Christie & Alan's news from New Zealand

Destination: Birmingham

Well folks, we’re on our way home! Can’t quite believe that the year has gone by but we’ve waved farewell to Wellington for the last time (sniff!). It was hard to say goodbye but the dispersal of our furniture did much to soften the blow (sleeping on the floor for the last 3 nights wasn’t much fun) and we knew a holiday was on the way so we can’t complain too much!

We had a great final weekend in Wellington – it coincided with my birthday (hurrah!) so Alan took me to stay in a rather swanky hotel in the centre of Wellington. Which just so happened to have Sky. Which just so happened to be when England were playing their first match. Hmmm. A cunning ruse me thinks. Anyhow we had a slap-up meal and met up with Nicky and Ben to watch the match at 3am (well, Nicky and I watched for the first 4 minutes, saw the goal and then spent the next 86 minutes gossiping. Perfect!).

From Wellington we went for a few days in the South Island – flew down to Dunedin (sooo cold!) and went exploring in the Catlins (which is right at the bottom of the South island). Luckily, the weather was brilliant….

Then again, maybe not.

But we did get to see some wonderful, wild coastline…

…along with seals, sea lions and a friendly yellow-eyed penguin…

I really enjoyed seeing the “Petrified Forest” – fossils of tree stumps and fallen tree trunks dating back 180 million years. I just about managed to refrain from the plethora of gags to be aimed at Alan (“oh, some of these must look pretty familiar to you” etc) but only just.

From the Catlins we drove up to Queenstown – a trip which saw completely different weather altogether. Clear blue skies and warm sun really set the snow capped mountains off perfectly. Nowhere was this more apparent than at Lake Manapouri where we stopped for a spot of lunch….

…and the sun going down over Lake Wakatipu on the way into Queenstown was glorious…

This time we headed much further round the lake than Queenstown to a tiny out of the way place called Kinloch. We arrived at our lovely, comfortable lodge as the sun was setting. While we could still see the mountains in the distance, it wasn’t until the morning that we saw the area properly…

We then had a very stressful morning…

…and then headed out to catch some more great views…

Even from the plane the pictures kept on coming!

Then it was back to Wellington for a final night – this time we were very brave and just parked the camper by the sea on the South coast, near where we used to live. (Those of you who have been to see us may remember the spot – near Alan’s favourite bit of beach between Lyall Bay and Houghton Bay). It’s an impressive bit of coastline but we arrived when it was dark (having been out for dinner in Wellington) and left when it was dark (to go and see the football in town!). Still, we chose a good spot to do our only bit of “freedom camping”.

From then it was off to Napier and on to Rotorua – which have been great….

…but absolutely freezing! We piked out and stayed in youth hostel/backpacker places for the last couple of nights as we couldn’t quite face the van (letting the Venga bus down at the last minute!)

From there we headed to Auckland to stay with Guy and Marny – in their nice warm house! Most of what we did revolved around chilling out…

…eating fine food and drinking beer. Oh, and football of course! We did manage to drag ourselves away for a couple of days out on Monday and Tuesday. We went over to Devenport on the ferry in beautiful weather then into the Waitekere National Park for a day. We particularly enjoyed seeing Piha Beach in the sunshine…

…and having a picnic on the beach.

We said goodbye to the Venga bus – we managed to sell it pretty easily in the end so the feeling was more relief at not having to spend days trying to sell it rather than feeling too sad!

We also had to say goodbye to Guy, Marny and Marny’s expanding tummy (baby, not pies) which really was very sad. But we managed to be as troublesome as possible right up to the moment of departure (“Guy, we’ve set the burglar alarm off again”, “Guy, we’re leaving in 3 hours and don’t have any travel insurance. Can you help??” etc). So undoubtedly they were pleased to see the back of us.

From there it was time for Melbourne with Kim, Tim and Emma – and here I sit. With Lionel Ritchie playing in the background (mercifully Kim’s stopped singing along) and Alan pretending to be doing some washing but really just sat on the floor playing with Emma! Who remains as gorgeous as ever…

We’re having a great time with the Storeys so far and we’re off this afternoon for a weekend away in Rye which should be brilliant. Anyhow, we’d better go. Kim has no doubt got a lovely lunch venue in mind – oh this holiday lark is tough!

All love
Christie and Alan

Dear all,

Well I hope you’re all enjoying the lovely summer weather. It’s getting pretty nippy over here but the sun is shining today, thankfully! I know it’s been months since I’ve updated the site so I’m going to have to give some very edited highlights!

The first thing of importance to happen after our last update was Alice’s arrival. We had a great time catching up and doing the main Wellington sites….

We really enjoyed having her to stay and she gave a much-needed (!) boost to the wine business of New Zealand!

Our next visitor arrived shortly afterwards in the shape of Tina. While I met up with Tina in Martinborough (and while I was being treated to a night in the v swanky Martinborough hotel) Alan did the Tongariro Crossing - a walk across a National Park in central North Island. Looks like he had fun (although I think I was happier coiffing wine)…

We went for a trip to Castlepoint, which was gloriously sunny and got to explore the city at night...

We had a trip away at Easter up to Tongariro….

…and went walking on Mount Ruapehu. We couldn’t go all the way up as it was too icy but managed to get above the cloud…

We then headed off to Lake Taupo..

And to see the amazing Huka Falls….

We’ve also managed to get out and about around Wellington – I’ve been wanting to walking in the Kaitoke National Park all year so we managed to squeeze that in…

We’ve also enjoyed seeing Nicky and Ben since they’ve been living in Wellington.

Nicky and I have particularly enjoyed our girls’ nights out where we can talk about make up and kitten heels to our heart’s content without lots of eye rolling from the boys. Although we did do our bit by accompanying the menfolk to a rugby match which was really quite exciting!

Other than that, we’ve had an abortive attempt to climb Mount Holdsworth where we had to come down as I thought I’d left the iron on. I kid you not (you can imagine the endless mocking I’ve received).

We also had a trip to Wanganui last weekend with one of Alan’s friends from work, Sam. His parents have a farm in Wanganui so a few of us went to stay for the long weekend. Had a great time jet boating and clay pigeon shooting.

The jet boating was particularly good. The Wanganui river is stunning - runs through a gorge so cliffs on either side and the river is so still its like a mirror. There are also rapids in other parts, which is very exciting to go speeding through on the jet boat. Although we did have a minor crisis on the way back when we hit some rocks!! All very exciting - once we'd established that no-one was overboard and no parts of the boat were floating downstream - but was mighty chilly for those that ended up in the water trying to manoeuvre the boat off the rocks. Which was everyone but me!!

We also enjoyed seeing the “Bridge to Nowhere” which was built for the settlers in the area to cross the river around the time that all the settlers upped and left. Helpful!

So not too long for us to go now – we leave the house in just over a week so our last weekend just so happens to be my birthday weekend. So we get to do what I want!! We’re staying around Wellington I think – watching the football in the middle of the night (hang on. That’s what Alan wants to do! Rats).

Anyway, we arrive back in the UK on 29 July so we’ll see you soon!

Christie and Alan.

For this month only the update is on

www.eatons.blog.co.uk

Christie xx

Ahhhhh (or, more likely, “eeewwwwww”). Fear not – within about 5 minutes we were back to the “have you left that kitchen light on again”/”its your turn to make a drink” routine. Ain’t love grand??!

Anyway, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year – we certainly did (details to follow!). Before I start, I do appreciate I will not be the most popular girl in the class when I start telling you about sunshine and beaches but I hear that the temporary blog-writer is thinking about making a comeback (by allegedly “popular” demand. Ha!) so I thought I’d better pull my finger out and get the page updated. After all, I won’t be the only one attempting to drown myself in a cup of tea if I have to read any more lengthy descriptions of cricket scores…. (just kidding petal).

Although it seems like a really long time ago, it was great to see you all back in the UK – despite the circumstances. Even though I was back for nearly 2 months there were still people I didn’t get to see/see as much as I would have liked so I’m really looking forward to catching up with you properly in August.

My arrival back in Wellington coincided with the New Zealand premier of King Kong at the Embassy cinema (where I used to work). As I’d been really looking forward to it (and in an attempt to stave off the jetlag), we headed downtown to see what was going on. Alan had biked past the venue earlier in the day and seen it being set up…

…but it was a bit different by the time we got there.

It was a great atmosphere with people hanging out of windows etc but there was still plenty of room to mill about without getting squidged. Saw 1 or 2 famous faces (the last one being the most famous of all of course)...

…but sadly was not invited inside for the premier. Invite must be lost in the post.

The next 10 days fair flew by before Christmas Eve arrived and we found ourselves on a plane – again (really very bored of this flying lark). However, we had a very big incentive in the form of Christmas with the Storey/Richards family. As Hugh and Merrilee well know, we are the masters of turning up at family functions, eating all the food, drinking all the wine and leaving the entire family wondering who the hell invited these people. This time Kim and Tim’s family had the pleasure of our company! They all made us feel very welcome (while no doubt planning security for next year’s festivities) and also very Christmassy. I really didn’t think I was going to feel like it was Christmas given the baking heat and scorching sunshine but Christmas carols, roasting turkey and sufficient Christmas decorations to sink a battleship really do the job. As does being with family – even if we have hijacked someone else’s.

But most importantly, we also got to meet baby Emma who is truly gorgeous

…and it’s safe to say that the Eatons were truly smitten!

We also got to do our “Christmas Day on the beach “ manoeuvre – not quite the whole day but we went for a lovely walk in the morning. Kim and Tim had rented a house in Point Lonsdale, which is about an hour away from Melbourne along the most glorious stretch of coastline. The beach is golden, soft sand and just beautiful. We had it practically to ourselves.

Then it was back to the house for food, drink and Christmas Day Storey/Richards style….

The rest of the week was spent in a whirl of….well, relaxing actually. The weather just got hotter and hotter so we celebrated our anniversary on the beach

(but not, thankfully, in matching wetsuits)

(Tim and Alan head off for a swim - but not walking together. That would ruin the manly image - grrr)

…and then, given my English rose (aka – pasty) complexion, in various cafes offering shade. And beer. Well we were on holiday.

In the end it got a little too hot (cue lots of flopping round the house feeling lethargic) so we headed back to the city a day early to stay in Kim and Tim’s lovely apartment. This was a bonus for us, as we hadn’t seen their place before (plus they had air conditioning!) so we spent a lovely evening walking through the botanical gardens with a beautiful sunset as a backdrop

and down to St Kilda beach followed by a meal of delicious Thai food on their deck…

(Nice beard Alan)

We left early the next morning to prepare for Sam and Jo’s arrival the following day (needed to make sure the accommodation passed muster or we’d never live it down!). They arrived on New Year’s Eve and coped remarkably well with the jetlag. We spent the evening down on the beach with a bottle of champers in hand .

We didn’t quite make it to midnight (jetlag well and truly kicked in) but we had a great evening.

Jetlag was also a great excuse (not that we needed one) to spend New Year’s Day on the beach and swimming in the sea (Sam was the only one who didn’t venture in. Girl).

We’d been looking forward to getting out and showing Sam and Jo the sights of Wellington that evening. Unfortunately Wellington seemed to be shut! They do take Bank Holidays very seriously over here! Managed to find a couple of places open that would serve us food and drink so we made the most of it.

Having left us to do a tour of the South Island they came back for another couple of days, once again bringing some lovely weather with them. By this time Alan was back at work so, in addition to the cable car and Botanical Gardens (think the staff may be starting to recognise me by now), I took them for the obligatory tour to Martinborough for some wine tasting. This involved taking Max the Venga Bus over the Rimutakas – a winding mountain road that has a couple of posts and some wire to stop you plummeting over the edge. Sam coped with being on the drop side very well. Ok, I thought the crying was a step too far but apart from that he did quite well.

No wonder he necked the alcohol when he got there….

(“Mmmmmm……it’s a soft blend of summer breezes and fruity tones”. Or should that be “is this not Blue Nun?”)

They left last week and we were very sorry to see them go – but they did leave us with the entire first series of Lost on DVD which has softened the blow!

2 days later Guy and Marny arrived for a weekend visit and despite all our best intentions to go and play golf we decided to go to (guess where)….Martinborough! (Am thinking for applying for some sort of loyalty card).

This time Alan drove and the drive between vineyards became increasingly noisy until the drive home, which was suspiciously quiet (zzzzzzzz).

This was unsurprising given the number of vineyards visited.

But despite all that, Guy was the life and soul of the party when we got home....

We’re looking forward to seeing them again in March for our long weekend in the Bay of Islands.

That just about brings us up to date. We’re getting some great weather at the moment – yesterday was absolutely glorious. Had a fantastic walk around the boundary to Karori bird sanctuary (in my role as fence monitor! Checking its still there!) and met Alan down at the beach on his way home from work for a little post-work swim.

It’s a tough life out here in New Zealand! We're off on holiday for 2 weeks (again?!) to the South Island on Saturday so they'll be even more pics when we get back!

Love to you all
Christie and Alan
xxx

Well I guess this is my last post – having had two months looking after this page and updating you on my solo adventures, I’ll be handing the reins back to petal who has finally made it back to New Zealand……which is nice!

Having said that, I will be monitoring the situation and will return if the readership appears to be falling or if my audience demands more!

I guess there is a little gap for me to fill you all in on since my last update before I go – it’s been a busy few weeks with rock and roll, leather and willow, parties and of course more Saturday morning dives and Sunday walks and bike rides.

The rock and roll comprising a quite drunken Friday night out to see a New Zealand band called Pluto – you may be hearing from them soon but they are well worth a listen (downloads on www.pluto.net.nz/media.html )and put on a good show before we joined them backstage for after show drinks. Not quite as grand as it sounds – backstage comprising the old toilets with a tatty old sofa and a 12 pack of Heineken!

Next came the leather and willow when Australia came to Wellington to play New Zealand – the previous game had ended in an embarrassing defeat for New Zealand and when Australia scored 330ish with 150 from Andrew Symonds, it looked like it was going to be repeated. It turned out to be one of the best one day games I’ve seen, with New Zealand finishing just 2 runs short with 2 balls left – they made up for it in Christchurch a few days later though. I think its fair to say the locals aren’t particularly fond of Brett Lee judging by the chants around the ground everytime he ran in to bowl – an excellent day and night of cricket though....

Although there is a major lack of Christmas around Wellington, with no Christmas tree or lights on show in the city, Christmas party season as started. I had high hopes of the work Christmas party being in baking sunshine on the harbour front by the yachts – however it turned out to be ‘real’ Christmas weather with fog, rain and cold winds....

Another good night though and the official party.....

.....was followed by the unofficial party with some friends from work – as you can see the British can handle the beer much better than the kiwi’s (but don’t tell the guy in the middle I said that!!!

Anyway I will leave you with a few other pictures of my weekend adventures.

This is Waihoine Gorge...

Not many great views from here due to the trees.....

But some nice streams.....

And Christie tells me she is keen to go although I have my doubts as this is the only way in and out....

....we’ll keep you posted on that one!

This is a view along Wellington’s South coast from when I went for a walk to see the seals. The seals weren’t home so I went to explore the hills. You can just about see the island of Island Bay where I (whoops – we!!!) live about four bays along and the entrance to Wellington Harbour in the distance – pretty impressive considering the city centre is five minutes drive from Island Bay....

..and finally this is the local mountain bike park at Makara Peak – I have just clocked up 500 miles on my bike since arriving in New Zealand....

……and you can just about make out from the sign here at Makara summit – its about 28,000km to Coed y Brenin in Wales....

So anyway – even though you are 28,000km away, we’ll be thinking of you at Christmas and hoping you are having a great time and looking forward to seeing you soon.....but not too soon - there's still plenty more to see!!!!

In the words of Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody

Alan and Christie x