Almost home!

We arrived in Vancouver at about 4:00 Wednesday afternoon to about 2 degrees. We knew what the weather was like but it was still a bit of a shock. It felt really good to be back on Canadian soil. The air was crisp, the sun was setting, Christmas lights everywhere, there's no place like home! Ian's brother Brian (Barney) picked us up, took us home, fed us beer and wine and cooked us a great meal. I slept 9 hours that night and Ian slept about 14. He stayed up later than I did and had a little more Christmas cheer.

Anyway, in the morning I got up, had breakfast, a really good cup of coffee and off I went to Christmas shop for my son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. I had so much fun shopping in familiar stores where I knew where to find things and I was by myself!  The only sour note yesterday was that we found that the gifts that I had purchased for the granddaughters as well as my camera had been stolen out of my carry on bag. Before we boarded our flight in L.A. an announcement came on asking passengers to please check their carry-ons as the flight was full and space was going to be tight in the overhead. So, I checked mine. I will never do that again. Ian has put in a claim so we shall see. But there will be no replacing the pictures. Fortunately the chip in the camera was replaced about 2 weeks ago so we will still have the previous ones.

Today I am going to stay with my son's family just for overnight and have a pre-Christmas visit with them. Ian is going to visit his son's family and then on Saturday we will visit Ian's sister Kathryn and her family. The plan is to head for Kelowna on Sunday before any nasty weather comes in. We are going to visit Ian's mom on Sunday morning and then carry on. Look forward to seeing you all!

Linda and Ian

One More Sleep!

The morning we left Tauranga the sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day so we decided to try to find a nice little place by the sea that was close to Auckland to spend our last few days. It is only about a 3 1/2 to 4 hr. drive from Tauranga to Auckland so we thought that we could find our perfect little place with time to spare. I thought that maybe we'd have a little time to beach comb or suntan before Happy Hour. After driving for about 7 hrs. and investigating every nook and cranny between Tauranga and Auckland I can safely tell you that no such place exists. I guess we got spoiled on the south island.

So we finally stopped for the night in Waiuku at the oldest continuously operating hotel in New Zealand. (1852) We pulled into the parking lot and before Ian turned the engine off we could hear the music. The place was just rocking! There was a live band (using the term loosely) and the place was packed to the rafters. But they had a room for us and that was all that mattered.

We headed down the street to a great little pub called the Wolf and Beaver, neither of which lives in New Zealand. There was a few bikers and two young couples in the place when we arrived but they soon left and we had the place to ourselves. The quiet was heavenly and the food was very good. No chips for a change. We had a good chat with the staff---they had bets going on in the kitchen as to whether or not we were Americans or Canadians.

We went back to the hotel where , thank heaven, the band had quit and gone home. We couldn't figure out why on a Monday night, out in the middle of nowhere, this place was so busy. Turns out it was a local business Christmas party. Never even occurred to us. So we got talking to some of the locals (as we often do) and had a few drinks (as we often do) and met an old guy who is about to be knighted. He  heard we were from Canada and wanted to join our table as he had been there many years ago training air traffic controllers in Vancouver. Very interesting man.

The next morning we left there and after much more searching wound up at the Best Western at the airport. The problem has been finding a hotel that had room for us for 2 nights. We really didn't want to have to move again.

Today was spent trying to find sweaters that are actually made in New Zealand. They have the same problem here that we have in Canada. Everything is made in China or Bangladesh.  Actually, finding them hasn't been the problem. Finding them under $400-$500 is the problem. We finally were successful this morning. We found a family run wool shop that had some lovely things for reasonable prices.

And now this evening we are off to the local British- style pub for our last dinner. Up early tomorrow morning to pack (caught up on the laundry yesterday) and then we'll have a few hours to kill before heading for the airport. I guess we won't be meeting up with Alan Spence (Ian's cousin) as he has been ill with angina this last few days and he also just returned from Thailand with a flu bug. We sure don't want to bring that home. Anyway, Georgina has advised us to stay where we are because the weather at home is so crummy, but we are getting a little homesick for friends and family. So we look forward to seeing you all soon!

Linda and Ian

Still in Tauranga

This our second full day in Tauranga and that is two days of no rain! There has been plenty of cloud around but nice warm temperatures. Yesterday we took a drive out to Whakatane (you wouldn't believe how that is pronounced) which is right on the water in the Bay of Plenty. Tauranga is also on the Bay of Plenty. Whakatane is a nice spot but we're happy to be where we are. The motel is nothing to write home about but we look out on the ocean and we can walk to everything we need. Yesterday's weather was changeable but the high for the day was 25 degrees. Feels a lot warmer because the sun here is so intense. Today's forecast was for rain but here we are at 3:30 and still no rain. Nice and warm again.

Tomorrow we are going to take the coastal route and head towards Aukland. Ian is hoping to meet his cousin, Alan Spence. Like Ian, he is interested in the family history.  And then only 3 more sleeps after tonight before we fly home. We are getting excited about it.

Bye for now.

We are in Tauranga

Hurray! I got my camera back. There was a note attached to it that said that a couple with an accent left it there the night before. If you ask me , they have the funny accent. Anyway, we got up to the same wind and rain as the night before and the forecast didn't look good for most of the country. So we decided to get out of Wellington and head north. After about 15 minutes of driving the rain stopped and from then on we had a mix of sun and cloud and warm temperatures. Lucky us. We had heard that Taupa was a good place so that is where we decided to spend the night. We got a great motel right across from Lake Taupa and right around the corner from a neat British style pub (just to make Ian feel at home). And I swear to god that while I was in reception registering the skies opened up and in no time at all the streets were flooding. I asked the lady at the desk if the weather had been changeable that day, she said "Oh no! it's been so hot this is a relief" I wanted to jump over the desk and throttle her. At least the pub was close enough that we only got moderately wet. Too bad because it really was a beautiful spot.

Got up this morning again to rain so decided to move on again. We arrived at Wai-O-Tapu where all the thermal pools and boiling mud pools,etc. are at about 1:00. We no sooner got inside where they sell the tickets and downpour again so we decided against spending all that money to wander around in the rain. Carried on to Rotorua and had a nice Japanese lunch. By the time we finished lunch the sun was out and it was hot and steamy so back we went to Waimangu Volcanic Valley and saw some thermal pools and boiling mud pools for free. By this time of the day it was not possible to take the expensive tours. Again, lucky us.

On the road again to Tauranga. We have a motel right across from the water again AND it's not raining! Had a nice prawn, scallop and chip dinner. We just watched the forecast for tomorrow and it looks like it will improve start to improve. Monday and Tuesday look brilliant--- we leave on Wednesday. Hopefully we'll get one more beach day.

We have decided to stay here for two days and do some side trips. We aren't far from the Bay of Plenty so that should be interesting.

The Santa Claus parade is on Saturday so maybe we'll take that in. We're starting to look forward to coming home. 

Ola` (just getting ready for Mexico)

Linda and Ian

P.S. I don't believe it ---It's raining again!!!! #*@#**

Greetings from Windy Wellington1

Nothing lasts forever does it? We spent our last night on the south island in Picton, which is another little gem. It's a tiny little place nestled on the shores of the Tasman Sea and surrounded by mountains. The day we arrived had been hot and sunny but by the time we got settled into our motel and went to find dinner ( in a little Irish pub) it had started to rain. We went for a walk to Shelley beach after dinner to do a little beach combing. They have this long bridge that goes over the marina from the town to the beach that the locals call the coat hanger. I got some great pictures of Ian on it. As everyone knows, Ian doesn't do bridges. We also stopped by the local R.S.A. club for a drink and had a good chat with a few of the locals. They are all so welcoming. They just come over to find out who you are and where you are from. It was the first time anyone knew right off the bat that we were Canadians.

So, it poured rain all night and blew a gale. too bad we left the windows down on the car. The plan was to do more beach combing in the morning. There is beautiful Paua (abalone) shell everywhere for sale but I want to find my own on the beach. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. The ferry didn't leave until 2:00 p.m. so we had quite a bit of time to kill. We were very disappointed in the ferry crossing also as we had hoped to get good pictures of the scenery but you couldn't even see a horizon. The crossing took 4 hours instead of 3 1/2 I guess due to the roughness of the waters. While on the ferry I discovered that I had lost one of my gold hoop earrings. I informed them on the boat and I retraced my steps but it could have fallen out anywhere.

When we arrived in Wellington (now we know why they call it Windy) the weather was of course terrible. Ian said it made Orkney look like Palm Springs. (A bit of an exaggeration) We went the Fireman's club for a pizza dinner and then back to our motel for an early night. When we got back to our room I found that I had left my camera in the club.  I sent an e-mail right away and we will go there right away when they open Hopefully it's still there. We were the last people to leave so it should be. What a day!

Today we are going to head north looking for better weather, although it doesn't look very good anywhere. Hopefully we'll see Rotarua in the next day or so.

Chow for now.

We may not come home!!!

O.K. This is paradise. After driving through Blenheim, which was lovely, but it was miles upon miles of vineyards. Not that I have anything against vineyards, but we decided to stay in Nelson. Lucky us! I don't know where to start. There are mountains behind us, ocean two minutes away, great shops and pubs, beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures. The population is small and they are very friendly. In some ways it reminds us of parts of B.C. Someone said to us today that they have friends that go to B.C. every winter and that B.C. is like New Zealand on steroids and I think that is a good analogy. We are just really getting into this holiday (poor us) and we have to leave the day after tomorrow. Today we went to a little beach called Kaiteriteri. About the only thing to do there is swim, take cruises and kayak. So we decided to rent kayaks. We had a fabulous time. Saw our very first penguins in the wild. They are the smallest variety of penguins. (Blue penguins) Anyway, we don't want to leave. We thought that we would never come back but now we are trying to think of ways to get back in a more affordable way. House exchange maybe. So we would never do Australia again but would come straight to the south island of New Zealand.

This place has the highest concentration of artisans and craftsmen in New Zealand. After our kayak and swim we stopped at a gallery run by a Maori man who comes from a long line of jade carvers. Had a good chat with him. He has a friend that comes to Nelson every winter. Also, the guy that rented us the kayaks has friends ( also Ian and Linda) that come to Fernie every winter. They ski all day and drive taxi at night. Some life!

Anyway, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't love New Zealand, but I keep thinking of my brother Craig and how much he would enjoy this place. You too Judy. Wonderful jewellry!

So tomorrow we are off to Picton to catch the ferry the following day for Wellington on the north island. Boo Hoo, I don't want to leave but hopefully we will find some hidden treasures there as well. We hope to meet up with Brenda and Basil's friends Ingrid and Tom in Wellington and get some good tips from them. Rotarua is a must see but other than that we are just going to explore.

Hope everyone at home is well. Look forward to seeing you all. ( well, maybe a little)

P.S. Have you ever seen bikinis and Christmas trees in the same window display?

Love to all

Linda and Ian

Kaikoura

Arrived in a seaside village called Kaikoura at about 4:30 this afternoon. It was beautiful and sunny for about 15 minutes. Then the clouds moved in and a bit of rain. The lady at the motel said it had been 27 earlier in the day. What a surprise!. Anyway, this is one of those places that would look beautiful in any kind of weather. Right across the street from us is the most beautiful, turquoise ocean you could imagine. Kaikoura is popular for whale and dolphin watching. The beaches are quite rocky so I don't imagine they swim a lot here, but I know that there is some surfing and diving. They also have a pool right beside the beach. Quite a nice lifestyle.

 We have done a lot of driving the last two days. We left Gore Tuesday morning and drove pretty much all day. We spent the night in a little place called Omarama, which is well known for it's gliders. Apparently the thermals there are great. The scenery as well was spectacular. Beautiful mountains with lots of wildflowers,( more lupens and wild broom than I have ever seen in my life) and then huge open ranges with sheep or deer. New Zealand is a beautiful country that really does remind us of B.C. but without the traffic and people.

Tomorrow we are heading for Blenheim, which is wine country on the northeast coast of the south island. We will then decide whether to stay in Blenheim, Nelson or Picton. Picton is where we catch the ferry to go to the north island on the 26th and we are really looking forward to staying in one place for maybe three days or so. Also, I wouldn't mind a little poking around in the shops time.

So, G'day til later.

Linda

We're in Gore

Well, we think everyone is wrong. The drive south from Christchurch to Dunedin and then west to Gore was stunning. For starters, the weather started out cool and cloudy but the further south we travelled the better it got. After about the first hour the sun was shining and it just got warmer and warmer. By the time we got to Dunedin and Gore it was 26 degrees. We had heard how flat the terrain was but it is much more scenic and rolling than Australia. There are sheep and cattle ranches the whole way down. We followed the ocean for much of the way and mountains were almost always visible in the distance. We stopped for a picnic lunch at a beach in a small place called Hampden. There is hardly any traffic on the roads down here and what there is is very courteous. Truck drivers pull over to let you pass and everything. It's like going back in time. We found a great little motel in Gore that is just a short walk to a lovely pub (are there any other kind?). Went for the worst Thai dinner we have ever had. So hot it almost choked me to death. It was even to hot for Ian. The lady gave us free ice cream to cool us down. Anyway, Ian said I get to choose the restaurant next time. It won't be Thai I can tell you!

So, off to Matauri, Queenstown and parts further north tomorrow. No definite plans.
Talk soon.
G'day Mates

Akaroa

Today we took a trip over to Akaroa which is about an hour and a half from Christchurch. Unfortunately it was a fairly cloudy, cool day (14 degrees). But the scenery was lovely. Rolling hills, lots of sheep and cattle farms. The last 10kms.  into Akaroa was a really twisty, winding road but the view on the descent into the village made it worth it. We had a great lunch in a restaurant that was an old converted house. We sat outside on the verandah under cover to eat because by that time it had started to rain. It was a gentle rain and it had warmed up to about 18 degrees. Also, the gardens were beautiful. We were surrounded by trees and every colour of rose that you could think of. It was like an English country garden except that there were also some tropicals. The village is right on the ocean and is full of neat shops and eateries. A tourist trap of course. It's going to take Ian a while to get over paying $1.69 for a garlic bulb.

So we bought groceries to make a stir-fry for dinner tonight. Getting tired of restaurant food. We plan on making an early night of it as we would like to be on the road by 8:00 tomorrow morning. The plan is to head straight down to Gore ( I know --nobody has heard of it) which is almost at the bottom of the south island. Everyone has advised us to skip it because there is nothing there, but, it is the place that my mother's relatives emmigrated to and Ian wants to see it. We'll find out if everyone is right. Then on to Queenstown  and then work our way back up to Picton to take the ferry over to Wellington on the 26th. Time is going quickly-- hard to believe we only have just over two weeks left.

So, Cheers until next time!

Back in New Zealand

We arrived in New Zealand at 11:15 and got to our hotel at about 12:30 am.  We mistakenly thought that there was a meal included in the flight as there was one on the flight from New Zealand to Australia. WRONGO! So we shared a sandwich at the Rower's club at 12:30, had a drink at the airport and boarded the flight at 6:20---landed in New Zealand at 11:15---arrived at our motel at 12:30. So, we had 6 cookies( that I had saved from various motels--Ian thought I was nuts!) and a cup of tea before bed. Picked up our car in the morning, found our motel (a real gem--great people and a great facility) and went to tour Christchurch. What a disaster! We didn't realize the devastation from the earthquake.
Went to our local which turned out to be fabulous. Did laundry while Ian Veg'd at Bailies Pub. Met a young man from Glasgow who has come to work in the reconstruction of Christchurch. A REAL TREAT. He recognised Ian's shirt as being a Scotland football one and we struck up a good conversation. Invited him to Canada and offered Vince and Ruth's place as a good place to stay. We have decided that we will spend the day tomorrow going to Akaroa which was the advice of our Japanese host. We would have loved to see Christchurch in more detail but it no longer exists. Looking forward to tomorrow and days beyond. We feel much more comfortable in New Zealand and things are good. Laundry done, wine well drunk and our rental car has so many dings that we have no fear of driving.

PS -  If we had to give the trip a title so far we would call it "the weather was good yesterday". Every time we arrive in a place they tell us just how good it was "yesterday". (for instance yesterday it was 27 degrees here in Christchurch and today it is 16 and windy. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

G'day Mates
Talk soon

Last night in Hyde Park

Well this has been our last day at the Hyde Park hotel right in the heart of Sydney. It has been a great spot. It has taken this long for me to get my bearings. I can actually go shopping and find my way home. We have our favourite pub and eating spots. Tonight we once again had Japanese. For people who like to complain about the Asian invasion everywhere we go we sure do seem to like to dine with them. Funny thing though---our restaurant ran out of rice tonight ! It was only 5:00. Some customers walked out. Understandable, imagine a Japanese restaurant without rice. Kind of cut the menu in half.

So today we went down to Darling harbour once again. Much nicer in the sunshine. Today was about 26 degrees. It felt like a great summer day in Vancouver. We took a Harbour cruise today and then visited Paddy's Market. That was a bit of a disappointment. We expected a nice Irish market and what we got was a Chinese flea market. Spent the rest of the day just poking around. Back to our room by 7:30 for an early night. Hopefully we will get to Bondi beach tomorrow and then out to the airport for our last night. We don't fly out until 6:30 but we lose 2 hours and the flight is 3 and a half hours so we arrive in Christchurch at about 11:30. We are looking forward to exploring the south island.

I will post again when I have access and something to report. Ten-four rubber ducky.

Two days left in Sydney.

HOLD THE PRESSES!  CALL BACK THE JURY! We love Sydney!. To all of you who I complained to about Sydney, I take it back. Our first couple of days here it rained sideways. Buckets of the stuff. I know they needed it but really --did they need that much. Anyway, two days ago we thought that we should just get in the car and go find something to do.  So we did. Ian has been trying to find a cousin of his mother's (Jan and husband Mervyn) for quite a while now. Wrong people from their old address and no response to the old phone number. They were supposed to come to Canada a couple of years ago but had to cancel due to illness, so we thought that maybe one of them had passed away. Anyway Ian found their last known address and started knocking on doors in their complex. Sure enough he found her. When she answered the door and Ian asked if she was Jan Locke and she said yes he said well, I'm your cousin from Canada I thought she was going to faint. She was so excited. They went to Orkney 20 years ago to meet her father's family and they still keep in touch with Ian's auntie Ethel, but they have never met any of the Canadian side including Doris (Ian's mother). She remembers her mother corresponding with Doris but they had never actually met. So we had about an hours visit with them. (a nice cup of tea and Christmas cake) We may have inspired them to try again for a visit to Canada. They are lovely people.

Next stop was Botany Bay, where Captain Cook arrived. Took some pictures and then carried on to Manly Breach. Wow! What a beach. The beach was full of surfers and joggers. Fun to watch. Ian got excited because we actually passed one of the walkers but I had to point out that he stopped to tie his shoe so that shouldn't count. These Australians sure  do like to exercise. Anyway, the village of Manly is full of great little shops, cafes, hotels and pubs. Would be a great place to stay. Also, while there the sun had come full out. Yahoo!

Next stop was Watson's Bay where Doyle's restaurant is located. Doyle's restaurant alone is worth a trip to Sydney. The beach is stunningly beautiful and the restaurant patio is about 10 ft. from  the water's edge. We had a view of sand, sea. beautiful homes surrounding the bay, and a gorgeous sunset. And if that wasn't enough, the food was incredible. I'm not sure I've ever had better. I had the famous Queensland King Prawns and Ian had Yellowfin Tuna topped with scallops. I took pictures of both plates before we devoured them.

Yesterday we woke to beautiful sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, so we walked down to the harbour to see the opera house, the Sydney bridge (which was actually built in Sheffield England) and then took a walk around The Rocks ( where the convicts were eventually settled).  Temperature today is a comfortable 26 degrees. So we sure were lucky to come upon an Irish pub at just about lunch time.

On our way back to our hotel I found the most incredible book store (Drymmock's) It's 3 floors of books. I had a great time there. Ian was very patient but he did ask me if a senior citizen commited suicide in a children's book store, would anybody hear? I said probably not.

So to finish of our day we went to our new local ( the Edinburgh castle pub) for a couple happy hours and then found a Korean restaurant that were invited into. It was a new experience for us.  The food was very good but we were the only two white faces in there. And I don't think there was anyone over the age of 21 there. And they sure do talk a lot in a funny language. I hope it wasn't about us.

So today we thought we might take a harbour cruise and walk through Hyde Park which is just across the street from us. Maybe we'll take another look at Darling Harbour as well. Tonight is our last night in this hotel. Tomorrow night we will be at the airport hotel.

Hello to all. Hope Lorne and Georgina are okay. And I hope Karen Schick is doing alright with her packing. Talk soon.

Linda and Ian

First full day in Sydney

We arrived in Sydney yesterday at about 5:00.   Couldn't believe the traffic and the number of people on the streets. We felt like we had arrived in Tokyo or Hong Kong. Apparently the population in Sydney is over 4 million people. After we got registered in our hotel and found a nice pub ( that took about 5 minutes) and got our heart rates down to normal we were pleasantly surprised to find that the restaurant prices and gas prices were much more what we are used to. Had a nice Japanese meal, a quiet drink and then an early night. We woke up to a cloudy, pouring rainy day.  Two days ago we had 36 degrees and today was about 17-18 degrees and raining sideways. We took a walk down to Darling Harbour, took some pictures and poked around the shops. It was kind of hard to fill the day as it was so wet and gloomy. We did find a little bistro called Ruby and Rach's where we had a soup called Jewish penicillen. ( chicken broth, veggies and motza balls) It was very good.

The forecast for tomorrow isn't so good either but the following couple of days sounds much better. 26 degrees and sunshine once again. Hopefully we will get out on a harbour cruise. For some strange reason Ian feels it is very important to go to Manly beach.

Anyway, we hope to enjoy the rest of our stay in Sydney but we have decided that we really are not big city people and are really looking forward to getting back to New Zealand.

Take care everyone. Talk soon.

Linda and Ian

North Haven --One more sleep!

I finally saw a koala!! Too bad it was in a zoo. We stopped at the Billabong zoo outside of Port Macquarie. They are just as beautiful as I thought. The poor things were asleep but they wake them up for a presentation. We fed the little grey kangaroos and saw the snow leopards and the red pandas, as well as the Jurassic crocodile. I'm no fan of crocodiles but I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. We went to the zoo because I absolutely had to see a koala but we left feeling a bit depressed because zoos are not nice places for the animals. It seems that everything that they need to be happy is not supplied by the zoo environment. So, after we left the zoo we headed south to a really small place called North Haven (where we are spending the night) and actually saw a family of kangaroos in a grassy field--Mom, Dad and baby.  It was awesome!

Met a nice lady from Woolagong, which is about an hour south of Sydney. She  and her husband are in the motel room next to ours. We were lucky to get a room as there is a bowl's tournament in town and everything is booked up. She has given us a few good tips about what to see in the Sydney area.

We went to the Bowl's club for a drink when we first arrived and then on to a nice restaurant for a lovely dinner right across from the river. We watched a good lightning storm--- apparently we are going to get a much needed rainfall. The last significant rainfall was in June! The bowls clubs are incredible here. Every town seems to have one - cheap drinks and fabulous premises. We are hoping to try a game or two as we move along. The forecast for tomorrow is rain which is to extend into Sydney - the fires have been intense there so rain is very welcome. Tomorrow is a travel day for us - we will be at the Hyde Park hotel in Sydney for the next five nights. Then one day out towards the airport and then on the Christchurch, New Zealand. The scenery has improved drastically as we have made our way south - much greener and much more terrain.

P.S. Our motel room is MUCH better than the last one. Linda is a happy camper. Talk soon.

Motel Hell in Sawtell

We arrive in a little village called Sawtell yesterday afternoon. A really quaint little village with huge fig trees lining the streets and loads of little shops and restaurants. We were a little disappointed in the drive  down because we thought we would follow the ocean all the way. In fact you had to drive off the highway to the coast to see any water. Then you had to turn around and backtrack the same way to get back onto the highway. It wasted a lot of time. Anyway when we arrived here we took one look and knew that this was the place to stay. The problem is that there is only two motels in town. One is a four star (fully booked of course) and the other is maybe a two star. Reminds me of a place that we stayed in Ireland with Ruth and Vince. Ruth and I cleaned for the first two days. Needless to say I only take my shoes off to go to bed.

Apart from that we are enjoying Sawtell and it's citizens. Last night we went to a little Japanese restaurant for dinner. Great food - huge prawns - good wine. Then at about 7:30 a jazz group arrived. They were so good that we couldn't leave. During their breaks they came over to introduce themselves. Really friendly, helpful people. I got tips from every member of the band as well as some of the customers on when and where to find my elusive koalas.

So tomorrow we once again head south. Only one more sleep between here and Sydney. We are a little concerned about the fire situation. Even here we are getting a lot of smoke. I must say that at this point in time we like New Zealand better than Australia. Although the temperatures here are a lot warmer (26-32 degrees so far) we find the scenery better in New Zealand. But time will tell. Hopefully Sydney will be a treat.

Off for dinner again. Will post again soon. Could someone please let us know how Lorne is doing. We think of him and Georgina often.

We are in Ballina

Hi again! We lost contact while we were in Mooloolaba because they wanted $19.95 per day for the internet. Not going to happen. Anyway, we did have a good time there although the weather was not the best. The only rain we got came during the night but the days were mixed sun and cloud and howling winds. Didn't stop people from going in the water and sunbathing but I was not tempted. We had lunch at the surf club on the beach one day where we heard you could have a nice lunch for about $10.00. That must have been a million years ago because even a caesar salad was $16.50! So,  although Mooloolaba was beautiful to look at it was very expensive. On our last night we went to the Bowl's club and had a great time . We made some new friends again and had really cheap drinks. Too bad that it was our last night before we discovered that place. Bowls clubs are really big over here and they are great places. They are massive in size and have gambling for those that want it and the prices are really good.

Last night we arrived in Ballina and got a lovely motel right across from the R.S.L. club (returning servicemen). It too is an amazing building. It looks like a Las Vegas casino but with a huge dining room overlooking the Richmond River. Had our first drink there and then took a walk around the town which is beautiful and clean. Went for Japanese food for dinner. It's the first place we've been to where you can bring your own drinks. We weren't prepared but it's a great concept.

So today we will continue south towards Sydney. We are thinking of stopping for the night at Coff's Harbour or somewhere in the vicinity. Today will be a shorter drive and more relaxing. The scenery is a little nicer the further south we go. In Queensland the terrain is quite flat. Dry and scrubby as well. So far I have seen lots of signs warning about kangaroos and koalas on the road but have not spotted one yet. So Ian's mission for the day is to find a place to cash traveller's cheques and mine is to see a koala in the wild.

Hope all is well at home. Hopefully I can post later this evening.
P.S. Ian just got back from his walk and he found a bank that cashed his traveller's cheques. Yeah!

Last day in Auckland

Well, it is our last day in Auckland and it has been a good day. The wind has been howling but the sun is shining and the temperature is quite warm. We have spent the better part of the day driving into west Auckland where Ian tried to find his rich relative. Turns out they are not as rich as we had imagined. They live in a nice area but not as nice as Ian thought. We were so disappointed that we had to hang out with some of Linda's recent friends at the "oldest" yacht club in New Zealand. - not. In any event we had a fabulous time visiting at the welcoming Devenport Yacht Club with John and John. Characters and pictures to follow. Had dinner at the Portofino Restaurant - not Ian's choice but he did remark that the wine was GOOD. We spoke to Brenda and Basil today which was good. We plan to see their friends in Wellington at some point. Off to Australia in the morning. We arrive in Gold Coast at about 1:35 Australia time and it seems to be about a two hour drive to Mooloolaba which is a place that Dave and Christine recommended. They promised us that it was run by a couple of FAGS but it seems that a straight couple has now taken over. We will see. Hopefully things will be as good as when they were there. We said good bye to our new friend Hiromi, a very nice girl from Japan who we got to know a bit. People here seem to be a bit like how it was when we were kids - polite, respectful & concerned
Its freaking us out. Really missing the fingers, car horns and cutting you off when you try to line up.

Linda says to stop.

Bye.

 

Visit to north Auckland

Today is the 31st of October (the30th at home). They don't seem to celebrate Halloween here. Guy Fox day (Nov. 5th) is the big one so maybe Halloween is a bit close to that. Anyway, we just got back last night from the northernmost tip of New Zealand. On the 29th we drove up the east coast to the Bay of Islands. We had a beautiful, warm, sunny day for our trip. We have been really lucky with the weather so far. There always seems to be rain in the forecast but other than a few sprinkles we have had none. The Bay of Islands was worth the drive. There are several little villages that make up the Bay of Islands. All of them have lots of small shops, cafes, bars and hotels. All of which are very expensive as well. We had a delicious seafood chowder in a place called Paihia. We then continued on further up the coast to some not so touristy villages. Decided to spend the night at a seaside resort called Taipa. Immediately we found the only tavern in town and made some new best friends. The owner of the bar is Terry (pronounced Teery). He was on a trip to Vancouver with a rugby team in 1991 and just happened to have all his pictures in his office so we had a great time looking at them. So along with Teery, his partner Fran(known as Fruitcake), The bar manager Joe and his wife, also Fran ,we had so much fun that we forgot dinner time. Everything shuts down at about 6:00 except the restaurant in the resort, which closes at 8:00. We missed that deadline too, so at about 10:00 they sent us home with some lasagna and butter chicken from Fruitcake's  freezer. I'm sure they were glad to see the back of us.

The following morning we headed out early for the peninsula up to Reinge which is as far north as you can get in New Zealand. These are the Maori sacred grounds where they believe that the spirits of the dead leave the land. Ian was very careful not to get too close to the edge. It was a beautiful spot though and worth the hour and a half drive. From there we took the west coast drive back down to Auckland, stopping at the most amazing museum that was recommended by our landlady and others. We got back to our apartment around 7:00, so it was a long day.

This morning we got up and spent a leisurely few hours over coffee and breakfast and then did a walkabout around Devonport again, and then , of course wound up at our favourite pub, the Patriot. Home of the $23.50 hamburger, $19.00 sandwich, $12.50 bowl of soup. But, the people are really nice!

So tomorrow we are planning to visit the botanic gardens and the Auckland zoo. I have to see a real live kiwi! Will update tomorrow

Day Four

Well, it's Tuesday the 29th of October today and the sun is coming up in Auckland once again. Apparently we brought the sun with us from Vancouver because the forecast was for showers and cooler temperatures through this week. We have only had a few sprinkles of rain but mostly sunshine. Yesterday we had planned to go north to the bay of islands but it was their Labour Day and we were warned about heavy traffic so instead we went only as far as a small village called Orewa. It's right on the ocean, filled with lovely shops, cafes and pubs. We took a walk along the beach which is miles long and then headed back home to do laundry, have an early dinner and a quiet evening. We haven't stayed up past 10:00 yet! Although jet lag has been minimal I think our bodies still think it's four hours ahead of time.

So today is the day we will head up to the bay of islands. It's a fair drive up there with lots to see on the way so we may spend a night up there. We are hoping that we will find things a bit cheaper once we get out of the Auckland area. We already found gas two cents less in Orewa (only $2.09 a litre). So, hope everyone at home is well. I will post again soon.

Day One in Auckland

We're here!! It was a long journey but well worth it. We flew out of Vancouver at 8:30 Thursday, October the 24th and arrived in Auckland at 5:38 a.m. October the 26th.  The sun was just beginning to rise on a beautiful day. We had the Tasman Sea on our left and the lights of Auckland on our right as we landed. It took a while to clear customs and get our baggage and then to collect our rental car, but with the help of our trusty G.P.S. we arrived at our basement suite rental at about 9:30 a.m. It is in Devonport on the North Shore of Auckland. I know that basement suite conjures up images but you should see this place! The kitchen is fully equipped with fridge, gas stove and oven, microwave espresso maker, toaster, you name it. We have a big screen T.V., dining area, library, queen size bedroom suite, beautiful bathroom and an ocean view from the living room and sundeck. Craig, you would die for the garden. The walk to the village and waterfront is about 3-5 minutes. The pub is crawling distance---unfortunately we can only afford to drink there. ( the hamburger is $23.50! No, I'm not kidding) Anyway, tomorrow we are going to take the little ferry into downtown Auckland to sightsee. Apparently the tall ships arrived yesterday and will be leaving on Monday. On Monday we are planning to head north to the Bay of Islands. We are planning 7-8 days in the Auckland area and then on to the sunshine coast in Australia. Almost time for bed.(It's 2:45 P.M.) Will post again soon.

Linda and Ian

Here we go again!

October 6 2013

Well we're off again on another adventure!  This time to New Zealand and Australia. We do not leave until October 24th but I thought that I would get the blog going early.
Ian is still working on setting up car rentals, accommodations, etc. He is going to leave for Vancouver a few days early to visit family and I am going to fly down on the 21st. I have my golf windup on the 20th to attend. Still leaves a couple of days to visit. I hope this works!!

Linda