everyone from the previous flight pretty much came aboard and the whole procedure took an hour and a half before takeoff again. </p><p>Mioni was very distressed at the beginning of this flight. She looked confused and borderline scared. I'm so pleased I previously downloaded some nursery rhyme videos from YouTube onto my phone. It was the only method to calm her down which resulted in her going into a deep sleep.<br /></p><p>I watched the rest of the Birds of Prey movie. It's a pretty solid film, but at times feels like it's trying too hard to be Kill Bill.</p><p>After that nearly everyone got sleep for the next 5 or so hours, including us.</p><p>For both airplanes they served food at the beginning and end of the flights.
I believe we were in Singapore in their Friday morning.</p><p>I think the plane landed in Auckland at 10.30pm local time, but as I'm typing this on the bus to our quarantine hotel, its midnight.
The second plane was a 9 hour flight in the end.</p>
<p><b>Saturday 12th-</b></p><p>We arrived at the quarantine hotel just after midnight. Its called Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre, in Mount Wellington, Auckland. It's a 4 star hotel!</p><p>A quarantine guy told us what to expect before we left the bus. He said that he manages 8 different quarantine
sites and said that this is his favourite one for sure. In the hotel we had to queue three times. First for a few minutes telling a guy who we are and why we're here, the second was with a nurse which was a more in depth paperwork procedure, and finally at check in to collect our room key.</p><p>We were finally alone in our room at 1.25am.</p><p>It was nice to finally be able to take our surgical masks off that we had to wear since entering the building at Heathrow. And the room had a welcome package with some food.
We were showered and in bed by 2.45am.</p><p>I woke up at 5.45am after hearing a song thrush which would ordinarily sound weird to me in Swansea.
Actually this isn't so bad as if you add this 3 hours sleep to my recent 5 hours in the second plane, that's a full night's sleep right there. I'll probably get sleepy this afternoon though.</p><p>It's a glorious sunny day in Auckland this early morning. We had a knock on the door at exactly 7.30am with breakfast outside. What a meal! It was 3x warm porridge, with warm flaky pastries, fresh fruits and yogurt.
We had a sheet to fill in to choose our lunch and evening meals for tomorrow. We have so far experienced nothing but kindness the whole journey. Im so grateful. To the staff at Singapore airlines to everyone in NZ so far.</p><p>Sabine did some washing in the morning, whilst I had an MTV type channel on the telly, quite a good one too. Mixing good tunes of the past with the present.</p><p>We explored the outside area with grass which overlooks an estuary near Mount Wellington. It's amazing to think we are allowed to do this, instead of being stuck in a room for 14 days.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhJWPlWPkEaUZ9-NiS7zvBBVFuAqis28IF_QcerDQzJtU68tMNU0J7S44Jj4DNR0ROB1b87HoI5IYaZqKqKPe5XpbPUyx8hdBcGtt9K2dbHqkAndJWM46kmQjxB_ZozBazRjUujNTlUo/s2048/20200912_100822.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhJWPlWPkEaUZ9-NiS7zvBBVFuAqis28IF_QcerDQzJtU68tMNU0J7S44Jj4DNR0ROB1b87HoI5IYaZqKqKPe5XpbPUyx8hdBcGtt9K2dbHqkAndJWM46kmQjxB_ZozBazRjUujNTlUo/w400-h225/20200912_100822.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Lunch was at the door at 12 noon. A huge Curry! I'm so stuffed!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnQCVZ3ws_ziVgfUGvP3iTpAnd56J3H80EsfSOaW5s_tD_gEQhpK3Q-kxU1ujvexLYwBqjlbq4pdD4YTI-xm-QA9hP9g_wzah9eWxRT_q7gVIRWCVTgOCbMlEUCpOSvBpwV-doh4f4Es/s2048/20200912_121349.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnQCVZ3ws_ziVgfUGvP3iTpAnd56J3H80EsfSOaW5s_tD_gEQhpK3Q-kxU1ujvexLYwBqjlbq4pdD4YTI-xm-QA9hP9g_wzah9eWxRT_q7gVIRWCVTgOCbMlEUCpOSvBpwV-doh4f4Es/w400-h225/20200912_121349.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>We got 3 hours sleep after that and went out to the cafe balcony and bought a hot chocolate each. Overlooking the estuary we saw a flock of kingfishers just at the shore. The tide was in so they were very close by considering. This isolation facility has a public walkway just up from the estuary and after that there is a double fence line. Unlike a lot of other isolation facilities which cater for family viewing times under time slot bookings only, this hotel doesn't need one due to the double fence line being next to a public footpath. There were a few families chatting through the fence too. Very well thought of. The space between the double fence line is about 5 meters.
They closed the outside section at 4.30pm, and we got some more sleep. At some point dinner was at our door but we both couldn't eat whatever it was. To full.
I woke up around 8.30pm and tiptoed around the room trying not to wake up the girls, and started on creating this blog post on the computer.</p><p>I forgot to say that today we did also see a Tui and a Myna bird, which was a nice welcome back.</p><p>The girls woke up around 11pm. We are all jet lagged. After a bit I got tired and fell asleep<b>.</b> </p><p><br /></p>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0Auckland, New Zealand-36.848304800000008 174.7624886-65.158538636178861 139.6062386 -8.5380709638211627 -150.08126140000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-89416686297137389582020-09-12T21:46:00.004+12:002020-09-12T21:46:47.701+12:00August 2019 - September 2020<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87RFZObOJBncA2FblROhEM95hsZjzfeeVjt2FkvIMPcdju_-pllWlm2-9wZ7OY2o0OxcznQL2CiQ0mIlw0d7b-bzAPmJ3OUSuUCt8yefHkjqNXAYbHKi_j8Pg5ZhZeDWs9pnP_ZnYiOo/s480/Blur+nothing+to+say.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87RFZObOJBncA2FblROhEM95hsZjzfeeVjt2FkvIMPcdju_-pllWlm2-9wZ7OY2o0OxcznQL2CiQ0mIlw0d7b-bzAPmJ3OUSuUCt8yefHkjqNXAYbHKi_j8Pg5ZhZeDWs9pnP_ZnYiOo/s320/Blur+nothing+to+say.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-34849855836769607052020-07-30T19:32:00.001+12:002020-11-17T22:31:15.539+13:00NZ vs UK: Junctions<div>I used to think that the UK had it better, that roundabouts are the way to go. But in Wales this certainly isn't the case. They are overused. I think you need a good balance, and only use roundabouts when needed. I usually dont mind them, but when a short journey has something like 20 of the damn things, it becomes a nuisance. In Wales, roundabouts are overused. In England where I grew up, I think they have a good balance.</div><div><br /></div><div>In NZ, roundabouts are not as common as in the UK, or at least Wales. A lot of junctions are being upgraded for pedestrians so that they can cross the road diagonally, instead of having to press the crosswalk button twice at the same junction. This I feel is sorely needed in the UK.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkonEtP4fKjPAq1hux4uTDaBe-BBRih1kjLeDmDfqwIdpMeloW1rCsZzoj9Qph3Ik__L3I-A0efKvDaFGSiJsZShNbrDYfnm1CyC5-mw1SJeULrMGRuAVZ0TrPCMUhcodCqnXMBG6nYZ0/s2048/Screen+Shot+2020-07-30+at+08.17.17.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkonEtP4fKjPAq1hux4uTDaBe-BBRih1kjLeDmDfqwIdpMeloW1rCsZzoj9Qph3Ik__L3I-A0efKvDaFGSiJsZShNbrDYfnm1CyC5-mw1SJeULrMGRuAVZ0TrPCMUhcodCqnXMBG6nYZ0/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-07-30+at+08.17.17.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UK layout. Crosswalks are not located at the corner of junctions. No diagonal access is possible<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XIM2DnlZl3cJv-4msKxbqciNJzqph7rK8RclUoN70Ae3EaPQlMwSmo52hFQEyd6haC5zLIC4rrDP0tDfTUOCWjwDEcdO_tdL9mPSL1tYnoiXCKIO1sC-TMSUJbfiWhZvYFU4Evu1LQo/s2194/Screen+Shot+2020-07-30+at+08.21.06.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="2194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XIM2DnlZl3cJv-4msKxbqciNJzqph7rK8RclUoN70Ae3EaPQlMwSmo52hFQEyd6haC5zLIC4rrDP0tDfTUOCWjwDEcdO_tdL9mPSL1tYnoiXCKIO1sC-TMSUJbfiWhZvYFU4Evu1LQo/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-07-30+at+08.21.06.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NZ layout. Diagonal crosswalk. These are becoming more prominent. The only downside is that junctions like these are EVERYWHERE. A good, healthy mix of roundabouts wouldn't be so bad.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5PNX81KlFajzv1F3AuDHRbmmGaiAcmkes2tNc71ILFGptEN1O6tDN9a8TO_c4LtVfBaDRmEk0Mm1Ur_SCZKwawXi7uiybgCbx7g9dJozzWcb79s8rEGmelx6vW6whyphenhyphen1iEgTLAt4MhDQ/s1646/Screen+Shot+2020-07-30+at+08.28.29.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1646" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5PNX81KlFajzv1F3AuDHRbmmGaiAcmkes2tNc71ILFGptEN1O6tDN9a8TO_c4LtVfBaDRmEk0Mm1Ur_SCZKwawXi7uiybgCbx7g9dJozzWcb79s8rEGmelx6vW6whyphenhyphen1iEgTLAt4MhDQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-07-30+at+08.28.29.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pointless roundabout is one of many in Wales. Look at it! Whats the point?!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-40010953395953312882020-07-29T09:28:00.000+12:002020-07-29T09:28:35.297+12:00NZ vs UK: Coffee ShopsI talked about this briefly a few posts back, but in the UK, coffee shops are all ruled by the big chains such as Costa, Starbucks and Cafe Nero. They all sell the same sorta things too. Non-commercial cafes are seldom in busy city areas. They are mostly found in small towns and villages. Brighton has some though, but not all survive for very long. Billy's in Brighton is excellent for example. But the very popular Choccywoccydoodah closed down. In Swansea, I really haven't seen anything. There is one near where we live, but that's in suburb.<br />
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In NZ, Starbucks is the only major cafe chain they have. Even this would be like just the one per town/city. Everything else is just small chains like The Good Oil, or family owned places. All of them offer something different and interesting. Most offer interesting cakes and Babs, and most serve hot food too, unlike the big UK chains.</div>
Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-46469260584387680712020-07-24T22:55:00.002+12:002020-07-29T09:03:06.740+12:00NZ vs UK: Supermarket Prices<div>
In this series, I will discuss regional differences that I can think of between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. There are probably a lot, yet the way my head works I cant think of everything in one go.</div>
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I'll start with some leftover photos from my time in NZ, which I find interesting.</div>
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In Pac N Save, New Zealand, on a weekly basis in the queue for the till, we would always look at the amazing headlines for the yellow press 'New Idea'. 'Womans Weekly' was there too, but it was always New Idea that would blatantly LIE in their front covers.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOfWELiYy8qzoi-laTlM_Hyt1f2lUDWLcPPckx0UlA4nOGKQQlSixXqRa0EYyyHilDfErhLBL27dDygOd6dEsJYd9V_hq4PeT39KPpjKZ36WdV73VwsWc3X9WTALX-lIUiSUfey105RY/s1600/20190706_123747.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOfWELiYy8qzoi-laTlM_Hyt1f2lUDWLcPPckx0UlA4nOGKQQlSixXqRa0EYyyHilDfErhLBL27dDygOd6dEsJYd9V_hq4PeT39KPpjKZ36WdV73VwsWc3X9WTALX-lIUiSUfey105RY/s320/20190706_123747.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palace "confirms". Sure...<br />
So here we go, Not only did they split up apparently, but Harry is apparently now going out with a new lover.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtyHUOL7FgrRxGGn96TsZg5-BgZWKbL9iFXD6bf07pdTBQp6v5H0sZ6E5nm_hTQOkNIFva0a0qUF2TzA_o2-YtGfDcmv7ByAnxjwtkRCNQSwgpYN5NPJDzih9z7yjVTrDg7m3KrSFx0w/s1600/20190709_074846.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtyHUOL7FgrRxGGn96TsZg5-BgZWKbL9iFXD6bf07pdTBQp6v5H0sZ6E5nm_hTQOkNIFva0a0qUF2TzA_o2-YtGfDcmv7ByAnxjwtkRCNQSwgpYN5NPJDzih9z7yjVTrDg7m3KrSFx0w/s320/20190709_074846.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meghans baby was born weeks before, you know, the actual birth!</td></tr>
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Every week there would be the royal family on the front page of this magazine. And every week it was worth a laugh to see what was happening in the fictionalised soap opera.</div>
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Now I have no idea if such fiction would be allowed to be published in the UK. But the UK has very evil newspaper paparazzi. The worst in the world in my opinion. I'm sure though the actual headlines used for such images wouldn't be allowed to be pure fiction.</div>
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Vegetables, meat and dairy products, including anything else that is extensively exported from NZ, has hardly a net worth value for being sold within NZ itself. The farmers get no money for going this route. They get paid good prices for going export. This means things get very pricey in the stores. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1F5VsKmlZhx9kGUAC-xFjwtdmA2kTqrkJWImoStT3O-0KOP5DSgWi4v3MRxVm444qdZHoPj86kZW4RRjR9KpeJJl1reEtHQkaKs9WEQOxqapwg5HcvAeezul9xIFzaL0j5Vu9JlQpi8/s1600/20190713_114629.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1F5VsKmlZhx9kGUAC-xFjwtdmA2kTqrkJWImoStT3O-0KOP5DSgWi4v3MRxVm444qdZHoPj86kZW4RRjR9KpeJJl1reEtHQkaKs9WEQOxqapwg5HcvAeezul9xIFzaL0j5Vu9JlQpi8/s320/20190713_114629.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$13 / roughly £6 per kg for mushrooms</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbLEBghPUX7pJdsr29NNyshlOJM4ds988Oe5uebSjBubQ_9hX5EMc3udT0qE4I_qGj1GWobxbWvrZ9KBMtUIPNd82q4dCCXvlfNas8RZoScnRqEhpySwOO-QhauoAnfrDuPJ5BMDl5H0/s1600/20190713_114703.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbLEBghPUX7pJdsr29NNyshlOJM4ds988Oe5uebSjBubQ_9hX5EMc3udT0qE4I_qGj1GWobxbWvrZ9KBMtUIPNd82q4dCCXvlfNas8RZoScnRqEhpySwOO-QhauoAnfrDuPJ5BMDl5H0/s320/20190713_114703.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$10 / roughly £5 per kg for lemons</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOliySwEA_sHHRKRjVzohNL5C9NloXJk1TWpyz9AM1vdOSO6crlN-lBoCWsV01VuSzRj93YEC5NfPdWztvzfY7Gx80jBkcfhJCl3wAi4Kq76TMihklqKjBnPYhMO2S6goJfY3xHBNLgF4/s1600/20190713_114752.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOliySwEA_sHHRKRjVzohNL5C9NloXJk1TWpyz9AM1vdOSO6crlN-lBoCWsV01VuSzRj93YEC5NfPdWztvzfY7Gx80jBkcfhJCl3wAi4Kq76TMihklqKjBnPYhMO2S6goJfY3xHBNLgF4/s320/20190713_114752.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roughly $3.50 / roughly £1.75 for 1 Bell Pepper</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsjDq1ZWi9QERHsXgbVXPNv6Q0XUgjDRJkDHKWQF2_n-EKnFSR3uK1J9VcDPdpjxNsBplKiawejjFssIOmzRYrZ95Zgsq-HWEUplwQCM0mkRHlC9gF4D12v7rl0-5vDx5z_Px276cvH8/s1600/20190713_114813.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsjDq1ZWi9QERHsXgbVXPNv6Q0XUgjDRJkDHKWQF2_n-EKnFSR3uK1J9VcDPdpjxNsBplKiawejjFssIOmzRYrZ95Zgsq-HWEUplwQCM0mkRHlC9gF4D12v7rl0-5vDx5z_Px276cvH8/s320/20190713_114813.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$4.30 / roughly £2.10 for 1 yellow Bell Pepper</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_KYfoBDqbJBbvcMPV0P94DTdLo2_yMu3Fm9VCNc6BE3Set5QsciFTO2xfdIAJ7t4kOTvCwY83L1eACNKGeWmtvFt3hzRM6UrBktMGI8gLUr8U1oLVjbAOHcszbj3x1gPjO8TVdvp1HU/s1600/20190713_114830.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_KYfoBDqbJBbvcMPV0P94DTdLo2_yMu3Fm9VCNc6BE3Set5QsciFTO2xfdIAJ7t4kOTvCwY83L1eACNKGeWmtvFt3hzRM6UrBktMGI8gLUr8U1oLVjbAOHcszbj3x1gPjO8TVdvp1HU/s320/20190713_114830.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$10 / roughly £5 per kg for Fennel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXgvdpppUgFJ8I8Wc2unv8X9pVbTZD9yPNYB75ID6qzfK-uEinmAS0U98Oz1FdgiUOqttJ8u5C1uOPSKvLGj7oEqbE0ClFthITMLNnKFmN6IczsgAP998yzoBsTYTsfqadmoh14C20YY/s1600/20190713_114853.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXgvdpppUgFJ8I8Wc2unv8X9pVbTZD9yPNYB75ID6qzfK-uEinmAS0U98Oz1FdgiUOqttJ8u5C1uOPSKvLGj7oEqbE0ClFthITMLNnKFmN6IczsgAP998yzoBsTYTsfqadmoh14C20YY/s320/20190713_114853.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$2.50 / roughly £1.25 for 1 cucumber</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49rF4w-uN2ME8jCsSCHj6UHHmoxB6TevkATKcPykZZpuJGfYnjPy7lQv8f-Jk3OsCgutY3GYV9tDYdVKNiPZ2gDlfujURrYyvV1Vu_bwUgNtlf7bODbZrebP8sHQ0T-AHwq4D2P12YWs/s1600/20190713_114916.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49rF4w-uN2ME8jCsSCHj6UHHmoxB6TevkATKcPykZZpuJGfYnjPy7lQv8f-Jk3OsCgutY3GYV9tDYdVKNiPZ2gDlfujURrYyvV1Vu_bwUgNtlf7bODbZrebP8sHQ0T-AHwq4D2P12YWs/s320/20190713_114916.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">£3</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBN9dpBbJtIJSPng-28XnfNTLIWVgNwlJPrxNsh9fvTrOU-ulV9yngkNKCblu2AgXWAHNHm5YjWU6gz5QaNFrsMMPAQvsseVEYkU0dxWyOyqmBqlSgxpgEtmSdxY_S-X2o7kNV9B5PyU/s1600/20190713_114935.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBN9dpBbJtIJSPng-28XnfNTLIWVgNwlJPrxNsh9fvTrOU-ulV9yngkNKCblu2AgXWAHNHm5YjWU6gz5QaNFrsMMPAQvsseVEYkU0dxWyOyqmBqlSgxpgEtmSdxY_S-X2o7kNV9B5PyU/s320/20190713_114935.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">£3.20 per kg</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs7LvERYiMVpkCUwC-3J4Dpq4e47BkNn3JwNRGTS3lG5OOga5-rSW-sEoT4gKsP_hlLiywZl2GC5X-H3tcvdkhZrMW0ur7-Ei9mWlnZcL4aFnEqmp1voZq-vsth4Ecqwv9FKXKpOrZU8/s1600/20190713_115133.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs7LvERYiMVpkCUwC-3J4Dpq4e47BkNn3JwNRGTS3lG5OOga5-rSW-sEoT4gKsP_hlLiywZl2GC5X-H3tcvdkhZrMW0ur7-Ei9mWlnZcL4aFnEqmp1voZq-vsth4Ecqwv9FKXKpOrZU8/s320/20190713_115133.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">£6.50 per kg for courgettes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoh0IYVDNClz3gYgf1uYJBt9ZSBk5Jyd3F_Da6VxyCFVGLSNlJ98JZQA6ryd3jiri0QwkV1pkp5IhR-Pzp4XUakNi7I_l4bVfDuFTcjzVaJxhl274bhdL-dA3e9SNZd3RB9eHqNZ8yMeg/s1600/20190713_115521.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoh0IYVDNClz3gYgf1uYJBt9ZSBk5Jyd3F_Da6VxyCFVGLSNlJ98JZQA6ryd3jiri0QwkV1pkp5IhR-Pzp4XUakNi7I_l4bVfDuFTcjzVaJxhl274bhdL-dA3e9SNZd3RB9eHqNZ8yMeg/s320/20190713_115521.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">£7.20 / £3.60 for a block of real butter</td></tr>
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1kg of a block of cheese in NZ is roughly $11 / £5.50. This is one of the cheap ones! See more prices here: <a href="https://www.paknsaveonline.co.nz/category/chilled-frozen-and-desserts/cheese/cheese-blocks?s=sortprice&sd=1">https://www.paknsaveonline.co.nz/category/chilled-frozen-and-desserts/cheese/cheese-blocks?s=sortprice&sd=1</a></div>
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And you can forget the more interesting ranges. NZ only sells different versions of cheddar cheese. Period.</div>
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Supermarkets in NZ tend not to sell tubs of fresh fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc. In the UK these usually sell for £1. In season though, farm vendors will have stalls in the town centers, selling tubs of cherries (roughly 10 cherries?) for $7 / £3.50.</div>
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Farm markets do exist every weekend in Dunedin at least. Prices would be slightly less expensive than the supermarkets, but not by much.</div>
Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-47102889967382217362020-07-23T22:36:00.000+12:002020-07-23T23:01:13.073+12:00Dunedin: The Adventure EndsSo after our Wellington visit, there isn't much of an adventure to tell anymore, other than us winding down to move out of NZ.<br />
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We had a few house viewings, with one family seemingly being very interested. They even tagged along for an unofficial viewing when we were out. This was when one of the estate agents from Nidd was supposed to go around the house by himself for reasons I really can't think of. Maybe as just to backup Kirsty's word of what she said about the property. Anyway this dick allowed the family to do an unofficial viewing without our consent which irked us. This family came back a few more times, literally as many times as they could, but eventually bought the house.<br />
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In mid May, Sabine took the job offer from a cardiology position in Swansea, Wales. The guy on Skype, who ended up being her supervisor, sounded like a cool, genuine person at the time. However, Sabine now says she should have simply flown to Swansea to see the place first before making any final decisions, because her workplace situation changed upon starting in her first week in September. She was originally hired to do research on one specific method in order to validate a paper that was already 90% ready for publication. Upon starting her role, they told her that this research paper became invalid in the weeks between her being hired and starting. So instantly, her being in this role became pointless. Her 'office', which I have seen, is a broom cupboard of a place which was being used as a storage room. The equipment she was supposed to use in the first place is damaged and not setup at all regardless, with parts missing. They still are. Her contract was only for a year and her supervisor is hardly in anyway because he took on 5 other roles including Cardiff, Bristol, and London. So Sabines job is really unjustified, and always was. She got no maternity leave due to the 1 year contract, but they set things up for her to help with others' research from a home computer. Sabine was the first in her team to work from home before Covid-19 took hold, which saw everyone having to work from home. The university locked the building, meaning no work could be done, and now, as I type this, they have decided to commandeer the building space for teaching. For those that don't know, teaching space has changed across the board in the UK. Classes are now heavily restricted in space because each student needs to be sitting at a radius of 2 meters away from one another, not just next to them, but from behind and in front too. A class of 30 now has to be a class of 8 or something.<br />
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Back on topic, on Tuesday 21st May 2019, Gerald, our neighbor, finally got workman starting on concreting the shared driveway. Up until this point is was only a gravel driveway, up a hill. For legal reasons we couldn't sell the house properly until the area 5 meters up from the pavement was sealed with either tarmac or concrete. We eventually realised that Gerald was the guy who originally built our house in 2004, at the same time when it became law for all new properties to need to have sealed driveways, at least 5 meters up from the pavements, in order to protect the pavements themselves from damage. When we mentioned this to Gerald, he said he didn't know of this law at the time (probably because the law had only just come in at the time) and he got on it, as it was basically the last thing he should have done after our house was built in 2004. He was getting frustrated anyway at replacing his tires often due to them getting slashed on the gravel stones when driving up to his house. It was kinda ironic that the team ran out of concrete 5 meters from the pavement on the first day, but it was finished the next day so it didn't matter.<br />
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I finished my work at the Mail Room, But quickly started a new role for a few weeks, unpacking boxes again. This time in the new Dental School. Basically, the Dental School is a huge tower block, built in the 1960's. The space inside was very tight and cramped, so the University forked out millions to build a brand new tower block behind this one. That was completed and ready for everything to move out from building 1 to building 2. Building 1 had only 2 weeks to be gutted before being cordoned off for renovation. Only the outside walls of building 1 will survive, and the entire space inside will be totally brand new. Eventually buildings 2 and 1 will connect and be a super massive ultra modern teaching space.<br />
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Because of Sabine's previous miscarriages, she decided to be privately checked on at a baby clinic every week.<br />
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On the 20th May, I started a new job at a call center, to input data from incoming emails related to gas bottle orders from RockGas, one of the biggest gas bottle suppliers in the country. It was my job to handle email orders and setup delivery. The hours were shocking though. It was from 8am till 4pm. This should sound good, but I was only allowed half an hour break. I decided to take 15mins off in the morning and another in the afternoon. It drained my soul.<br />
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Bit by bit we managed to sell our house belongings via Facebook, including our lovely car. From then on we had to rely on hire cars. The guy who bought our car was a returnee from Northern Ireland, who was over here but went back to the UK, but couldn't get a job so returned again. Pretty similar in my case. I cant land a job here in Swansea at all; using recruitment agencies or otherwise. I did have a job for 2 weeks in an office of a failing company. They had only just been bought out, surviving bankruptcy, and was in the process of a total office overhaul. I did what I was told but became redundant after 1 week after the person that hired me was reshuffled someplace else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWbgA8ZFJjRz7gLmJPi-irp1iE2qJfFp9haq7-9ME6aGPlpJkWq5dqCJ-S-iIYKAHw0x0b5lQl-Ry3smWulzBmrtO7tgzksKI64gigV4Idi_29oIeHZyqQdKtLvvc4shcOavP8slvd2s/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWbgA8ZFJjRz7gLmJPi-irp1iE2qJfFp9haq7-9ME6aGPlpJkWq5dqCJ-S-iIYKAHw0x0b5lQl-Ry3smWulzBmrtO7tgzksKI64gigV4Idi_29oIeHZyqQdKtLvvc4shcOavP8slvd2s/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the best I could get the lawn before we moved out</td></tr>
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Boris Johnson became prime minister of the UK, proving that elitist scum run the country. This is what I wrote at the time:<br />
Elitism is not a worthy value. Working hard and getting a decent job out of it shows value in your knowledge and commitment to getting a job done right. This scumbag Boris Johnson becoming prime minister is proof that elitist fuckwits can rise to the top and drag the rest of us down into the gutter. Elistism is like racism. Heck it might as well be as they all think they are better then everyone else, despite ones actual achievements. Sorry not sorry. The system is broken and needs a reform. Fuck elitism.<br />
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In hindsight, as someone else told me since then, only those that want power over others actually end up in power. This is pure evil and totally corrupt worldwide.<br />
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In later July 2019 we sold the house, had Crown Relocation come to take away our possessions, and we moved into a bedsit of an AirBnB in Mosgiel until our flight on the 4th August.<br />
Our cats needed specific shipping boxes made of wood to be transported in. They flew with us to Auckland (in the cargo hold) and were taken from there by a pet transport company. We later picked them up from Heathrow a few days after we arrived in the UK.<br />
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Before actually leaving NZ, we did have a few days in Auckland before our flight to London. We spent this time doing pretty much the same things we did previously in Auckland.<br />
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One of the last things we did in NZ was eat at Better Burger at the airport. Their chips are the best chips I've ever had, simply because they keep the potato skin on the fries, making the chips SUPER crispy.<br />
Our Singapore airlines plane took off at 3.30pm on the 4th of August.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXh5IRWo9m_u2FppKIQxvi9iSrIkA_Isr6e3pXLbrCZkxTvZ5fY28BLECSigSVpT0VKmtZcHLXRLZrX1BKFQh5T0JIKJSzjj5XAG8dCoHHgq21d_FSWaHK0cx73tnAeyP-ZcVMaKBpLnQ/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXh5IRWo9m_u2FppKIQxvi9iSrIkA_Isr6e3pXLbrCZkxTvZ5fY28BLECSigSVpT0VKmtZcHLXRLZrX1BKFQh5T0JIKJSzjj5XAG8dCoHHgq21d_FSWaHK0cx73tnAeyP-ZcVMaKBpLnQ/s320/1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Best chips....... in the world.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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One other thing I want to say is that Sabine and I enjoyed visiting different cafes and restaurants in NZ, rather than over in the UK where it's just totally monopolised by Costa, Starbucks and Cafe Nero. The local homemade flair just isn't there. :( Although they do use goats cheese in their paninis in the UK, which is really tasty.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivhkrmRMteiCdQY1zw81-46EmBkfxVjJgk0fjnbhsq4J55CZ-A_CCrgJXuk8aH8oVwJs0V5tqaFFZPrhjse2-MdEVJuHgw1P7xMBP3C0JvtAkeuKYb3vHvpg8ZvyjxRIACmfrQId4eLk/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivhkrmRMteiCdQY1zw81-46EmBkfxVjJgk0fjnbhsq4J55CZ-A_CCrgJXuk8aH8oVwJs0V5tqaFFZPrhjse2-MdEVJuHgw1P7xMBP3C0JvtAkeuKYb3vHvpg8ZvyjxRIACmfrQId4eLk/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NZ cafe flair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjL51wR40fduZ4V_S2yrhGPD9_aK_yDE6yX2_dKDKZ56Crk4lc_i1xxjr7jNB9eRigDSZbTt4tyAcFQW31lKvIw9gILqRN26CJJfV0dNXo1OBsuk6I3UsC4MqDiOECe6O4Oyk4P2KjRg/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjL51wR40fduZ4V_S2yrhGPD9_aK_yDE6yX2_dKDKZ56Crk4lc_i1xxjr7jNB9eRigDSZbTt4tyAcFQW31lKvIw9gILqRN26CJJfV0dNXo1OBsuk6I3UsC4MqDiOECe6O4Oyk4P2KjRg/s320/5.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NZ cafe flair</td></tr>
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<br />Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-55184470694474750122020-07-22T20:59:00.001+12:002020-07-22T21:02:28.622+12:00Dunedin: The Red Panda EncounterWe spent half a week in Wellington in May 2019. We took an early flight on Thursday 9th and arrived at our AirBnB in a valley kinda close to the town. A 20mins walk away from the town center at least. We kinda lucked out cause it wasn't that great unfortunately. We caught a bus to town and visited TaiyaKiwi again to eat a Taiyaki each. The guy cooking at this cafe told us about a good Japanese restaurant in the town center to visit for lunch, so we visited that.<br />
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Once home we drank a bottle of white wine which was gifted to us by the owners. The house was manky, with a few dead cockroaches around, and an exposed open window frame in the bedroom to let in the air and everything else. So it had enough issues to justify alcohol. This was our first bit of alcohol in a year.<br />
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On the 10th we walked to town and had breakfast out. I had muesli and toast / jam. We visited Starbucks for Sabine then caught a bus to the zoo. Today marked the reason we were in Wellington, to finally pet the Red Panda. We caught the bus to the zoo, and enjoyed seeing the Kiwi again and the Penguins. Our encounter with the Red Panda was at 11:30am and we went into the pen with two other people, and had the big boy running on our laps, eating pears and grapes from our hands. It was very immaculate, no ticks or living things in its fur at all. It was coarse but very furry at the touch.<br />
We revisited the Kiwi pen again afterwards where one screeched for some apparent reason. I got this on video.
Back in town we pottered around and ate another Japanese meal from the same place we went to around Christmas time.<br />
Tonight we watched anime with Asian bread buns we bought in town that had some interesting fillings in them such as macha, milk, chocolate and red bean. all different shapes, sizes and ideas. Interesting.<br />
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11 Sat-<br />
Today we had breakfast at the chain Joe's Garage, which until yesterday we didn't know was a chain at all. Anyway we had our usual food there which was slightly different from Dunedin but otherwise the same. After that we headed to Starbucks. After that I parted ways as Sabine went to take an IELTS test at Massey Uni for the afternoon. I caught a bus to Miramar Weta Workshop studios for a 'tour' around their tourist made museum. It was OK I guess. I'm pleased I went, but I went in thinking it would be a studio tour akin to the Harry Potter world in London. But it wasn't. After that I headed to the overcrowded Te Papa and waited in a quiet spot upstairs until 4pm for when Sabine was finished. I just used their free internet, and I wasn't the only one sitting there for a few hours.<br />
Once Sabine was done we headed to the same Japanese restaurant we visited for lunch two days ago, but the evening menu was totally different to the lunchtime menu, and more expensive, so we just walked out.
Came home and watched an anime film called Hal, eating our Japanese bread buns.<br />
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12 Sun-<br />
We caught a very early shuttle bus to the airport, having breakfast at Wellington Airport. We were back in Dunedin before lunchtime. We unpacked, shopped at Pac N Save and even went to the EcoSanctuary for a late lunch before collecting the cats at 3pm.<br />
We noticed that our house had a for sale sign on it. Kirsty from Nidd was even doing an open home event on the house whilst we were away.<br />
Gerald, our neighbor, came over to talk to us about our decision and action to put the house on the market for real.<br />
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On the 14th, Sabine found out she was pregnant again. We were already hesitant to put the house on the market when we signed. If we knew Sabine was pregnant, would this have persuaded us to stay?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjfN30bn9w2rVAzW2pXqD_qYBDmvgZpHcJVw7KIBMlEgn8yUOE8Hm9-k0vsoZuaRiWCDfELEpFEPSHDT9rbRzNVcAbRQOc3FCn4h0zx1XqAb2rMDX4237KJi_FzfbiZmhELCqK6CQjm4/s1600/20190511_120830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjfN30bn9w2rVAzW2pXqD_qYBDmvgZpHcJVw7KIBMlEgn8yUOE8Hm9-k0vsoZuaRiWCDfELEpFEPSHDT9rbRzNVcAbRQOc3FCn4h0zx1XqAb2rMDX4237KJi_FzfbiZmhELCqK6CQjm4/s320/20190511_120830.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">These photos are from Miramar Weta Workshop studios</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJI7-TmRO2rF2ZoJ5jZalZZlM1mXfMJ9FJ1ixFr1k76MImmP34jfDXJf_04LlP6p74W8BnmNf5Nr37x0eHgwSRlUpAlwc1CMQARhFtffgXHA7qemBLE97Lu1SImNrdBr3nu5iKeRgs8I/s1600/20190511_121143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJI7-TmRO2rF2ZoJ5jZalZZlM1mXfMJ9FJ1ixFr1k76MImmP34jfDXJf_04LlP6p74W8BnmNf5Nr37x0eHgwSRlUpAlwc1CMQARhFtffgXHA7qemBLE97Lu1SImNrdBr3nu5iKeRgs8I/s320/20190511_121143.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ghost In The Shell props</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HD_NF2d3t9-WmO7VkAMJ1f_383ERpy0b67uAqSuTxq-IFDaYvlVguN2nhf9Cl9ysLhfT5QL773nzqF88bgw8JM3lzjhEs5dI-hvm6MmTC6p4KaSsvQXWZvGyT37NE82uKllrosgUUjU/s1600/20190511_121331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HD_NF2d3t9-WmO7VkAMJ1f_383ERpy0b67uAqSuTxq-IFDaYvlVguN2nhf9Cl9ysLhfT5QL773nzqF88bgw8JM3lzjhEs5dI-hvm6MmTC6p4KaSsvQXWZvGyT37NE82uKllrosgUUjU/s320/20190511_121331.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Power Rangers Props</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBGsTRf9UVk2gT0fnrzltrcN7V_EECpPD7bjju-YoBDSnt4X-hiMrkw5KXDAp0TuTLHg6kviifZcQlhDDKXR-YKnqPeq5ZyWdy9l7D0506gyCxNltppROLoxQrp9nSTvBrvTlrCoPdbA/s1600/20190511_122556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBGsTRf9UVk2gT0fnrzltrcN7V_EECpPD7bjju-YoBDSnt4X-hiMrkw5KXDAp0TuTLHg6kviifZcQlhDDKXR-YKnqPeq5ZyWdy9l7D0506gyCxNltppROLoxQrp9nSTvBrvTlrCoPdbA/s320/20190511_122556.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lord of The Rings stuff.</td></tr>
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Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-1943324797817855122020-07-21T21:44:00.000+12:002020-07-29T09:56:16.566+12:00Dunedin: April/May 2019Around April time, I made it my personal mission to completely own the back catalogue from the band Bis. This wasn't easy, as the band have multiple releases across vinyl, CD, digital downloads, special releases, promos, remixes found on other bands' singles. You name it. I used a website to work out a list of everything I didn't already own, and used Amazon and Ebay for purchases. For the ultra elusive tracks, I downloaded them from YouTube.
I wanted to create my own list in an order to match their actual studio recording dates, and place them in the era of what albums they were releasing at the time. I originally made a poster for this, but the project became so overblown I ended up finishing it by the end of 2019 as a Google Online Spreadsheet which you can find here: <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KaI3fZ2NkYBIWkAJDNLnPFrpBRoyLLQhZpG3fj3jiac/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KaI3fZ2NkYBIWkAJDNLnPFrpBRoyLLQhZpG3fj3jiac/edit?usp=sharing</a> (It works on a desktop computer only. And scroll very slowly to avoid it crashing. You can export it to Excel very easily where it won't crash). Needless to say, the band is very happy with my work. And I keep it updated too even now.<br />
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Getting your car washed in NZ can be a bit of fun. It's not like the UK where a machine washes your car. You can go to a car wash station that has a jet wash hose that you can use yourself, or you can go to a car parking lot area where a charity or organisation will have a team of people that can do it for you, as a fundraiser.<br />
On the 28th of April, after our Easter holiday, we did just this, having our car cleaned from a group of girls from a high school basketball club of some sort. How very Kiwi-esque.<br />
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From May 2019 we started the ball rolling for having our house for sale. We had Kirsty from the real estate agent, Nidd, come over so we could put the house on the market- not that we had anywhere to go at the time, which was scary stuff.<br />
Anyway, it was a case of cleaning up every room ready for house viewings, and cleaning the windows. I also took the green waste from when I worked on the garden, to a green waste dump in Kaikorai Valley, where you literally dump your greenery on a field on a hill.
Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-49842979328804265252020-07-21T20:45:00.000+12:002020-07-29T09:58:34.844+12:00Dunedin: I killed the lawn<br />
I forgot to mention that on Friday 8th of March we were supposed to
fly to Wellington for the weekend, but our plane was cancelled because
it kept getting delayed until it hit the
midnight curfew. No NZ flights after midnight.<br />
Sabine was livid. I
was disappointed. During our wait though we talked to Sabine's friend
who we met up with once before when we were heading to Wellington. Same
girl, same seat at the cafe area. Weird how fate works. After the
cancellation occurred, everyone was offered to be re-booked in for the
next morning. That was too late for us as Sabine had a Skype interview
from 7:30am the next morning, and had pre-booked the Red Panda
experience at Wellington Zoo for later that day.<br />
Wellington Zoo gave us a full refund at a later date, but we rescheduled for a date in May. But Air NZ did not refund us.<br />
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From around March I felt it right to finally deal with the garden. I didn't mind it being overgrown so much, however It didn't matter how many times I cut the grass, clover was taking over rapidly. I started by using a rake to bring out its long strands but it was never enough. Because I was only using a push mower to cut the grass, the mulch helped the clover to spread. At a loss I bought some weed killer which doesnt kill grass, and used that in the bad patches. The results didn't really work. But I kept using it in vain hope something would eventually work. Needless to say that after some weeks everything died, including the grass. It was especially bad after we came back from our Easter holiday in April. I had to do something, which resulted in buying grass seed and almost starting again on the lawn. I had to start by watering the lawn for 3 evenings before I spread the grass seed. It didn't help much because the ground was still rock solid. But I kept going at it. Every evening I would come home from work and get right on with watering the grass with seed on it. It also didn't help that we were going into Autumn now, and the grass wasn't growing so much anymore.<br />
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At work in April, we had Fantails flitting in and around the Mail Room. I think they get very curious about what us humans get up
to. They are such cuties.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnMDngR8w8xZaMVc96_TkAzWFhggeDNgfgFKHj5wQ8d6szma94iCRltyeotnCOSRcM-bccbGvXJqubym4Y2Eea88znq0aysnW4o_jKwFiMQmDC67zPAi4xkYch0ZXqMZ0R5NuVVjcD7E/s1600/20190408_083810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnMDngR8w8xZaMVc96_TkAzWFhggeDNgfgFKHj5wQ8d6szma94iCRltyeotnCOSRcM-bccbGvXJqubym4Y2Eea88znq0aysnW4o_jKwFiMQmDC67zPAi4xkYch0ZXqMZ0R5NuVVjcD7E/s320/20190408_083810.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fantail at work</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the dead center of this photo there is a rare Black Morph Fantail </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XulRPjEha9i9xTOLzJ3JV-idvHF2T3SLKB1_1tmU25Uiwfd7EaaOV2rNeHhZxRKXFMPpLZsqVc74HUiRocucpkgUhQAJwS_NL7g7xt_zddAug-00F8soe_4fm1RRQNJs8xO2ey6yqBc/s1600/20190430_162959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XulRPjEha9i9xTOLzJ3JV-idvHF2T3SLKB1_1tmU25Uiwfd7EaaOV2rNeHhZxRKXFMPpLZsqVc74HUiRocucpkgUhQAJwS_NL7g7xt_zddAug-00F8soe_4fm1RRQNJs8xO2ey6yqBc/s320/20190430_162959.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I killed the lawn</td></tr>
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Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-43122899735347349692020-07-21T02:27:00.000+12:002020-07-21T02:45:21.360+12:00Dunedin: Easter Holiday, April 201919 Fri-<br />
Our Easter holiday started with a stopover at McDonalds in Omaru, en-route to Mt Cook / the Hooker Valley track. Once there though we found it was closed off! We walked to Kea Point instead. The weather was really beautiful. It would have been perfect for a nice long walk. At the visitor center I found out the walk was closed due to the west coast storm from a month ago that hit the region badly. In this case it damaged the track and even jeopardised the swing bridges. Such a shame.<br />
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Next we drove towards Lake Tekapo and visited its observatory on the hill. It was $8 entrance fee for parking but it was something we missed out on before. The views were nice. The observatory itself wasn't open for tourists though. There was just a cafe open.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7NpvyOoPAP4gHsu0w9CjbR5jhS9DSSjdLGsaaxbcCIRUDdUVeP5npjd2YRO-dZ7-BcQt2sYmX6UJnuv5oQ0vv8RkHDLSFk4QrudLxk0bQDCgSYDLmFMXyjik9_3vNSX36FUnunOlXZE/s1600/20190419_143208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="1600" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7NpvyOoPAP4gHsu0w9CjbR5jhS9DSSjdLGsaaxbcCIRUDdUVeP5npjd2YRO-dZ7-BcQt2sYmX6UJnuv5oQ0vv8RkHDLSFk4QrudLxk0bQDCgSYDLmFMXyjik9_3vNSX36FUnunOlXZE/s320/20190419_143208.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">views from the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUinL9UGHaBUQh1kc9U4OWQpr1gmPhLdcbE2xd0UVVG2RUG-s0LOP6EGFGAVAIr_tl0Bka59_3qWr7X17W_0zeOtdmFt654eVxTyjKeN-zdZ-klv3ptkhRtYf0RTA1RHw78y_YQ4TUiZ0/s1600/20190419_143845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUinL9UGHaBUQh1kc9U4OWQpr1gmPhLdcbE2xd0UVVG2RUG-s0LOP6EGFGAVAIr_tl0Bka59_3qWr7X17W_0zeOtdmFt654eVxTyjKeN-zdZ-klv3ptkhRtYf0RTA1RHw78y_YQ4TUiZ0/s320/20190419_143845.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Tekapo town in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKIRDi3jIDz789jvQviH4TSUJXOQFsr4l0k50DuPWK1kqqLgs5_zgpCtiK3VhAN_BREJ2BZc3a1ffcQo_dLfs-qYcEmy_LuSYdTbrewUjLVUkmn3jLe4SsgvV0yDvw75iBwiwXGkVx2o/s1600/20190419_143901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKIRDi3jIDz789jvQviH4TSUJXOQFsr4l0k50DuPWK1kqqLgs5_zgpCtiK3VhAN_BREJ2BZc3a1ffcQo_dLfs-qYcEmy_LuSYdTbrewUjLVUkmn3jLe4SsgvV0yDvw75iBwiwXGkVx2o/s320/20190419_143901.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More views from the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQ396CiIrsMRWw10GGNjbkKPuBGVcp8ryk-hnRtVUnwdci6328AT4wbNM1CFda5s6K00vK2noMoPYjOkvDLWuoka9o5svhTXpgv46Ev0CcZoIBWerAJDZWPWN4mkUnjU4m3JIqCCP7pY/s1600/20190419_143910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQ396CiIrsMRWw10GGNjbkKPuBGVcp8ryk-hnRtVUnwdci6328AT4wbNM1CFda5s6K00vK2noMoPYjOkvDLWuoka9o5svhTXpgv46Ev0CcZoIBWerAJDZWPWN4mkUnjU4m3JIqCCP7pY/s320/20190419_143910.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More views from the top</td></tr>
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The cottage we stayed in at Lake Tekapo was nice, it was a 1 bed studio but very good. We inquired at the hot springs in town for something to do tomorrow. We got captured on the google street view car too. It was the car in front of us at the town center, and then again at the entrance to the hot springs. If you want to get a feel for what it was like on the day, with the glorious sunshine, follow the link at: <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@-44.0060095,170.4791937,3a,15y,118.03h,84.68t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sY4kHegO-FE5h9tLXCmnYiA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656" target="_blank">Google Street View</a> This link works 20/07/20. It should show as April 2019.<br />
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20 Sat-<br />
Today we simply went to the hot springs. It was actually okay. It had two saunas and about 3 decent sized hot pools. Well, more like warm pools, but it was still nice. We stayed from 10:00am until gone 2pm. Firstly though the cafe/ reception area had a spread of food out for its guests as they were officially revealing their new range of locally blended coffee. The spread had decent cheese with crackers, sandwiches and orange juice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhtlI3UwArJEZJZEUOtIeS8gLo9t-Y-bBHEivvUoA4E0JhyvEdGBkU_WFbQ25PYsN-amqmog5CBR3yIRTmKhb0tfZfxCtaLTQ2wXBQqYEfvXTjBcP6juUDQaqfDShR4ouWZP5ECTOsr4/s1600/Tekapo_Springs_from_the_air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhtlI3UwArJEZJZEUOtIeS8gLo9t-Y-bBHEivvUoA4E0JhyvEdGBkU_WFbQ25PYsN-amqmog5CBR3yIRTmKhb0tfZfxCtaLTQ2wXBQqYEfvXTjBcP6juUDQaqfDShR4ouWZP5ECTOsr4/s320/Tekapo_Springs_from_the_air.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stock photo</td></tr>
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21 Sun-<br />
We packed and left by 8:30am. We drove up to Christchurch to have a stop over at Samurai Bowl, a ramen restaurant. We went there before and loved it. The same today too. Everything else around was closed as its Easter Sunday.
Next we drove onwards to Maruia Springs, arriving around 3pm. Things hadn't changed much, other than the hottest outside pool now has a mosquito net covering it. We booked ourselves in for the dinner. I had Lamb chops which was nice, Sabine had roast duck which I tasted and was also nice. I had the cheese board afterwards and Sabine had the Pumpkin Pie.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT02i99dD310uKmXR7E8hN8d_J_u14O_j9sUr91inZ2S2h23EwnifngQM-5mEWv2wuxmckU3lTOAosQhleF6v2yN_mJ-1x16eP86xNYWnVjyH5co-7vt_yLDkPboYOJVsmalxmKxNEslk/s1600/20190421_200747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT02i99dD310uKmXR7E8hN8d_J_u14O_j9sUr91inZ2S2h23EwnifngQM-5mEWv2wuxmckU3lTOAosQhleF6v2yN_mJ-1x16eP86xNYWnVjyH5co-7vt_yLDkPboYOJVsmalxmKxNEslk/s320/20190421_200747.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Lamb dinner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJq1FOcMzPPGL8fPlYs8BTWFm1_jd333EFhLfQsbbfmQ1jFuy7jS63RWU6ry5dvf-CfwrDZz3PT_iey1FR8anAAvTBm9M3RJ-R8OP5vHr0CKX-HqqcCcCM1dghmATz_21O4e-MSrGtdI/s1600/20190421_200754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJq1FOcMzPPGL8fPlYs8BTWFm1_jd333EFhLfQsbbfmQ1jFuy7jS63RWU6ry5dvf-CfwrDZz3PT_iey1FR8anAAvTBm9M3RJ-R8OP5vHr0CKX-HqqcCcCM1dghmATz_21O4e-MSrGtdI/s320/20190421_200754.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sabines Duck dinner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkuH6jHYbJIjmQp2Brtplv1Op_XqeXiZlaJntm8xDnXmYCWnzAeT1sXTpDE49vG9VX4KFBML8Ej2ccUGqGpLuPRfJKbQSpiKzxA5IJDMNwMZTHoZE7hE1prhWFWrsHBDp5YeZCrHk44w/s1600/20190421_203315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkuH6jHYbJIjmQp2Brtplv1Op_XqeXiZlaJntm8xDnXmYCWnzAeT1sXTpDE49vG9VX4KFBML8Ej2ccUGqGpLuPRfJKbQSpiKzxA5IJDMNwMZTHoZE7hE1prhWFWrsHBDp5YeZCrHk44w/s320/20190421_203315.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sabines Pumpkin Pie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3K1glvIn9w_4H5kQ9VN8VByQ2gPUgcZqNj6zE1WFaQT0LFHrw12iofBYx9Hc_TjOJ69mvyTSQRZudwI31cftlP0gw9yTWnjr_eb4_hBQjMX9w6EyerP6FnjgH3HdQAOVkQPnFfDFqCGU/s1600/20190421_203321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3K1glvIn9w_4H5kQ9VN8VByQ2gPUgcZqNj6zE1WFaQT0LFHrw12iofBYx9Hc_TjOJ69mvyTSQRZudwI31cftlP0gw9yTWnjr_eb4_hBQjMX9w6EyerP6FnjgH3HdQAOVkQPnFfDFqCGU/s320/20190421_203321.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cheese board</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
22 Mon-<br />
We woke up at 5:30am to enjoy the baths. The breakfast was okay, but not as good as Christmas 2017.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbVrZqzrqYoFcsHrlQvFps0vhGvNY7ltlfpMrB4m1rKlX5gyUCoiEwb_Zrg7hZyQRXIGKYurWlW-bDkuwDeTeTDmse99ytzEkACDDh_rJdeJJTekisRWbdLVJdEnm4NpRQzEBRlUX4Zk/s1600/20190422_081932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbVrZqzrqYoFcsHrlQvFps0vhGvNY7ltlfpMrB4m1rKlX5gyUCoiEwb_Zrg7hZyQRXIGKYurWlW-bDkuwDeTeTDmse99ytzEkACDDh_rJdeJJTekisRWbdLVJdEnm4NpRQzEBRlUX4Zk/s320/20190422_081932.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtT6GaEkiN9bhClHOPki1eGGq4lHlV1EaaMqNq62wo7890_luoVAy_1zqNP9PKROxoiT9BWGWW7f3fDPEOoTeg0nL5BlrZs7n5rcOxQ4KNE5vF0upSG3p1miFSXzJDn1uuwNoNvxMwp_A/s1600/20190422_081926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtT6GaEkiN9bhClHOPki1eGGq4lHlV1EaaMqNq62wo7890_luoVAy_1zqNP9PKROxoiT9BWGWW7f3fDPEOoTeg0nL5BlrZs7n5rcOxQ4KNE5vF0upSG3p1miFSXzJDn1uuwNoNvxMwp_A/s320/20190422_081926.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We left at 9am. We had a few pit stops driving south to Wanaka, arriving at 6pm. A 9 hour drive pretty much.<br />
The place is very nice indeed. very spacious. I phoned Grandma this evening.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceoSxhHXg-KerWN77oAiCdFmy9OApu1jwXnnY5ekFdNayfjiTKTcsP_VoUgSHf3WFQbpFYhC9xFh7Dg0zWdRRuK2-NvJ6u3oiTtm9EBlV9Ge0_ZOklHEUlGo7aGAiYAhra-zUS3a9T-w/s1600/20190422_165524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceoSxhHXg-KerWN77oAiCdFmy9OApu1jwXnnY5ekFdNayfjiTKTcsP_VoUgSHf3WFQbpFYhC9xFh7Dg0zWdRRuK2-NvJ6u3oiTtm9EBlV9Ge0_ZOklHEUlGo7aGAiYAhra-zUS3a9T-w/s320/20190422_165524.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving south</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
23 Tues-<br />
We had a lie in. We eventually went to Puzzle World for an hour. Sabine thought it was shit so we left. Its catered more for kids to be honest, and we still saw everything and did the outside maze.
But I guess we could have paced ourselves because we did nothing this afternoon.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-u7EEtjPxDOe8VTACfFfztuxznn4HeLojn5J5t7_X12rYPsLIefmmOGYztAatlOxOrEeabk0HOMiDJnuj5qI-vQAYnKpIlE3_GnAQftY03j4e1d-_mNJl7aO74PSaP2tlx8WB8FHuW1U/s1600/20190423_122245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-u7EEtjPxDOe8VTACfFfztuxznn4HeLojn5J5t7_X12rYPsLIefmmOGYztAatlOxOrEeabk0HOMiDJnuj5qI-vQAYnKpIlE3_GnAQftY03j4e1d-_mNJl7aO74PSaP2tlx8WB8FHuW1U/s320/20190423_122245.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The maze at Puzzle World</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We eventually went to town and ate a huge pizza though. This place makes their own garlic bread too, just like a fresh bread loaf.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsdF1KEO90n4Cl5gW17f3mA6IG9LDLK-MJFnw_In5Ydb6Y-6b4AWvAJ2_r-4Hzx7rFSzpXWzfEFG4UwDYoxIBWs8pQaaWYa8fb8vQayy5TXZ6lj5nYCI4qVcobceSL8eo9Mm0VbLixes/s1600/dishes-item3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="370" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsdF1KEO90n4Cl5gW17f3mA6IG9LDLK-MJFnw_In5Ydb6Y-6b4AWvAJ2_r-4Hzx7rFSzpXWzfEFG4UwDYoxIBWs8pQaaWYa8fb8vQayy5TXZ6lj5nYCI4qVcobceSL8eo9Mm0VbLixes/s320/dishes-item3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stock photo of their Garlic Loaf. This was huge for only a starter!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qIkeu0iGaqPkgVLFhhtNq2JwtU_t8hOZwuB4Ds-VL9EyaEntQ02hpovfwVwpDhRvjzrWBrGsSl2goUw4fzypz8j9NN74_965FYTZ-bmrmv3P-w2yp148XhkI1lzjjUuPu71WlkJTWJo/s1600/20190423_163915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qIkeu0iGaqPkgVLFhhtNq2JwtU_t8hOZwuB4Ds-VL9EyaEntQ02hpovfwVwpDhRvjzrWBrGsSl2goUw4fzypz8j9NN74_965FYTZ-bmrmv3P-w2yp148XhkI1lzjjUuPu71WlkJTWJo/s320/20190423_163915.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sabines veg pizza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzXPTDZUD4y2ZvHB4-RrG4eQ7Y0iOfIeYNDZ_yh51ObHmSva2MiNgO0Pzl4LJzdnx1tEVcA8ww_aTWGl1MYhXsRET69F4LwLDiJ2SF6io75W3OQQM8MPc_f3zSSShMsoxi15Sz1AhHXI/s1600/20190423_163921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzXPTDZUD4y2ZvHB4-RrG4eQ7Y0iOfIeYNDZ_yh51ObHmSva2MiNgO0Pzl4LJzdnx1tEVcA8ww_aTWGl1MYhXsRET69F4LwLDiJ2SF6io75W3OQQM8MPc_f3zSSShMsoxi15Sz1AhHXI/s320/20190423_163921.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My half/half pizza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I looked at the stars tonight again from the back garden. They were incredibly clear and bright. I got a little weirded out when I saw a red light darting about the sky. Sabine came out and told me it was just a drone. She was right.<br />
<br />
24 Wed-<br />
We drove into the Haast Pass, revisiting the Blue Pools, Fantail Falls and Thunder Creek Falls. The weather was nice again.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnUwNqBtmGeuc1YJfIrScrM817Qp9p_hvGJhY9OdjF897i5brZihqeFBPb2okeF3jHxOIJFXcQdrHJGxzK4yTr7dQgkBHDVSRCx_x14PiQmkvG7xapz-9IPaRzg3z-JmNhr_2k3V37ME/s1600/20190423_173141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnUwNqBtmGeuc1YJfIrScrM817Qp9p_hvGJhY9OdjF897i5brZihqeFBPb2okeF3jHxOIJFXcQdrHJGxzK4yTr7dQgkBHDVSRCx_x14PiQmkvG7xapz-9IPaRzg3z-JmNhr_2k3V37ME/s320/20190423_173141.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Sabine had an interview with an industry in Italy. I had to be in the same room as her, just out of view and deadly silent so not to disturb her. Godddd what an awful interview! Such harsh, unjustified questions! We went out to the pizza restaurant as yesterday (Its called The Cow) and laughed it off.<br />
<br />
25 Thu-<br />
We hung out in Wanaka this morning, then headed down to Te Anau.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jJzbGZCMS4ylxGDRYE_L-r3WZbe5bID0r_300zuxBGr924Y9deo70c86MlMCxwT400E_nSbVVdUpoieWmWl6wPV9_Hkb6Yghc6tNVuv_HgXWVB0HxOU9GHglRhdBVG-ve5hPsZqiboA/s1600/20190425_101115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jJzbGZCMS4ylxGDRYE_L-r3WZbe5bID0r_300zuxBGr924Y9deo70c86MlMCxwT400E_nSbVVdUpoieWmWl6wPV9_Hkb6Yghc6tNVuv_HgXWVB0HxOU9GHglRhdBVG-ve5hPsZqiboA/s320/20190425_101115.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The drive down, before Arrowtown</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We tried to go to Arrowtown but there was absolutely no parking. Way too touristy. Such a shame.<br />
The weather was glorious too.<br />
<br />
We bought a lunch and ate it at a picnic area we had to ourselves by Lake Wakatipu near the road (but not really) that heads south.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbctwwWEoE_4lDukPg-ispmWKo6Zhc5UApL2zA-HLqA3gSI4cXCFFHns-ljtTPod0gGtbhSOPuer6Rx8niHhum4UognSc6Xpcn3BmtzwrApmEQLY8pCLofhPe6CqvlLUGxSMaX-vktK4/s1600/20190425_111742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="1600" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbctwwWEoE_4lDukPg-ispmWKo6Zhc5UApL2zA-HLqA3gSI4cXCFFHns-ljtTPod0gGtbhSOPuer6Rx8niHhum4UognSc6Xpcn3BmtzwrApmEQLY8pCLofhPe6CqvlLUGxSMaX-vktK4/s320/20190425_111742.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not bad for a picnic area hu?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWT-mW5r4-eSmQA3wqajba4ezI42I9VGyy-AlNSAXfkSL7VTzFoVu8ehueQ60pkILvCNT-cZnPCVEeFL_LpiFFNr5fMuQptgZLhNFM2xN44TUachGWGY0Isig-yM4cjUMosbcNmmYKho/s1600/20190425_115303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWT-mW5r4-eSmQA3wqajba4ezI42I9VGyy-AlNSAXfkSL7VTzFoVu8ehueQ60pkILvCNT-cZnPCVEeFL_LpiFFNr5fMuQptgZLhNFM2xN44TUachGWGY0Isig-yM4cjUMosbcNmmYKho/s320/20190425_115303.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back on the road again</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The weather at Te Anau was crap and stayed that way for the rest of the day. Nothing was open as its ANZAC day. But one pub was. We ate here for both lunch and dinner. Our AirBnB is massive. Its a three bed bungalow all to ourselves.<br />
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<br />
26 Fri-<br />
Sabine booked us on a boat trip today, from Manapouri across on a boat to the other side of Lake Manapouri, and from there on a bus journey to Doubtful Sound, where we had another boat trip to the Tasman Sea, and finally back again the same way. It was pretty good, and a long day.<br />
We ate dinner at Te Anau but it was a bit meh.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfA8IeZ2ChNyHPYWZ_FQhXbjg_dSi3qMvVDjwyF0pbkm9FyQlYyUn_y57H7PVykKDY3Zv8mgSCmWnhEbVkdG7yJeR1WVG2Q-Cl8mImIX5ujQuOY8aOWDh1vKO6vYJWJ9AH9symYf5C7o/s1600/20190426_104120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfA8IeZ2ChNyHPYWZ_FQhXbjg_dSi3qMvVDjwyF0pbkm9FyQlYyUn_y57H7PVykKDY3Zv8mgSCmWnhEbVkdG7yJeR1WVG2Q-Cl8mImIX5ujQuOY8aOWDh1vKO6vYJWJ9AH9symYf5C7o/s320/20190426_104120.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doubtful Sound river mouth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqgMWRzzwLMkzlsz-tJiHNsHdFNDtvn36fSCYi_IMkgc_EE9nFOCUKNCb6wpsJq5SZE36BxPoeG-YrlR12DNfoJuBepsU_V1JVjqoB8JuFfpa-k9JroMyMgTpwuQ9h37U3ci4AqDLN2s/s1600/20190426_131035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqgMWRzzwLMkzlsz-tJiHNsHdFNDtvn36fSCYi_IMkgc_EE9nFOCUKNCb6wpsJq5SZE36BxPoeG-YrlR12DNfoJuBepsU_V1JVjqoB8JuFfpa-k9JroMyMgTpwuQ9h37U3ci4AqDLN2s/s320/20190426_131035.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doubtful Sound</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We packed after watching tonights anime. Early start tomorrow.<br />
<br />
27 Sat-<br />
Today
we packed early and left for Milford Sound at 6am. We arrived at 8:30am
and had a breakfast bun each. Our boat left on time at 9:30am. Going
along, it stopped close to a waterfall. The crew placed a trey of cup
glasses on the Bow of the boat, and let the waterfall fill them up. That
was fun. On the way back it stopped at another waterfall and got us
wet. That was the waterfall that dad got a decent photograph of back in
the day, which was framed and on my bedroom wall for years.<br />
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The car journey back to Dunedin was okay. We left at 12pm and was stuck
behind a camper-van that refused to let people pass by, but other than
that it was fine. We were back home at 6pm, and got a Chinese takeaway. </div>
Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-70527636611115803752020-07-19T19:50:00.000+12:002020-07-20T09:37:53.252+12:00Dunedin: A Weekend in Auckland (Feb 2019)After work on Friday 1st Feb, Sabine and I flew to Auckland for a long weekend.
Air NZ uses this awful safety instruction video which is a rap song gone wrong. Not much else to report other than we used super shuttle from Auckland to the apartment. We went back to the same apartment complex as our first time in Auckland.<br />
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2 Sat-<br />
We had breakfast at the waterfront. A lady working with the ferry services interviewed us about what we think they could do to improve their services. She gave us $30 as a reward. Woah.
We went shopping. I picked up the Evangelion movie series Blu Ray disks which was cool, I guess.
Sabine bought more 'Kiwi Craft' jewellery. We went for lunch at another Japanese place. This had amazing takoyaki and a damn good ramen also.
We came home and watched Netflix which the apartment had. We watched Avatar the last Airbender, the panned movie. Wasn't that bad really.
This evening Sabine surprised me with tickets for the Aladdin play thats in town. No ordinary pantomime, This was Disneys real deal. And my god the sets and performances were spot on. Just as good as The Lion King from London. The best bits were the cave and flying carpet scenes. The genie was fantastic!
Afterwards we ate at the New York pizza place called Sals.<br />
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3 Sun-<br />
This morning we breakfasted at a restaurant sorta tucked away in a laine. Reminds me of Brighton. After that we explored the rest of that 'laine', it was still quite, but a small group of people were singing. I don't know why, but I found this to be atmospheric.
We went for a walk around Queen Street. Sabine liked hunting for more 'Kiwi Craft' jewellery. I bought a typical NZ styled 'whale bone' pendant to add to my NZ necklace. We bought a Totoro pillow from the Japan mart. We came back and packed, then ate at the Tepanyaki restaurant. Netflix was fun to use on this visit. I may get my subscription service back at some point. Our Shuttle service to the airport was on time.
The plane journey was on time and fine. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCv-6jPoLgkrI6t6s12ckS8v7ELLRBDS2d6ADG4ZwTl6gg92teiuLlnjSGw_57VmLKxBbCmTTu6IYiOWgSxj3GKjYxbBHn6pKj-YbI-FemrJGlZ8Pas-_HXlNEIm_J8dqIgP02FsiZwQ/s1600/20190202_223152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCv-6jPoLgkrI6t6s12ckS8v7ELLRBDS2d6ADG4ZwTl6gg92teiuLlnjSGw_57VmLKxBbCmTTu6IYiOWgSxj3GKjYxbBHn6pKj-YbI-FemrJGlZ8Pas-_HXlNEIm_J8dqIgP02FsiZwQ/s400/20190202_223152.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aladdin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpM9-BMD3ytrdtmK1sSv3ne4i0Mit_8BdAPa3MW3zClfW1L3X8lzGs1yftxOnAaZwU-a6wYrv6rsWqMkIO1Y93N54OJteywWqJjuZmejShUkjD-pMjjNVWgAzj3ZRdkf8PxefX0FBZZ0/s1600/20190203_115224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpM9-BMD3ytrdtmK1sSv3ne4i0Mit_8BdAPa3MW3zClfW1L3X8lzGs1yftxOnAaZwU-a6wYrv6rsWqMkIO1Y93N54OJteywWqJjuZmejShUkjD-pMjjNVWgAzj3ZRdkf8PxefX0FBZZ0/s400/20190203_115224.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the Teppanyaki restaurant, Daikoku on Quay, Auckland</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnzBTyzNkq6np7BecndjIsRrCAj91e_793je8vOLn3yDq2h7inIcM6955v-t0xQiyO5exIjGR4qEJTcz9EivvNMKMRecUBo7BwXhihhXCcJgcH_PM5FADwZkX6hTLkQQxf8gA3KghOfA/s1600/20190203_174846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnzBTyzNkq6np7BecndjIsRrCAj91e_793je8vOLn3yDq2h7inIcM6955v-t0xQiyO5exIjGR4qEJTcz9EivvNMKMRecUBo7BwXhihhXCcJgcH_PM5FADwZkX6hTLkQQxf8gA3KghOfA/s400/20190203_174846.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Taranaki</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTgU_wvHylh3zcu5zYlopu4BIGOwXM4iDEXgEzPceZYRwvfOPJC-qxxmDnECKHZVu3Coa9i1GxGze89716qpGJ7cUQ748Q9takimXZFcDnRboNSbSz_7AJz0IhA9pKXWKSoC01pZ9mFA4/s1600/20190203_180533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTgU_wvHylh3zcu5zYlopu4BIGOwXM4iDEXgEzPceZYRwvfOPJC-qxxmDnECKHZVu3Coa9i1GxGze89716qpGJ7cUQ748Q9takimXZFcDnRboNSbSz_7AJz0IhA9pKXWKSoC01pZ9mFA4/s400/20190203_180533.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere on the east coast of the South Island</td></tr>
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Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-68194648957006593562020-07-18T19:06:00.001+12:002020-07-18T19:28:37.571+12:00Dunedin: Life in New Zealand. Part 15Lime scooters were officially allowed to have their company in town from mid January 2019. Basically an overnight life changing scenario, where these scooters were not there one day, and EVERYWHERE the next, on a permanent basis. These things litter the streets everywhere they are allowed to operate. All for the sake of picking one off the ground and using it to travel some distance for a price. But their business model is shoddy because they are allowed to litter the streets with thousands of them. The company, and subsequent others, started in America. The money doesn't even go to NZ. It goes directly to American corporations.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1VvqkOda76SsXdjfYTeDjG7LYySIwicdTZPF-R_-j89D3YiUiaucLxd_9EwdRFoMviSzVSdDY5HXuREilNGoAkrewgYh6JquzvGNZjaP2Agvb37P-cFzSo2iXbuHsUXnoWjIdL3J_FY/s1600/scooter_gregor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1VvqkOda76SsXdjfYTeDjG7LYySIwicdTZPF-R_-j89D3YiUiaucLxd_9EwdRFoMviSzVSdDY5HXuREilNGoAkrewgYh6JquzvGNZjaP2Agvb37P-cFzSo2iXbuHsUXnoWjIdL3J_FY/s400/scooter_gregor.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my photo. Just imagine the odd one parked or dumped in the middle of the foot path and that would be about right.</td></tr>
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The trend continues with e-bikes too. An NZ owned company started up too, so at least this is more ethical, I guess.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34IVgOXvO1LI_OtaVP7bZHzUZNTrvqEFrD0hVkUxD-pknOz_gj8CiJ9wC0trY7NJsA9CQk4UOVc8YwUh2M8F-Yxf-Abp0OuNSndhb9IwE3Dh7yc045kmR5DLeq7IC3MO20JqVf08TvSg/s1600/20190203_092115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34IVgOXvO1LI_OtaVP7bZHzUZNTrvqEFrD0hVkUxD-pknOz_gj8CiJ9wC0trY7NJsA9CQk4UOVc8YwUh2M8F-Yxf-Abp0OuNSndhb9IwE3Dh7yc045kmR5DLeq7IC3MO20JqVf08TvSg/s400/20190203_092115.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an e-bike dumped on the footpath in Auckland</td></tr>
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On the 24th January we went to this weird art exhibition in an empty warehouse. It was hosted by the same artists that did the winter festival. It wasn't much cop, but still something to do.<br />
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We went to a coffee shop which we haven't tried before. It had a coconut
smoothy which was amazing. the salmon bagel was delicious too.
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Our washroom tap started to leak. So that was an interesting journey trying to buy and install a replacement myself. But we found a tap from Bunnings that wasn't that expensive. However we originally went to the specialist store where they had an updated version of the actual tap that was broken, but it was extortionately expensive. Installing the new tap only needed a bunch of spanners, patience, and a YouTube video.<br />
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I decided to take a chance and buy the most inexpensive can of baked beans from Pac N Save. Turns out it has the exact same taste and texture as the most <i>expensive</i> on the shelf; that being the Heinz UK recipe. I have to note that the normal range of baked beans in NZ has a more sweet taste, so I was really wowed to find a decent UK standard normal one for the fraction of the usual price.<br />
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Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-83956656151834219312020-07-17T23:42:00.001+12:002020-07-17T23:50:19.020+12:00Dunedin: Working for the Otago Uni's Mail RoomOh boy I really need to catch up with this blog.<br />
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In early 2019 I started working for Otago university, in their mail room. This was the universities' mail delivery service across campus, with rates to rival the public post office, and had special deals for students.
I would catch a bus from Abbotsford very early in the morning to start work at 8am. Usually on the bus too and from work I would read one of my brothers short stories.
If everything ran smoothly, New Zealand Post would arrive with their deliveries for the university before I started work. Often times it was bang on when I walked through the door. There would be deliveries for students and teachers alike which would need sorting through before 9am. All these parcels would be pigeonholed into their respective areas, and from there would be sorted into bags and boxes for our internal delivery starting at 9am.<br />
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The team would drive the delivery van in weekly rotation and would drive all around North Dunedin for the entire morning, dropping off mail to different buildings. The campus isn't housed in just one site, this university is mainly dotted around in different buildings across the northern side of the city. Deliveries would include the hospital, dental school, all the halls of residences, and the library. After lunch there would be a second delivery for the hospital, dental school and library which would take an hour. For the majority of my time working in this role, I was either the designated van driver or van assistant. I found driving the van a daunting task at first, but it didn't take long before I started enjoying it.
The afternoon session would be fairly quite, and I would help with creating spreadsheets for auditing.
The real downside to this job was the radio. It was on all day. Including in the van if I wasn't driving. If I was driving I would make a point of either not having the radio on at all, or simply listening to Radio Hauraki which played Indie or rock music. But the others listened to radio stations that played really crap 80s cheese music. During my time there I reckon these stations only had a playlist of 300 songs. Now I was forced to listen to this garbage for 8 hours every day for months. What's worse is that the buses always had the radio on too. I would go mildly insane at it, and as the weeks went on I decided to wear ear plugs too and from work to shut it out.
The good things about the job was the deliveries and the sunshine. Afternoon deliveries were always just me in the van. There was a few weeks where I used this time listening to the new Bis album.<br />
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We were only a small team of 3. I got on with everyone and things were far more relaxing than working at the DCC.<br />
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I started working in this role in early 2019 until May<br />
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Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-43596421281834485252019-01-13T07:54:00.002+13:002019-01-13T07:54:42.891+13:00Dunedin: Summer Holiday in the North Island!21 Fri-<br />
I dropped Sabine off to work, came home, then a little later dropped the cats off at Orokonui Cattery. I didn't get one meow from them in the car! Not even a murmur! Not until the entrance to the cattery did they start up. Silly kitties. The lady who knows us served me. I was there for 7.55am.<br />
I'm collecting Sabine later at 12pm, then at 5pm we are being picked up by Super Shuttle to Dunedin Airport, and flying to Wellington this evening.<br />
Take off was at 7.45pm. Touchdown at 8.43pm. I have had a cold since yesterday, and the pressure on my right ear during the decent was immense.<br />
Things to take note of, normal bus shelters, live pub bands and skyscrapers. Normal for most folks but haven't been in these city conditions for a while.<br />
The Ibis hotel is nice.<br />
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22 Sat-<br />
My right ear is being weird. Every time I swallow it makes popping noises. My cold is blaughh too. (This stopped doing this in the afternoon).<br />
We had breakfast buffet which is included with our hotel booking. After that we decided to visit Zealandia (formerly known as Karori Wildlife Sanctuary).<br />
Beforehand we walked along Lambdon Quay and stopped off at a Starbucks.<br />
We caught the free shuttle bus from the city isite. At Zealandia we saw a hell of a lot of things. Baby Fantails, Green Parakeets, Saddlebacks, Takahe with chick, and plenty of Stitchbirds on a feeder. They were awesome. Never seen one until now. We also saw a pair of Californian quails and a stupid NZ robin trying to sun itself, and baby duckings, cormorants, diving ducky and a swooping Falcon over my head which I never saw but Sabine did (this was on a bush track on the hill). Also saw a giant Weta. The weather was awesome. We also had a salmon bagel with a 'Whittakers' hot chocolate at its cafe.<br />
The shuttle bus back took us to the cable car, so we walked back to town via the botanical gardens which was also nice, but I was flagging. Barbara invited us to a BBQ in Upper Hutt, but I declined. My cold had got the best of me at this point. We had dinner at Wagamama and watched a DVD movie called Hugo.<br />
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23 Sun-<br />
It seems like the Wellington electrical busses have been replaced by normal buses. No more overhead power lines :(<br />
Apparently the new buses are electrical anyway, and now they can have double deckers. They are not operated by Stagecoach anymore though.<br />
The weather was a bit rubbish today so we went shopping. A lot has changed around in the last 12 years, but the Whitcoulls book store has taken over the building that once was Borders.<br />
We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant near that McDonald's that is on a corner.<br />
At 3pm we met Barbara and I treated her to a cafe nearby the hotel. That was nice catching up.<br />
This evening we watched a film called Eye of the Dolphin.<br />
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24 Mon-<br />
Today we caught a bus to Wellington Zoo. The bus actually took us to within a 10min walking distance from the zoo as there isn't a direct route. Not a problem. The zoo was fantastic. It started with Otters and then went to monkeys then a Kiwi house, then the farm animals, then Giraffes, other boring things, then towards the end we saw the Red Panda. To be honest the only memories worth taking away with me were the Kiwi, Red Panda and the Otters. The zoo was a great day out, but the stars were the Red Panda and Kiwi.<br />
The Kiwi's (2 of them) are enclosed in a nocturnal house, which switches its light/day cycle. It was rummaging around the leaves and coming up to the small fence where we were, sniffing in the air at us. It didn't mind small children shouting either. Amazing. We could have touched it if we wanted too.<br />
The Red Panda was awake and alert, and soon enough was joined by a team of four people and a zoo keeper. The 4 people had obviously paid to get alone time with him, and it ran onto their laps, eating the apples and grapes from their hands. The animal was being stroked whilst being fed, but as soon as the food ran out, he was off back up its tree.<br />
We bought a Red Panda plush toy and went to the zoo cafe.<br />
After that we went to Queensgate, Lower Hutt, by bus, to look around and enjoy being in a decent shopping mall.<br />
We came home and watched The Nightmare Before Christmas, which Sabine didn't like. Then we watched a new anime called Hiiro no Kakera.<br />
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25 Tues-<br />
Christmas Day. Everything is closed, and it's raining. Sabine and I did go out for a walk, despite the weather. She saw an open sign to a Japanese red bean fish place. I took a look at it and sure enough the sign was indeed talking about it being open TODAY. So we headed up a steep alleyway street and found it. It was tiny, but the guy working there served us each a red bean fish, and a nice Japanese tea. The music was Japanese themed too, not the Christmas crap blaring out of the hotel reception/ dining area.<br />
Walking around town we also saw one newsagents open, but that was IT.<br />
Sabine didn't want to join me going to Silverstream, but I did. I kinda wasn't in the mood and didn't want to go because of the weather, but I'm pleased Sabine made me go. It was worth it just to see the bush back to how it used to be 30 years ago.<br />
She stayed in the hotel and watched her anime. The train ride was free today. All busses and trains are free today. Its amazing the services are running at all, let alone for free!<br />
This evening we watched Albert The Christmas Tree!! It was so bad it was good! XD<br />
on TV we saw the endings of both Home Alone 2 and The Little Mermaid.<br />
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Wellington Related Photos:<br />
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26 Wed-<br />
Got woken up in the middle of the night by Chinese people talking loudly and entering their room at 2am. They were loud from the moment they came out the lift. The stupidly paper thin walls are so bad you can hear every sound. They were so annoying I dressed and knocked on their door. A small Chinese woman answered and I made the gesture of 'shush' with a finger on my lips. They were quite after that, but I decided to sleep the rest of the night with ear plugs. AirBnB's are greater than hotels. For sure.<br />
Skyped my parents this morning. They gave me some money for Christmas. Sabine and I packed and went to Starbucks for a bit.<br />
We had some spare time, and watched a bit of The Little Mermaid 2 on TV. It was awful.<br />
We got the super shuttle and got to the airport. We waited for a while then got the Jetstar plane to Auckland. I spent most of the ¾ of an hour looking at a Wheres Wally in the In-flight magazine. We used a super shuttle to get to our AirBnB, in a huge apartment complex in the city center.<br />
Our place is small but incredible. It will be an ideal place to crash.<br />
It wasn't long before we were walking around the city. Its boxing day sales so its the busiest day of the year for shoppers. We went to the top of the SkyTree tower, which is Auckland's 60 odd floor needle. The view was, well, high!<br />
We went around the shopping district next. Very very busy of shoppers.<br />
There are a lot of these Lime scooters around. South Park may have introduced them to me, but I thought it was a joke. But alas nope. These rental scooters are going to be everywhere in the future, if they aren't already in densely populated towns and cities.<br />
We ate at an Italian. The entrée was nice but the mains were small. My heart sank when they arrived. Sabines was a 6inch pizza, mine was the same size as a ready meal. Didn't taste special either. I had a subway sandwich afterwards, then we headed back up to the Sky Tower for a cafe treaty and watch the city get dark.<br />
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27 Thu-<br />
Today we decided to visit Auckland zoo. Yesterday at the isite we asked regarding buses to the zoo, so we knew what to do this morning. The bus was caught near Sky Tree tower, which took us almost directly there.<br />
The Red Panda was behind glass, though he was curious and was looking around and wandering about, which was good. The zoo itself was big, a decent day out. A lot of the animals were behind glass, including the kiwi. But the aviaries were good. The NZ forest housed a few Saddlebacks and green parakeets. To be honest this was todays highlight.<br />
The giant tortoises were cool. We weren't so fussed about the African animals, nor the monkeys.<br />
Once back we flopped on the bed and fell asleep for an hour. Tonight we will go watch Aquaman at the cinema (I know right?! I have no idea why she wants to watch a DCU movie).<br />
The movie was good. A bit quirky but should have been camper. There was a fire alarm that sounded just after we bought the tickets. The whole complex evacuated. Lucky after they gave the all clear, our movie was shown on time and uninterrupted.<br />
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28 Fri-<br />
Today we decided to go to Tiritiri Island. The weathers nice so why not.<br />
The boat left at 9am. We sat on the top deck and I put sun cream on us both. Not long later Sabine noticed that she was missing one of her Dolphin earrings. :( its gone.<br />
The boat was very full of people. It was difficult trying to be alone with the birds once on the island. We didn't see a Kokako unfortunately, but there were plenty of Saddlebacks, stitchbirds, whiteheads and the normal birds. We even saw a mother Brown Quail with chicks in the forest floor. Oh, as well as Red Crowned Kakariki's (green parakeets).<br />
This evening we shopped for things to take with us tomorrow. We tried the apartment pool but it was very cold. We had showers and dined in a New York Pizza place. Very nice it was too!<br />
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29 Sat-<br />
Much the same as yesterday, though we headed north at Tiritiri and avoided most of the crowd. We saw a really interesting ground bird which we later found out was a Fernbird, and two Dotterels on the beach. Still no sign of a Kokoko.<br />
We went to a Japanese restaurant tonight which was very authentic.<br />
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30 Sun-<br />
Caught a bus to Mt Eden. It was a short but steep climb to the top where there is a crater covered in grass. Very interesting. The view overlooking Auckland was cool.<br />
Back in town we had lunch at a Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant.<br />
We walked to the hire car place using the GPS on my phone, and now we have our car ready for tomorrow's trip to Kerikeri. Parking behind our apartment complex was easy somehow and it's a Sunday so we won't be charged.<br />
This evening we went to a Japanese restaurant next door to where we dined last night. It was downstairs and sitting at the bar. They served small bites to eat.<br />
We packed this evening.<br />
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Auckland Related Photos:<br />
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<br />
31 Mon-<br />
We left first thing, driving north along the SH1. We firstly stopped at a Pac N Save, then headed along north again until road signs warned of a toll road approaching along the stretch of SH1. It mentioned a free route so we took that instead. I need to mention that Sabine forgot to pack our GPS so we are relying on my HereWeGo app, which is nearly as good to be honest.<br />
Along this alternative stretch of road we stopped at Wenderholm Regional Park where we went for a walk to a viewpoint of the beach and surroundings. There was also an historic home that was on the flat near the second car park.<br />
Next stop along the way was A H Reed Kauri Memorial Park, which had a few tall Kauri trees and a waterfall. This was great because it wasn't full of tourists. Then we drove to Whangarei Falls which had more tourists. The waterfall here was nice too.<br />
We drove directly to our AirBnB at Kerikeri, arriving at 3.30pm. It's bloody hot. As hot as Irvine was. In fact I've just checked that the latitude is similar but on the opposite side of the earth. Interesting. If in the other side of the world we would be in Morocco right now. We dined at a restaurant in town called Rock Salt. The pasta was nice.<br />
There are two kitties here which are sweethearts. Both are white.<br />
<br />
January 2019<br />
<br />
1 Tues-<br />
Today we started at Kerkeris Rainbow waterfall, then we drove to a nearby cafe which was nice, and it was by a river with geese.<br />
We next walked to the 'secret' waterfalls that has recently been made accessible only two years ago. This footpath took us actually nearby our AirBnB. I love how Kerikeri has a lot of country footpaths leading into each other.<br />
Next we visited Paihia. It was overrun by tourists so instead we visited Waitangi. The entrance fee was cheaper for us as we could somewhat prove we are residents (although they only asked to see our NZ drivers license).<br />
This is the famous site where the Maoris signed the treaty with the English, officially forming the country of New Zealand.<br />
The film show was good and informative. The Maori show was very good too. At first it seemed like it would be dead serious, but then they turned it into something more fun and with a bit of tongue and cheek.<br />
We dined back at the Rock Salt. Nothing else was open as its New Years Day.<br />
We used the cinema room at the AirBnB this evening to watch our DVD called The Rip Tide. Their DVD collection isn't very great.<br />
<br />
2 Wed-<br />
We only did one thing today, that being visiting Cape Reinga, the most northerly point you can access by car, and the start/ end of State Highway 1. It also has a lighthouse to visit. It was a 3 hour drive one way. Sabine drove there, I drove back. The countryside is nice around here.<br />
Once back we had a kebab then came home and watched Anne of Green Gables, a movie with Martin Sheen.<br />
We heard meowing when we came back into the bedroom. We naturally thought the kitty was outside. Nope! Kitty was meowing from under our bed! How did he get in! Naughty cat! XD<br />
I forget to mention that KeriKeri and Auckland have mosquitoes which I can't stand.<br />
<br />
3 Thu-<br />
We drove to Tane Mahuta today, New Zealand's biggest Kauri tree. I personally preferred the visit to the 'four sisters' and the adjacent kauri tree avenue. At the end of this walk was another huge Kauri tree where a Maori guy was giving a talk. There were only a few of us here which made it more private somehow compared to the over crowded Tane Mahuta. I loved hearing the Mauri children's story of how the Kiwi became flightless. We last heard it on Stuart Island.<br />
After that we drove south to the middle of nowhere. There was a cafe-bar we stopped at a place called Paparoa which was funny because I "felt sorry' for the lemon cake which had been untouched/unsliced all day up until I chose it. By that point in the day it was roughly 3pm. It was also far better than Sabines chocolate cake.<br />
After that we drove to Waipu Gorge to see the Piroa waterfall.<br />
Back at Kerikeri we dined at The Black Olive and had a really nice pizza each.<br />
This evening with our hosts I enjoyed looking out at the stars with them. The other AirBnB guests joined.<br />
<br />
4 Fri-<br />
So today we left Kerikeri. It wasn't originally planned however a few nights ago we decided it was for the best, as Sabine has an interview with Leeds at 12 midnight, and she needs to be comfortable for it. The place here was nice, but very echoey which would be totally unsuitable for a Skype interview for midnight.<br />
This morning we were the first ones to enter Kerikeris 'Parrot Place' for 10am. They had many parrots in cages, open air and in aviaries to see. All of which were very cute. We even had a pot of seeds to feed them.<br />
After that we drove directly to Auckland to the last minute booking we prepared yesterday. It's in the dead of town and comes with car parking. We would be here in the city anyway tomorrow for our last night staying at a place in the city, so one extra day doesn't make that big a difference. The apartment itself is suitable for Sabines interview so that's all that matters.<br />
We had dinner at the American pizza place we tried last week.<br />
<br />
5 Sat-<br />
We packed and moved the car to a secure underground car parking place.<br />
Then we walked to town and ate breakfast at a bar which was playing some britpop, including Blur's 'For Tomorrow' and 'There's No Other Way'.<br />
Sabine is tired from the interview, though she didn't get a good vibe from it. We went to bed last night at 1am.<br />
We browsed around the city and sat in Starbucks for a while.<br />
We drove to this Westfield mall somewhere north of the city and spent the afternoon there. They had a cool Japan store. We also had a lunch/dinner there at one of the cafes.<br />
We next drove to the last AirBnB place. This is in an area called Bucklands Beach, south of the city centre. Its okay I guess, but the bed dips in the center. It's going to screw with my sleeping tonight.<br />
We watched a film called A Dolphin's Tail which was cute. Morgan Freeman was in it.<br />
<br />
6 Sun-<br />
We both slept awkwardly although we did sleep at least. The bed was crap.<br />
This morning we started by packing and leaving before 10am. We went to a nearby garden center and having breakfast in its coffee shop with its sparrows begging for food. Next stop was a 1min drive to a neighborhood walk that I saw on the Herewego app. The walk itself reminded me of Irvine. Wakaaranga Creek it was called. Next we started driving towards the airport and came across a shopping mall along the way so we spent time there. Next we drove to a butterfly house next to the airport, only to find that their entry prices were ridiculous, so we skipped that and headed to the car rental place just down the road. Our car from Jucy was a good car overall. It's just a shame the Bluetooth wasn't working to make the smartphone music work over the car speakers.<br />
Jucy gave us a free shuttle ride to the domestic airport where we spent ages. Even had a McDonald's just to waste time really.<br />
The Air New Zealand plane was on time, getting us to Dunedin before 5pm. Super Shuttle got us home. The weather is totally crap. Its cold and raining back home. It was glorious back in Auckland.<br />
Back home, we did a quick shop from Pac N Save, then came back to unpack.<br />
Also I went over to Gerald, the next door neighbor, to give him a box of chocolates to say thank you for looking after our mail box.<br />
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Northland Related Photos:<br />
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Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7969951204421157092.post-68924107520052560632018-10-31T13:57:00.003+13:002018-10-31T13:57:48.156+13:00Dunedin: an update, including a trip to Stuart IslandFor starters, for those that dont know, I lost my job at the council. The reason why is actually largely unknown. They said to me it was because I wasn't keeping up with the work, but this was a lie. I know this because I was only due to be there for 4 more weeks. They replaced me with an older woman whose temping contract was to be for 6 weeks. This 6 weeks was to line up with the guy who has been away on secondment (whoever came up with the pronunciation of this word as sa-com-bent should be slapped) who i was filling in for.<br />
Anyway, the lady they trained up would NOT be learning everything I was taught. I was doing the jobs without anyone telling me that they had an issue with me, until this happened to me. I know for sure that I was dropped for another reason that wasn't anything to do with me. I actually suspect they dropped me because maybe the fee they were paying my temping agency rose once I hit my second year working with them. I have no evidence, but it lines up almost perfectly. Remember I only had 4 more weeks to work with them, and my replacement is working less than I did.<br />
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Anyway, on my last day I officially complained about my whole team to HR. I have no future trust with my old manager and refuse to use her as a reference. I wasnt going to but Laurel and Erica told me I should, because they are both fed up of working conditions and complained to HR too. In fact Laurel left because of the bad co-worker who my old manager cannot handle. I'm using her as a reference instead now.<br />
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In other news we had guests staying in our AirBnB for a weekend which worked out nicely. The weekend after that we had a house warming party, which felt more like a leaving party.<br />
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I made in instructional video which I uploaded to YouTube for the future owners of the house to watch. Its mainly about how to use the coal boiler.<br />
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Since then we have sold a few bits and pieces from around the house that we wont be shipping abroad. Talking of which its looking likely to be Belgium.<br />
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On the evening of the 21st October we went to see the Little Blue Penguins come in from the sea at Taiaroa Head. We saw 102 of the little guys come in just after the sun set. They arrived in groups of about 10 at a time, and some stayed around and waited for their mates to arrive before heading to their nests together. On the way back up the hill we could hear them all squawking to each other. It was a much better experience than how it was in 2009 when I saw them with my parents. The weather was perfect too. We decided to go on the spur of the moment after watching an advert on Facebook that morning; that had a video of what to expect, so it seemed like a good idea, and it was!<br />
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From the 26th - 28th Sabine and I visited Stuart Island.<br />
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26 Fri-<br />
We woke up at 3.30am and left at 5am. We drove south to Bluff, narrowly avoiding entering Invercargill along the way. We parked the car at the ferry terminal and checked in. The lady recommended us the 'Lighthouse Cafe' just across the road, so we walked there and had a nice breakfast. The start of state highway 1 was a mile down the road, so we didn't bother because the car was already parked, but I did see the famous yellow AA signpost from the ferry boat a little later. The boat was an hour to Oban, Stuart Island.<br />
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Oban was more or less like the normal mainland, complete with cars and a Four Square newsagents. I guess I imagined it more like Miyajima Island (Japan) with even less going on. But it's full of houses and places to stay, which somehow surprised me. We were driven up to our lodge by a nice lady, and once here the housekeeper showed us around. Soon enough we were out to explore. I was just glad to breathe some fresh air and get rid of my seasickness. We walked south, up the hill and through the bush to Golden Bay. The bird life isn't so fantastic, unless you like Tui's because they are everywhere. Kaka are about too. We booked the water taxi to the bird island called Ulva Island for tomorrow. The roads here seem like from one side of town to the other would take only 5mins max. The gift shop was good. This evening we tried the pub for dinner. Thing is we checked online and its menu was different from what it was when we arrived. Oh well. I don't want to go there again tomorrow. Problem is though the lack of choice. Highlights of today were seeing a mumma ducky with 11 chicks, waddling around the road of our lodge. There were also Shell ducks with 7 chicks at the seafront. After dark we tried to find a kiwi by waiting in a forested area in the dark for sometime, but alas with no luck. Other tourists were attempting the same.<br />
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27 Sat-<br />
I Woke up to a dawn chorus of birds.<br />
The breakfast that is provided by the lodge is nice. They have really nice plumbs.<br />
Today we went to the bird island at around 9:30. We were taken there by a 9 seater speed boat. Once there it became apparent that the New Zealand Robins were abundant. We spent many hours on the island, walking around. Among the more interesting birds, we saw red crested parakeets, a Saddleback, Yellow Heads, and two Weka on the beach, who were eyeing up Sabines blue bag. One cheeky Robin ate a bit of chicken that fell out of Sabines sandwich when we stopped for lunch!<br />
We called the boat guy to ask if could be picked up earlier, around 2pm instead of 5pm. We got a few things for dinner from the Four Square. I had a ready meal Thai Green Curry.
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At 7pm we went on a Kiwi tour that took us by boat to a beach far away somewhere south. Along the way, whilst waiting for the skies to get dark, the boat toured around to a Yellow Eyed Penguin colony, a salmon farm, where this hut was in the middle of a bay where this guy was waving at us. Apparently he works on weekly shifts, alone and isolated for a week at a time.<br />
The Kiwi beach was, somewhere. I actually took a screenshot of the map on my phone using the GPS, so that can tell you where we were. But the walk was for about 2 hours walking in a forest just to get to this beach that supposedly has kiwi in the wild. We saw 2, maybe 3 kiwi, but only very briefly, from a distance, with a red light shining on them, and they were in tall grass. I guess this experience is good for those that have never seen a kiwi. I'm not one of them. Ive seen them up close and personal, even touched one.<br />
All in all, about a few minutes total viewing time of partial Kiwi sightings. It was very late coming home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhG8B2vMNtSh_Ex0jFvyEKGa9mUMf2kxbxBC2Gs856hZrMBHdXpd5yHXQsjRinMtzmutXMCwFd1D-Q-xT2Xt4PzHWG3MLkYyB0qdHlOn0DcAx5nkE9HXsWYQXotX1IlpCkGSyb_cL19s/s1600/Screenshot_2018-10-27-10-03-39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhG8B2vMNtSh_Ex0jFvyEKGa9mUMf2kxbxBC2Gs856hZrMBHdXpd5yHXQsjRinMtzmutXMCwFd1D-Q-xT2Xt4PzHWG3MLkYyB0qdHlOn0DcAx5nkE9HXsWYQXotX1IlpCkGSyb_cL19s/s320/Screenshot_2018-10-27-10-03-39.png" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ulva Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiwi beach</td></tr>
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28 Sun-<br />
After checking out we went to drop our bags off at the ferry terminal. Sabine didn't want to go for a walk, so we flitted around town, fell asleep in the pub, and eventually it got round to 3:30pm when the ferry left. Its a shame the only outgoing times are either 8am or 3:30pm. Shared the driving back to Dunedin.<br />
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On the 30th we had the real estate agent come over with a photographer. I was cleaning the house from 6am until they arrived around 12pm. I cleaned the windows from the outside, took out the cat room, cleaning everything as I went, moved the cat cage to the garage and put the cats in there, cleaned the bathroom completely, including the shower. Every single room had to be cleaned and prepared for the house sale photography. Kirsty from Nidd came over with the photographer at 12pm. I even managed to wash the floors in time, just. Kirsty was impressed with my work. She set up the cat room as a fourth bedroom. Oh, I forget to mention I also had to put the curtains back up in the cat room. They were both here for an hour and twenty minutes. After they left, I then proceeded to put everything back to how it was. Curtains back up in the cat room, carpets back, things out of draws. Unfortunately it was raining at the time, but the guy said he will come back with his gear on Thursday for the outside shot of the house and the vista from the balcony. weather permitting!
Lanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236048894890201415noreply@blogger.com0