December in NZ

December is my birthday month and I was looking forward to a sunny one for the first time. It didnt quite work out like that as it rained in the morning, so we postponed our picnic trip to rabbit island. Early December is apparently alwys an unsettled time. By the afternoon it was sunny, but by that time we were dismantling the fence of the old chicken run .....fun birthday, but we did go out for tea to a thai restaurant.
Christmas is similar and yet so different to a winter christmas. There is the same music being played in the shops(I'm dreaming of a white christmas etc etc). The shops sell winter orientated christmas decorations. You see real trees tied to the top of cars, on their way home to be decorated. There are christmas carols(outdoors), theatre productions (eg Menopause....the musical !). There the similarity ends. There is no panic buying, nobody sends cards to people they never see, or to people they see all the time. It is all low key and is a day off that comes in the middle or start of most people's summer holidays.
As we are now in the tourist and recreation business, we work this time of the year. Today was the first time I had ever worked on Christmas eve (although I think I probably did work then as a new teacher). Most of the bars and restaurants closed early today. The kiwis seem to get together as we would, although meeting for breakfast and then all going your own way also seems to happen.
The weather has now settled and it is in the low 20s each day. Last week was a different story. Nelson suffered the worst urban flooding ever in  NZ !! 3 months of rain fell in 30 hours. Landslides were quite serious in some areas. We watched the rain fall for a week and our water tanks were full to over-flowing. We were happy as that is our only supply of water and it may not rain again for months. Our land and immediate area was unaffected by landslides or flooding.

All the rain has helped the grass to grow. Our fields needed some animals to eat it. The fencing had been done, but because the ground was so wet they couldn't tighten the wire as the posts moved when they tried. It was enough of a fence to get the walking lawnmowers in.....a guy brought us some Llamas two days ago.
Our Llamas, 5 in total.
 We have called them Dali Llama, Osama bin Llama, Barrack O'Llama, Smoke allama and Fire allama !!

This one is the Dali Llama, she is the boss

All the rain has helped the vege plot which is starting to get triphid-like.

Hopefully the necks of the llamas are not that long, so they wont help themselves to our produce.
Llamas are ( according to the internet), placid and rarely spit at humans. My short experience with Llamas has shown this is not always the case. They are docile and they hum and make quite noises. They are inquisitive and they like to look you in the eye (they are taller than us !) However Dali looked me in the eye, put her ears back, hissed and then green, smelly, half-digested grass was spat out of her mouth, all over me! Lisa, who seems to be the Llama whisperer, told me to take my sun glasses off my head and stare her out. I did and it may have worked; I will see how well we get on.

Vineyard View B&B has got its first (paying) guests. The room got a makeover and was finished the day before they were due to arrive. We have some more arriving  a few days after Christmas.

Tomorrow is christmas day, the second time we have been here at this time of the year. Two years ago we were tourists having a good time. Now we are residents having a great time. We will cook breakfast for our B&B guests then get them dispatched. We then plan to go for a cycle, bbq some food, relax in the garden and then have some of the neighbours round for a drink in the evening. I'm not dreaming of a white Christmas.



Spring time

Spring is in the air, sunny days and lots of gardening needs to be done.


Lisa gets to grips with the new lawnmower



Lots of plans for the newly constructed vege plots



time out from all that exhausting work !



weeding at the front of the house

getting to grips with the 'weed eater'

It is however worth all the effort as the location is beautiful and when we are not cutting grass or weed eating, it is also tranquil.


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Evening sunshine at the back garden

This is why we are calling our accommodation Vineyard View Lodge

We still have boxes to unpack and as a reminder of how the journey started for our possessions, the following photo shows how they arrived at the end of their journey, 341 Old Coach Road, Mahana



The removal compnay



Our removal company was great and our unpaid removal friends helped the day go smoothly



The removal 'party'

As mentioned, spring is here, with agricultural shows and school fairs happening. I spotted a report of a school that used' cow pat bingo' to raise money for their school........remember where you heard it first........ it involes marking out an area of grass with squares and fencing the area off. Put a cow (although in this case a pony was used as the cow gave birth that morning) in the fenced off area and wait to see which square she puts her cow pat in !!. You make money by selling off the squares. The winner won $1000 !! I can see YFCs and schools across NIreland rushing to make some money out of watching a cow lifting her tail (I think a few rules are needed to cover various eventualities).

 I hope to blog a bit more often, now we are internet friendly again.







6 months in NZ

Where did the time go? We can’t believe we have been here for 6 months. The world cup is now over and a sense of relief possibly more than celebration was evident in the days after the final. We watched the match at a friend’s house with a mix of rugby fans and some kiwis who were just curious  to see what all the fuss was about. We had to bring ‘kiwiana’ food to the party. It is 60s/70s, cocktail stick style food. We brought black olives and feta on sticks and put them into the shape of a scrum.
We have also said goodbye to the South Island Masters Games. It will be back here in 2 years’ time and it will have even more competitors as locals spread the word about how good it was. The netball teams probably took the prize for having the best time. I observed teams of ‘nuns’ who sang amazing grace before each match and then served shots of alcohol to the opposition ( and themselves) at half-time. I watched a fully dressed-up ninja turtle umpire etc etc. There were also serious looking teams who did things like warm up. The more serious competition seemed to take place in the triathlon and cycling events (just my luck). I decided to enter the cycling criterium an hour or two before it was due to start on a Friday afternoon. It was a fast 20 minute race and I won a bronze medal in my age group (yes there were more than 3 people in my group). Lisa finished 5th overall and won a gold medal in her age group. The weather was hot and sunny (and very windy) and the event had a great atmosphere. On the Saturday morning, Lisa had entered the time trial while I had opted to do the triathlon. We woke up to the sound of rain…..not part of our game plan. Lisa dropped me off at my venue at 7am. It was dull and wet, but calm and mild. It was the sort of situation I thought I had had my fair share of when racing in Ireland and I was not enthusiastic. It was a pool swim with everyone starting at 10 sec intervals at one corner and swim up one lane, down the next and so on until you have got to the other side and completed 200m. In all my years of doing triathlon this was new to me, unlike the rain I cycled and ran in. I also did something I had rarely done before, a new tactic…. Do no swimming and hardly any running in the months leading up to it and then hammer on as hard as I could on the day of the race. It was an interesting tactic which made the very short distance feel as hard as a race 5 times the length. Had I been in any other age group, I would have won a medal, but I finished 5th in my own age group. Lisa watched the swim unfold and then headed off to do her time trial. She met up with Belinda and as they observed others sitting in the rain, on turbo trainers, warming up. They quickly decided their warm up would involve a walk to the coffee cart that was selling their style of ‘warm up’! Fuelled by strong coffee, Lisa got a bronze medal (the gold was won by a national champion) and Belinda got a silver medal in her age group!
Sunday morning, we woke up to beautiful sunshine. It was the road race, which was a circuit route that passed the end of our lane. The race HQ was at the winery, across the road. I started the race with very sore legs and soon found out that all my eggs had gone into yesterday’s basket! Yesterday’s tactic took several more days to recover from. I decided I could enjoy this route on my own any day of the week, so I pulled out of the race and cycled home. I then went and watched Lisa’s race, with the ‘younger’ half of the age groups. Lisa also found that the previous 2 medal winning days had taken its toll and she too pulled out.
That weekend also saw us hosting our first visitors at our house. Colin and Irene from Auckland had been on holiday and as Colin is a keen cyclist they walked around the route and watched the races. On Monday, Lisa’s parents also arrived to stay at our house. The next day, Colin and Irene left and we all started the many jobs that were waiting to be done around the house. Pictures on the wall, veg plots constructed etc, etc.
Wheelie Fantastic is also progressing. We have taken delivery of a trailer and the car is marked up. We are making contact with local B&Bs  etc and spending some time at the wharf at weekends. Much more still needs to be done, but we already have bookings, this could be the calm before the storm. We have already been asked to work Christmas day and new year’s day.
We are working long days and that probably won’t change for some time. The list of things to do seems to get longer. We are also getting the house ready for paying guests, so that ‘Vineyard View Lodge’ can get some business as well as our cycle hire. No two days are the same and we love being busy. It is still a gamble but it is a great place to live.
We met some of our new neighbours at a morning tea gathering last weekend. Our nearest neighbours organised it so that we could meet the other people that live nearby.  It would seem that not only is this area beautiful, it has lovely, helpful people too. Our nearest neighbours are kiwi and American. The other near neighbours are dutch and one of their sons had a big shock when he turned up at the gathering and found out that one of his teachers is his neighbour. I am no longer his teacher (my job finished at the end of term) but kids the world over react the same way when they see a teacher in the real world.
We were given a reminder of why we moved when we read, online, a Coleraine paper. It reported that the council, in consultation with the police, cut down mature trees along a river bank, to put a stop to antisocial behaviour. I wish I could say that story was unbelievable, but it is all too believable.
After 6 months, I still appreciate shop assistants not having to crane their necks in an obvious way so that I know they are not memorising my pin number. The way we ‘purchase’ goods and services but don’t actually pay until days or weeks later and everyone knows they get paid. People generally have a positive outlook and don’t think that people will rip them off. Long may that last, however Wheelie Fantastic and Vineyard View Lodge will expect immediate payments as we haven’t fully integrated into the easy going kiwi way !!
Today we also experienced our first goodbye at this side of the world. Lisa’s parents set off from Nelson airport and it was difficult watch them leave as it was a reminder of how far away our families are. Perhaps when we get back onto the internet at home, we will feel closer again, however I realise Nelson airport will become a place of great joy as well as sadness. Four months until the next family arrival !!!!!
We hope to be internet linked in the next couple of weeks......you will be the first to know, when we are!

Wednesday 19th October

HECTIC,HECTIC,HECTIC......but at least its not same same same old stuff. We have moved in to our house. Lots and lots of boxes. All our stuff made it in perfect condition. I was at work when the removal lorry turned up so I missed that moment when the reverse of what happened in Portrush all unfolded. i got 'home' to find our sofa and all other familiar stuff sitting in a house that was now home. Three friends from the cycling club came over and helped to unpack. Belinda and Kay set about the kitchen stuff and occassionally asked "what is this/what do you use this for?" We then spent the next 2 weeks finding out where everything was. It was a beautiful sunny day, just like the 2 removal days in Portrush ( Portrush was experiencing summer around easter time). By early evening we all went out to the garden and opened a bottle of bubbles. By this time we had removed our stuff from our rental place, including Bonnie, who after 15 mins locked in the study/office room, to help her familiarise herself with house number 4 in 5 months ! She looked to get out into the garden where we where. She joined us in the garden and set about exploring her new surroundings. We told her this is it, this is for good !! About 10 days later she gave in and agreed to use the cat flap which was there from the previous owners. a few days after that she got into a stress mood and wouldnt eat or leave the house. we think she was either unwell or quite possibly met a possim. the mood has passed and she is eating and leaving the house again.
We are trying to juggle getting the house sorted, keeping up with the grass that has started to grow fast after the spring rain ( we had to buy a ride on lawnmower), I am working long days at the masters games and we are getting our business off the ground. It is so busy,  Lisa quit her job to give us a chance to keep all the balls in the air. The wharfside was getting chaotic with new owners and outgoing owners making a mess of staffing. She is now at the homestead which is animal-less at the minute, so her work will get more interesting when we get some livestock. Tales of the 'farm' could be yet another book she has to write.
Our first encounter with the land involved her cutting the grass with a push (petrol) lawnmower that nearly went on fire with overwork !  I was cutting the long grass with the weed whacker/bush whaker (petrol strimmer on an industrial scale) machine, which we had purchased from the previous owners. I put the harness, earmuffs and face shield on and set to work. It was going well on the rough grass, so I then went round to the front lawn to do the edges. I then realised my skill level was low (it didn't show on long, rough grass). A little bush close to the front door dissappeared before my eyes as the bush whacker dessimated anything it touched. I moved along and it then half destroyed a small garden light !!! Time to put it back in the shed ! A garden type strimmer was purchased the next day ! I think this is the first of many tales of the homested.
Wheelie Fantastic has now got bikes. This week it will have a temporary website, a marked up car, business cards and rack cards as well as branded clothing. Still no internet, but I contacted the local MP (election in a months time......oh yes I got another job this week as an election officer (one ans a half days work)) and the problem is being looked into at parliament !!
We are both competing in masters games events this weekend. when the masters is over I can give more time to Wheelie Fantastic. We have friends from Auckland staying with us for a few days and then Lisa's parents are with us for 3 weeks. Of course we have the Rugby world Cup final to enjoy. We where in Spain when Spain won the football world cup, so we are on a roll !!!!
I will try to blog next week.

Wednesday 28th Sept

Hectic, hectic, hectic....its all go. 2 more sleeps and we move into our house. We are juggling our final inspection visit tomorrow with delivery of a fridge,washing machine and a drier.
Today I filled my day making phone calls to try and set up the broadband connection at our new house, which we had already agreed with the company, but today we find out that we are on a waiting list to get the connection. Not a good way to start the day.
We are also on a fast track to get promotional brochures for Wheelie Fantastic as ther is a big event in Mapua on sunday, when there is an all day event to mark the launch of the ferry (barge type thing that looks like a 1960s caravan with a flat base that floats. Its name is the'Flat Bottom Fairy' and it will transport people and bikes to and from Mapua wharf and Rabbit Island. The whole day has a Fairy theme, with prizes for the best fairies on bicycles. I will maintain a professional appearance and spend the day distributing our brochures and generally promoting our business. Unfortunately it falls on the same weekend we move house, and we havent got the car or bikes marked up with our logo yet.
We did secure a freephone number last week,  0800 2 cycle !! (it wont work outside this region, so no free calls from the UK !!)
Only one week and two days of teaching at Garin left. Today I got a call asking me to work at the South Island Masters Games, as merchanise manager. The job will only last for approx 12 days, but it is another means of getting in the know.
I plan to post some photos again. Remember back to one of the first blogs, when the lorry drove off with all our stuff and the plan was to see it all again at the other side of the world? I think I need a photo of it turning up at our house, except I am teaching when it is due to arrive, so Lisa will be  the official phtographer. She has reminded me that I was having coffee with Elma and Rosemary when the lorry turned up at Portrush, so it is fitting that I wont be there. We have had lots of offers of help from friends and we are going to take them up on their offers.
Lots is going to happen over the next few days and we also have to watch some more rugby games (on TV, assuming we get it tuned in !!).

Wednesday 21st September

The rugby continues and so does all things linked to rugby. The press are still enjoying England's captain 'relaxing' after a tough game at a night club which had a dwarf throwing competition. His management seem to have supported this, which is in contrast to a young AB who was paraded infront of the media to admit to and apologise for his heavy drinking episodes. He humbly apologised as the team managment looked on.
Our local towns are hosting Italy and USA teams. This means we have had Italian food festivals etc. there is a wine competition between NZ Italy and USA and to celebrate USA 'culture', a local town is having an American field party, which includes a watermellon pip, spitting competition as well as a duck herding competition. The options to embrace other cultures are endless !!
The world is a small place, as we found out on saturday, when we were sitting in the stadium in Auckland, waiting for the match to start. A girl from a few rows away, came over and said to Lisa "remember me, you taught me to drive". She did remember her, she was from Portrush and we had played hockey with her mum!

Sunday 18th September

WOW, what a rugby match ! Auckland seemed to have a lot more Irish fans in town than Aussies. On the way to the match, along the 'fan trail' (a 4km route from the cities waterfront to the stadium) there were not  nearly so many Aussies around. There was lots of banter, with the Aussies very confident of a win. One guy told me there were not so many here tonight because they were waiting to come to the final !!
The stadium was fab, we had  fairly good seats, close to where the Irish nearly got their tries. The Irish sang and cheered to the extent that the Aussies were never heard. It felt like you were at a home game. It all got more exciting as the clock ticked on and our neighbouring Aussie fans had a lot less wise cracks. Quite a few escaped as Tommy Bose went on a surge up the sideline, so nobody noticed as the skulked out. Some did stay to the end and then they endured a long route back to the city centre. Kiwis in houses around the stadium were partying and taking ever chance to shout at the Aussies as they walked past. The Aussies huffed and sulked their way home. There were buses and trains waiting to take us to the city centre. We went by bus and the singing continued. We got off the bus and followed a river of green bodies all walking back to the waterfront fan zone. Off the main street there were bars bursting with green clad people celebrating. All in all a great atmosphere and event from beginning to end. The kiwis were delighted and they were joining in on the Irish party.
The kiwis and Irish were still congratulating each other on a great match the next day. The press is full of Irish praise as well as Aussie bashing. They also evaluate everything from an All Blacks perspective. One heading read 'touch,pause....improve'(they were referring to the AB performance). It feels like the tournament has found another gear and it gets more interesting with every passing match.
I still can't quite believe we were at THAT match. I'm now looking forward to work tomorrow morning, when I will talk rugby with some colleagues who happen to be Aussies !

Wednesday 14th Sept

The land of world cup rugby has lots of stories linked to the players, fans and everything else. It would seem that the stories reflect the various nationalities present. The English are being generally annoying and most comments reflect the desire for their early exit. You wouldn't believe how many Argentinian supporters there were at the weekend. A South African couple were in the news because they had booked a hotel room with a sea view in Eastbourne....unfotrunately they thought they had booked to be close to Wellington, but instead they had booked a hotel in Eastbourne, England. A local found them looking for it and when she realised their mistake she took them home and put them up.
There are quite a few tourists touring around. There are a couple of matches in Nelson in the next few weeks.
The news item to worry all AB fans is that Dan Carter will miss the match on Friday because of a back strain. They are playing Japan so hopefully they will cope without him. Alos in the news today is the government taking over the management of the match transport in Auckland and the fan zones. So many turned up in the centre of Auckland last weekend that everything came to a standstill, including the trains that were taking people to the match. We think we may walk the fan trail from the city centre to the stadium. It is a 4km route with entertainment etc along the way. rain is forecast for the weekend so perhaps not so many non-match people will be around.

Week 18

Week beginning September 5th
The week of the start of the world cup....and so the excitement builds up all week until Friday night when the party starts. At the waterfront in Auckland a fanzone was set up for the duration of the event. On Friday bands were playing etc and the organisers hoped perhaps 50,000 people may come to party...approximately 200,000 turned up. Central Auckland was at a standstill and the transport system to get people to Eden park for the match didn't cope very well. Fire extinguishers and emergency buttons got set off on trains so they had to stop and quite a few people missed the opening ceremoney at the stadium as well as the first half of the match.
On a more local note, there are flags everywhere, except for the Wharfside as the owner isn't into rugby (or seemingly profit), so while the rest of the village puts up flags and the restaurant/bar next door becomes an official Hieniken match venue, with large screen etc, the Wharfside remained flag (and atmosphere) free. That was until I got a call from Lisa to say get some flags when I was in town and bring them to the bar. On Friday afternoon we decorated the place with All Black stuff ( I couldn't find any other nationality).
We went with the kitchen staff from work to the next door bar to watch the opening ceremoney. There was a good atmosphere and we then watched the haka before the match started. It was powerful stuff and the anthem was sung loudly by those around us. A surreal moment for Lisa and I as it is still hard to take in the fact that this is home and this event is on our country ! We then left and went up to our friends house to watch the rest of the match. Roger's 90 something year old mum was also there and she knowledgeably watched the match, telling us which of the ABs were on good form at the minute.
I printed off the words of Irelands Call as we are going out again with the head chef from work (who is from Ireland) to watch the Irish game. I feel under pressure to know the words, other than the chorous! I also printed off the NZ anthem as I get the feeling I may have cause to sing it more often during the tournament !!
On saturday morning we went to be welcomed onto the local marae. We intoduced ourselves in Maori and the whole event was very informative and of course, welcoming.
This week also saw Wheelie Fantastic take another step, or pedal stroke, forward as the order was placed for a trailer and cycle racks. We also had a meeting with the company who is going to design our branding and website.
Lots of things starting to happen, so I may post blogs more than once a week and will keep you posted on the world cup as it unfolds from'down' here.
Things such as the match result predictions from Sunny Wool, the psycic sheep, I may spare you from. So far he has predicted the same results as the rest of the world, but I guess his 'powers' could become convincing at the later stages of the tournament !
This is now Sunday lunchtime so I better go and learn the words before tonights match !

Week 17

Week beginning 29th August
This week we have made our first financial comitment to our new business.....and so Wheelie Fantastic, cycle hire and tours is born. We have ordered our 'fleet' of bikes and are working on sourcing a trailer for bike transport, branding, web design etc etc etc. We are therefore busy and also have usual work to do as well. I have now got put onto my proper payscale so I am owed a lot of back pay.
We continue with our Maori language and culture class. In a couple of weeks we are going to the Marae (Maori community area with a sacred meeting house cook house etc, for want of a better description). It will ivolved being officially welcomed onto it and following a lot of protocol we will then introduce ourseleves in Maori. When you go through ceremony you can then come to the Marae any time you like.
You introduce yourself with describing your natural world that you came from (mountain, river, sea) and then your nationalityand finally your name. Mine starts with 'Ko Knocklayde te maunga, ko Bann te awa, ko North Atlantic te mauna'
Lisa and I both worked a lot at the Wharfside this week(especially the weekend). A Johnny Cash type band played on Friday so we worked quite late. Sunday was Fathers day so it was really busy all day (including lots of bookings for breakfasts). This weekend was our first saturday without a race, so 3 of us went out for a longish bike ride. We cycled on roads we hadn't been on before and the scenery was stunning. It was a saturday afternoon and we could count the number of cars we saw on one hand. Needless to say it was sunny (and also a bit windy).
The world cup excitment grows with the arrival of the teams. The Italian team is based here so the area has gone Italian in shop windows, menus etc. The All Blacks seem to be doing a lot of PR stuff, in my opinion a bit too much if you want to win a world cup !!! The Italian team went to Happy Valley adventure centre. I would have thought sitting with your feet up or a bit of training would be a better build up.....but I'm no rugby coach. Triathletes could show these rugby teams how to 'rest up' for a big event.
Sept 1st was officially the first day of spring ! At school this means summer uniform is worn. This seems to mean they look even more casual. The boys now wear shorts and no ties. Quite a few also dont wear any shoes. This is quite common in NZ and doesn't reflect economic hardship.

Week 16

Week beginning August 15th
Monday morning 8.20am staff meeting....and so the routine of being in school starts again. Monday is cold and wet (a bit like NIre cold) The rest of the country is suffering from large amounts of snow, but not us ! Ther is a flurry of snow in the morning and some studnts are allowed to go outside to experience. My class later that day are all chat about the snow. In other parts of the south island, life has stopped, with schools shops etc closed. while the rest of the country freezes, we enjoy really nice weather. Two weeks ago I saw daffodils in bloom, lambs are in the fields and there are moments when there is a spring feeling in the air. I cycled in shorts again this week and when the frosts melt there is warm sunshine.
This week I have worked more hours in the Wharfside, including saturday night when they had a band playing until late, when the owners left Lisa and I to look after the place and they went home ! We cashed up etc and left at 12.45am. Lisa was back in on Sunday morning by 9.45am and worked until 5pm. I got called in at 11am and worked until 3pm. The weather contributed to a busy sunday.
This week we made email contact with the people we are purchasing the house from. they unfortunately are not moving before the 30th Sept so that is the date we wil be reunited with all our stuff that has been in storage since it arrived here on the 30thnJune. We have bought a double bed from them and a 'weedeater'(heavy duty strimmer).
We went to garage sales on saturday morning. We bought essential items like an axe and a small bright PINK, wheelie bin ! On saturday afternoon Lisa went and did a club bike race while I went to Ecofest. It was a coolection of all things eco, including solar heating stands, eco housing etc. I did the unecological thing and came home with a forest of leaflets!!

New Zealand's latest world champions this week are the U19 underwater hockey team, who competed in Europe last week. I dont know how popular that sport it, but one of the local swimming pools have markings on the floor of the pool. Rugby world cup RWC as it is refered to here is reported on  almost every day. Less than 3 weeks to go and it seems like it is going to get to 24 7 rugby soon. If the ABs (All Blacks) dont win the RWC I there will be a world class anticlimax throughout the country.

Week 15

August 8^th -14^th

The week starts again with a  8.20am staff meeting at school, followed by a 1hour 40 mins yr 13 class. Homework was due this morning, I got approx  half the number I was expecting. This was due to absentees and several quite simple “I didn’t do it” , the reasons were all the same “just didn’t”. There is a system in school to deal with this, but the idea of homestudy seems quite alien to some of the students. This attitude was displayed to a lesser extent in the year 9 class.  After work I go for a run along the coast. My sore knee seems ok, but not perfect.

On Tuesday morning (my day off) I waken up with a sore left foot. It is a lovely sunny, calm day. Lisa has gone to a bar managers course, so I cycle into the village to go to see the chiropractor. A few clicks later and quite a few dollars later, I come out feeling better. I cycle on into the village and, seeing a hairdressers that looked quiet, I went in to see if I could get a hai cut. 10 mins later I come out with half a haircut ! Lesson learnt….there is a good reason why a hairdressers may be quiet ! I cycle on to the wharf for a coffee in the sunshine. I enjoy the tranquillity and read the paper. Before leaving I chat to the owner and end up with a part-time job! I will go in on Sundays to cover the busy lunch period. I am then given a 60 second till training session.  I am only supposed to clear tables and low/no skill work, so till training seemed a bit advanced for my low-level job.

 A rare thing today…it is wet and cold.Lisa and I went for a swim on Thursday(by know my foot is very sore). In the afternoon we go to the solicitor, to see if our house we are going to purchase is all Ok. It is so we now pay our deposit and it is all go. We also spend the afternoon looking at electrical items etc we need to purchase soon.  The sales people can’t believe their luck when we enquire about so many items.  I haven’t shopped for so long it feels a bit odd, and not that enjoyable.

On Friday I teach my class and then get some relief work for a couple of classes. I then go for an interview for a youth coach job at a local education trust centre. It is a part-time job and would be a challenge. It is the usual casual chat type interview. I will know in a couple of weeks if I was successful. By the afternoon the house purchase is officially ‘unconditional’ so it is now all go.

That evening we go to dinner to a teachers house. It is a faculty get together with partners. There are 8 of us and we are served a full 4 course Christmas(mid-winter) dinner. It was delicious.

On Sunday Lisa and I go for coffee at the wharf before she started work at 9.45. I am due to start at 12, but get a call to start at 11. I finish at 2 and come home and do some school work. Lisa finishes at 5pm. By then it has turned really cold so I go and collect her. The forecast is warning about severe cold and snow across the country. This area doesn’t do snow, so we watch the news reports and feel thankful we live in this area. It will be a cold start to the week, but before that, we finish our week with a roast chicken dinner ( a bit of a treat), which I am about to eat so will sign off.

Week 14

A new format for the blog as I am now in the world of work, not to mention house stuff to take care of, so it wont necessarily be a day by day account.

 August 1st  Monday, 8.35am and I am in front of my first class in NZ. Garin College starts everyday with a staff meeting at 8.20am. There is a thought for the day plus announcements. I head off to the library where I have a double class of year 13 geography (1 hour 40mins). The library was also the venue for a Mauri  welcome ceremony for the Japanese group who are staying at the school. We had to wait for it to finish before class could continue.
Pupils are the same the world over. Teaching in front of a class requires the same approach the world over. At least I'm teaching tourism so it is a pleasant topic for them and me. I then have a few free periods before my next class. The school day has two 40 min breaks, the first is at 11.21am and the second is at 1.43pm. this means there is only one class in the afternoon. It seems to work quite well, but it means you eat your lunch quite early or you are starving if you wait to the second break. After years of rushing to get a drink finished at break-time, it seems odd to have time to finish a mug of coffee AND eat.
I then met 9D before the second break. There are 27 of them. They are the same age as NIrelands year10(14 yr olds). The year 9s are the youngest in the school. I am teaching social studies and our topic for the next few weeks is 'Power Politics'!When I introduce the topic, they seem interested....long may that last !!
Later in the week when I give out homestudy(homework), there is a look of surprise in both classes. they tell me they dont get homestudy. I already knew that was true. I assured them they wouldn't get one every class, but they weren't impressed. I also told the year 13s they would get used to it, which, of course I know some of them wont.
I only have 7 periods to teach per week, but I spend a lot of time doing preparation. The staff all have a work area in the staff centre, I have a desk surrounded by the English/Performing Arts staff....all very entertaining. My Social Studies Faculty are a very nice bunch. The staff only day involved mostly eating and being 'social'.
This first week of school also included a full school inspection. I could only hope they would not find me. They didn't! To thank the staff, the Friday afternoon drinks were extra special. My weekend started at 11am, so I didn't stay to find out how special it was.

The week also included the house we hope to buy getting a building inspection. I met the guy at the house and he assured me it was a sound house that he would buy. A lengthy report would follow, but at least we know there is nothing nasty lurking in the building (except the colour scheme).

On saturday, lisa and I go to the clubs bike race. I help out as I am still injured. Lisa moves up a grade and goes OK until the last hard hill. She pays for working to bring the group together earlier in the race. It was over 70km long, so lack of training kms catches a lot of people out. At least she doesn't have to work tonight, so we watch the All Blacks trounce the Aussies. A warm up for the world cup !!
On sunday, Lisa goes to work and I start to move us all to another rental property. We are sad to leave Corrugate, but they have holiday bookings. the next place is a small shed that is now a cottage. It has fab views overRruby Bay. It means Lisa has to cycle slightly further to and from work, but it is flatter.
Bonnie also has to adopt to her new home. She now has ducks, pigs,sheep, a cow and Pukekos to watch/avoid. Sunday is national "Roast day", but we dont have time to throw together a roast dinner as well as move house. Debbie, our new landlady, leaves us some ginger tray bakes as a welcome present (very nice).

This week New Zealand has its youngest world champion...he is 7 years old. He was one of 20 under 12s who travelled as a NZ team to take part in the BMX world champs in Europe. That is typical of NZ sports that seem to travel all over the world from an early age. Funding doesn't seem to be an issue. Sport participation is massive and so is the travel bill.
Must go and do some marking !!

Week 13

Monday 25^th

I realise my sore knee is not getting any better, so I make an appointment to see a physio.  As with most of the main services, you do not have to leave Mapua. I get an appointment for that afternoon. Lisa also gets an appointment after mine.

Today is a first…..I go to a Tupperware ‘party’ in the wharfside.  It is at 11.30 am so it is a coffee morning type gathering. Lisa also joins us for coffee and admires the can’t live without plastic products, before starting work. I end up buying some vegetable storage containers which can be adapted to the type of veg you are trying to store. Different veg breathe at different rates (broccoli is a heavy breather !!)

In the afternoon, I go to physio. I get treated for a torn/ strained muscle at the back of my knee and as I suspected she tells me not to aggravate it, so no cycling or running for a few days. As it turns out I am eligible for ACC because I can identify an exact time the ‘accident’ happened during the race. This means the government subsidises my treatment !!!

Lisa gets treated for a gnarled up muscle at the front of her knee. As hers was probably a long term strain, she is not entitled to ACC, so she has to pay the full amount.

Tuesday 26^th

We go to the Wharfside and have a coffee before I leave Lisa there to work. I go back to the house and spend the rest of the day doing school preparation. I sit outside in the sunshine with my books and before I know it, it is mid- afternoon and I go to collect Lisa from work.

Wednesday 27^th

Another very frosty start to the day.

 We have arranged to meet the estate agent and a builder at a house we viewed last week.  The house is in good order, it has great views and we want to explore the option to extend the house to do tourist accommodation.

We then go for coffee to the wharf, where we sit in the sunshine and number crunch. LJ, the owner joins us and we sit and chat for a while and talk about houses and allsorts. I then head off to school to meet up with the head of faculty to discuss what I will teach to the social studies class. When I get there, I see about 12 teachers in doing school work. One has brought her cute dog, who chases his ball through the staff work area. When I come home Lisa asks me have I been missing teaching. It takes me a millisecond to answer no!

I come home and hand over the car keys, Lisa heads off to her class.

Thursday 28^th

I go to the coffee ride to try out my knee. It wasn’t long before I realise that cycling is making it sore. I turn back and when I get back to Richmond I make myself useful by going to the council offices to look at the property file of the prospective house.  I look  through the documents and plans. Nothing sinister seems to be there. I also make an appointment to speak to the duty planner to discuss our proposed plans.

In the afternoon I go to my physio appointment. I also prepare some more stuff for school.

Friday 29^th

I discuss our plans with the council official. This time the house would seem to allow us to progress with our plans.

Once Lisa has finished work we go to the estate agent’s office to put an offer in writing. The process of agreeing to buy/sell a house is quite straight forward. It is legally binding when both parties agree a price (subject to building inspection and title search). By 4pm we had our offer on paper. The vendors agent then takes it to them. They decided to think about it overnight.

Saturday 30^th

9.30am Our agent turns up  at our house with the counter offer. It is quite far away from our offer, so we counter offer their counter offer. The piece of paper gets taken away to present again to the vendors. We then head off for coffee on our way to the bike race. Lisa is racing while I help out with marshalling.. She finished 3rd Later that afternoon I get a text to say there is another counter offer on the table. When we get home the agent comes to our house with the paperwork.  Our patience is wearing thin as there is too little compromise on the vendors part. It makes us think they are maybe not that fussed if they sell or not. We give them one last chance with a bit more move on price. We are now at the take it or leave it stage. Off the agent goes to pass it on.

Lisa goes to work for a few hours and I get a dish ready to take next door to a ‘pot luck’ party. It is a gathering of 7 people and we all make something for the meal. This party is slightly coordinated  so we don’t end up with nothing but desserts.  I go to the ‘party’ and Lisa joins us an hour later. I take my phone in case there is any progress with the house. I get a text  to say they will sleep on it (no surprise). At 10pm my phone rings; its Kylie our agent. I feel like I am on a Kirsty and Phil ‘Location, Location, Location’ phone call. Kylie says the vendors have agreed our price and have signed the offer.  We have just bought a house !!!(assuming nothing nasty shows up with a building inspection and title search. The party cheer and our kind hosts (Roger and Adele from next door) produce bubbles they have bought in anticipation of this outcome.  Most of the party leave before 11pm ( late by kiwi standards) Then our hosts opened the bottle of Bushmills whiskey we had given them.  Lisa and Adele enjoyed the whiskey and before we knew it, the clock said 1.30 AM  !!! An exciting day had to come to an end.

Sunday 31^st

Lisa heads off to work at 10am. It is a lovely sunny day and quite mild. I head down for a coffee at  10.30. The wharfside is packed and I walk in to order my coffee only to be asked to serve the coffees. I stay for 30mins and get asked to come back for a couple of hours to help clear tables etc over lunch time. I return to an even busier place. I spend 2 hours doing whatever is needed.  When I go back to collect Lisa at closing time, she is very tired. She musters enough energy to cook tea, while I post this blog and get ready for the first day of a new term and my first day of teaching.

This week’s news…….a 300% increase in soup sales this week, due to the snow !! Wellington experienced its coldest day on record……+2.6°C What would they eat if it ever got to freezing point?

Week 12

Monday 18^th July

The week starts with finding some rental properties. This lovely property has got some bookings for August onwards, so we need to find somewhere else. By the second phone call I had spoken to someone I knew. This is a small place. As it turns out Debbie’s place seems like it will suit us and it will be available for as long as we need it.

I also did some of the large amount of admin I have to complete, in order to start my teaching job and, more importantly, get paid the correct amount.

When Lisa came home from work, we went out on the bikes in the afternoon.

Tuesday 19^th

Went for a run along the coast, Mapua and Ruby Bay. A cool morning with the threat of rain in the sky.

Went for a coffee at the Wharfside and got asked if I wanted to be the emergency cleaner for the next two afternoons. Sure, some easy money to earn.

In the afternoon, I went into sport tasman to get organised for a promotion event on Friday.

Wednesday20th

Went out cycling to check out some of the route for Saturdays race. Debbie, our future landlady, joined us.

In the afternoon, we went to view her rental property. It will be fine and is on a small farm, so Bonnie will have new animals to look at (pigs and ducks).

I then went a cleaned the Wharfside, before getting ready to go out to the Mapua District Business Association mid-winter dinner. We don’t have a business yet but they are very happy to include us. The dinner is a Christmas type dinner (chicken, not turkey) mulled wine etc. All very festive! Lisa missed it as she was at her course.

Thursday 21^st

Cycle with the coffee group, which is now on a Thursday as some of us race on a Saturday, so don’t want to cycle on Friday. There was a cool southerly blowing this morning.

In the afternoon we went to view two possible properties to buy. One is a possibility, one is a non- starter.

I then cleaned the Wharfside.

Friday 22^nd

A sunny, but breezy day. I spent half the day in Richmond mall, promoting the masters games.

When I got home we went for a drive up the coast to have a look a building sites, as it may become the answer if we can’t find a house that works for us.

Saturday 23^rd

A longer than usual bike race today. The race will be 70kms long so we need a coffee before we start. The weather is a bit changeable today, so hard to know what to wear in the race. As it turns out it is overcast, but stays dry. The race has a lot of uphill sections which, also means there are nice downhill sections. As we set off along the road, a woman on a huge unicycle was nonchalantly cycling in the opposite direction. Lisa and I noticed it but no one else seemed to find it odd.Lisa and her group broke away from my group. ‘My’ group has decided we will cycle together for the race. This means we have to wait when one person has a puncture.  The race for both groups came down to a sprint. Lisa went too soon and got pipped on the line, so she had to settle for second. I went too early also, but held on to finish some way back, but the first of our group.

Everyone was quite tired but happy at the end. The races always finish with a brief prize giving at a winery or pub. We couldn’t socialise too long as Lisa had to get back to get ready to go to work (with tired legs).

Sunday 24^th

8.30am the race briefing for the duathlon I had entered….went ahead while I was asleep in bed. As Saturday evening progressed, it became apparent that the bike race that day had put paid to my duathlon exploits. By Sunday morning the slight twinge I felt in my left knee had turned to a painful knee that was sore when I moved even slightly.

I did some work (for school) at the cottage while Lisa was at work all day. By evening the news was warning most of the country about the bad weather sweeping up north from the Antarctic, bringing snow to lots of places that rarely get snow. It showed the maps with Nelson missing it all. This area misses most of the storms because of the mountain ranges in the distance and the sheltered coastal bay. By 7pm Roger phoned to tell us it was snowing outside !! Unheard of, he was very excited and a few minutes later he and his family where outside playing in the snow. The snow flakes were massive, I caught one and it was half the size of the palm of my hand. It snowed enough for it to make the ground look white.  We looked at our photos of the December 2010 snow and shuddered with the memories of the cold. The snow continued to fall and we continued to put some more wood on the fire, without the worry of the central heating not coping with the extreme weather……because there is no central heating in this or any other kiwi house.

Sunday night....snow falling for the first time at Corru gate

A typical winter scene, with snow in the distance and a sunny day here.

 This week........

 The Kiwi language lesson this week emphasised the extent to which they abbreviate everything. What could ‘T sauce’ be……..tomato ketchup of course !

Week 11

Monday 11^th July

The week starts with a run along the coastline. Lisa and I then go down to the Wharfside, where she practices making coffees and I drink them !

We then go out for a cycle. We go around the course which is being used for this saturday’s club race.

Later, I start getting an application prepared for a youth coach job with a local education trust. Such trusts and jobs do not exist in the UK, but are seen as vital in helping young people connect with qualifications and employment. In keeping with N Ire tradition on the 11th night, Lisa lets me light the fire this evening.

Tuesday 12^th July

We go for a swim in the morning.

Lisa went to work for the lunch-time ‘rush’ (poor weather today, so no rush materialised).

In the afternoon we went to a meeting with a planner at the local council and our planning consultant. The outcome of which would help us decide if we should put an offer on a house. It was a long, technical meeting.

We then go to the library to think over the meeting.

Wednesday 13^th

A cold and wet day. Lisa gets a call to go down to meet the coffee rep. We go down, Lisa talks and makes coffee for an hour and I drink some. We then go up to Motueka to leave in my job application. We stop in Mot so Lisa can get a chance to have a coffee!!

In the afternoon, we go to town to meet the estate agent. We formalise an offer for the house. When our lawyer checks the title of the property, then if everything is OK, the offer will be given to the vendor. If they accept our offer the agreement is binding, unless a building report show up something nasty.

All we can do is wait and see what happens.

In the evening Lisa goes to her class.

Thursday 14^th

^{Another cold sunny day. Lots of snow on the mountain tops on the distant horizon}

 Lisa went to work mid morning and I went to Sport Tasman.

We were both back home by mid afternoon when the estate agent phoned to say our offer on the house had been.....rejected. Oh well so be it, nothing more we can do.

We go out on the bikes for a hilly ride.

Friday 15th

I go to school for a teachers only day. It starts with faculty meeting (involving coffee and cakes). Then some handover stuff with the teacher I am covering for, an IT update session for the whole staff and then the faculty heads off for lunch. A very sociable bunch ! After lunch i get passwords to get onto various systems. Before we leave I arrange to meet with the head of faculty during the holiday (The next 2 weeks) to go over the social studies stuff.

saturday 16th

We view a house in the morning.

This weeks race is only 10 minutes away. It is a circuit course which we have 6 laps to do. Lisa is leading the group until, with one lap to go, cramp strikes and she ends up on the ground at the side of the road. Meanwhile someway back I am doing battle with a couple of young ones, until with one lap to go......I, or should I say my tyre gets a puncture, so my race is also over. 

We head home without any prizes this week (this week was sponsored by a winery )

Lisa heads off to work in the evening.

Sunday 17th

A very harsh frost, but by mid morning it is a pleasant sunny day. Lisa heads off to work. I clean the car and then head off on the mountain bike. I follow an unsealed road along a ridge with great views of the local area. The roads are used by cars, but not many as they are more suited to  4x4s.

Lisa has had a very busy work shift as the weather was so nice lots of people come to the picturesque wharf for lunch.

 This week in the papers Northern Ireland is getting a mention (again)

A national newspaper described the twelfth celebrations in Ulster as a" one -sided celebration of a 17^th century victory of protestants defeating catholics, which usually results in rioting."

 I read it and thought it was one of the most succinct description of the Twelfth I had ever read or heard. NIreland has been on the news quite a lot since we left. From this distance, the future of the province seems precarious.

Week 10

Monday 4^th July

A very frosty, cold start to the week. Went for a run in the morning before heading off for an interview at Garin College. It is a modern secondary school which opened in 2002, so it only has about 400 students. The interview is a relaxed affair where the principal and VP ask questions and then ask questions following on from what you say. All very real and very different to the interview processes we have to put up with in education in N Ire. It concluded with a job offer!!!! It will be a gentle intro to NZ education as it is only 7 hours per week for one term (9 weeks).

In the afternoon we went to view another house. Then we went back to view one we may put an offer on.

Tuesday 5^th

Another cold and frosty start. I headed off to see the principal of another school that had a job advertised. I quit liked the look of the job, but decided to take the other one. Just as well as he proceeds to apologise as they have had a rethink and the job no longer exists. Relief all round as he felt bad and I felt bad that I would withdraw my application. At least another contact has been made with a local school.

After that meeting I went to meet with the planning consultant about our prospective house purchase. Lots to think about. We need to assess the possibility of being able to run a B&B from the property. We decide to set up a meeting with the planning dept at the local council.

In the afternoon I went to Sport  tasman to work. While I was in the office an earthquake shake was felt (but not by me and a few others). I was in the process of dropping a large roll of carpet when it happened and I thought that was the shudder on the floor !! Within seconds of it happening people were on the internet looking up the location etc. It turns out it came from the north island (and 150km below the ground). This area has not suffered from earthquakes, so it made the news in the local paper, as well as the national tv news. Lisa was at home at the time it happened and didn’t know it had happened, so nothing alarming at all.

Wednesday 7^th

Sunshine and not as cold as the last few days. Went for coffee to the Wharfside in Mapua (our usual place). One of the owners was working there. She asked us what we would like. I said 2 trim flat whites and Lisa said “and a job please”. The reply was an immediate OK, here are the hours we need covered. We went and sat down to have our coffee while mulling over Lisa’s career move. Lisa started training/working the next day ! Two of the most experienced front of house are leaving in 2 weeks, so rapid promotion could be on the cards !! It is an idyllic location for a restaurant/café/bar. Lisa can also cycle to work as it only takes about 10 mins to get there.

By lunchtime we were in a meeting with our lawyer, discussing the purchase of the house.

In the afternoon I had an interview with The EDA for a part-time youth advisor job. Another real interview that is more like a chat.

A busy day (and not over for Lisa as she goes to her business class in the evening)

Thursday 8^th

Lisa goes to work (10am to 1pm)

I go to Nelson where Sport Tasman are doing a big 100 days to go promotion for the masters games. Local radio etc are there. We have fun mini games (putting for prizes etc) and staff encouraging people to sign up for events or volunteering. I am amazed how generous businesses are in donating prizes (that was my job) and how keen people are to volunteer to help. I was looking after the mini games and I had so many prizes to give away, I had to award them to anyone who just attempted to have a go at something. It was all good fun, then the rain came and no one was around. We kept the rest of the prizes for the next promo event.

I went home and collected Lisa who was home after her ‘day’s’ work, we went for a swim.

Friday 8^th

Met up with the cycle group. A breezy day, but a bit milder.

Got an email to say I wasnt successful with the EDA job, but they told me to give them a call as they may know of other work options in the area. Will follow this up next week.

Lisa went to work at 5pm. I dropped her off and had a Friday eve drink (shandy) and listened to the live music. The place is usually quiet this time of the week, (what Lisa was hoping for), but it was really busy as a 40^th birthday gathering was going on. In kiwi fashion it had all gone quiet by 7.30 pm. I went bak and picked up the worker at 9pm. I had spent the entire evening on the phone trying to get my UK bank to complete a transaction. After several attempts they said they would call back.I had to wait for a call that could happen up until 12.30 that night. It didn’t happen so I had to call them and start all over again. They said they would call back. That meant it would happen anytime during the night. I didn’t sleep very well, and they didn’t call.

Saturday 9^th

7am, no call during the night, meant I had to start the process for the third time. They eventually said they couldn’t confirm the transaction until Monday. A great start to the day.

A wet day, so went and bought some groceries. We also called with a woman, Belinda. We met her last week at the Friday cycle. She invited us round to see her holiday cottage she rents out, as well as some 7 week old Labrador puppies. Their house was lovely, located right on the water’s edge near Rabbit island. They Kayak from their door to the wharf for coffee. Her husband, Graham, had designed and built the house. He is an ex outdoor education teacher! The puppies were Andrex types, black ones and golden ones. They were so cute and needed a home, so we……..hope they find good homes (with someone else). Belinda did point out that the one who cuddled up beside me was the one who really liked cats!!! As we don’t have a home (yet) we will resist.

Around 10pm, my phone started to ring. It was my bank, at last and exactly what they said wouldn’t happen. At last the transaction was confirmed.

Sunday 10^th

A wet and cold morning.  I am contemplating not doing a cycle race. Lisa opens  her emails to find that the race is cancelled due to the weather. I am happy as my decision has been made and Lisa is happy as it means she is not going to miss it as she is having to work today.

Lisa goes off to work and I do some catching up with house chores.

Late afternoon the rain stops and we go for a walk along the beach.

 It was a week of job developments.

What caught my eye this week in the press was a for sale add.

It was for a child’s bike, good order, 45 years old. !!!!! I cannot work out how that could be a typo.

Week 9

Monday 27th June
Went for a swim in the morning, then back to the house to do some job applications (for part-time teaching jobs for term 3).

Tuesday 28th
The day started with sharing the sun with Claire and Susan, as we have a skype call. I say sharing the sun, because as they sat in their kitchen with the setting sun streaming in, we sat in our room with the sun getting higher in the sky. For a while we shared it! I then went for a run before going to the local town to meet with a planning consultant to dicuss a house we might want to buy. After that Lisa and I went to the mall to help promote the Masters Games. We signed up some participants as well as signing up some very willing volunteers. People seem to be so keen to throw themselves into community volunteering. We returned home, briefly before going to a meeting in the village about the new cycle trail which is going to go through the area.
Wednesday 29th
BIG DAY, we opened our emails in the morning to find that our Portrush house had sold and the new owners had moved in. We could now move on. This coincided with notification that our container was arriving into Nelson. When it gets through customs and biosecurity we still cant get it until we have somewhere to put it. Our possessions have gone to Dublin, Rotterdam, Singapore, Auckland and now Nelson, and it arrived exactly on the date we were quoted in April...amazing. We went for a cycle to celebrate !
We went to see the ship in the port (but we didnt see our container....only because there were so many, not because it wasn't there).
I then called in to the two local schools to drop off the applications. When I callled in to Garin College, by coincidence, I met the guy whos classes the job would cover. I then had an impromptu interview/chat.

Thursday 30th
For years this has been a red letter date in my diary...summer holidays. No longer, it is winter and in term 2. The schools here have  4, 10 week terms with one or two weeks off. The new red letter day would be in December.
We went to do some more research on a prospective house at Tasman District Council. Information is very accessible. You can get a file on any property and see all the documents belonging to it.
I then went to Sport Tasman to do some work, while Lisa studied in Richmond Library.

Friday 1st July
Went cycling with the friday group and met some new people, one of the guy's grandfather had come from Coleraine and he had a company named after, Coleraine. He thought it was a small town of a couple of hundred people. He was interested to know it had more than that, as well as a university !
We treated ourselves to a house sale celebration lunch.
Got an email asking me to come in for an informal interview at Garin College, on Monday.


Saturday 2nd
A quiet coffee at the Wharfside. We were sitting there when a kayak with 2 women paddled up to the beach. We had met Belinda for the first time yesterday  and she was delighted to see us as she had paddled up here with a friend to have a coffee, only to realise that she had forgotten her money.  Her house is a couple of miles away(by sea) and she can paddle from the bottom of her garden to the wharf. We sat in the sun and chatted for a while before we went to get ready for cycle race number 2.
The race started and finished at a local pub in the country. The course was shorter than last week but it had a few long hills on it, so would be challenging. Our group split on the first long hill and Lisa cycled off in the lead. I continued in another group and when I got to the finish line I quickly was told that Lisa had won again. If she wins again, she has to move to a higher grade. We all sat around afterwards in the weak winter sunshine and then had the prizegiving....Lisa won a pair of socks, as did the winners of all the other grades. Socks dont pay the rent !


Sunday 3rd
 Enjoyed a bit of a lie in, then  to the wharf for a coffee, where lots of people were enjoying brunch. We stood beside a young boy who was fishing. We asked him had he caught much, he said not much but "it is better than sitting on a couch". That is a what NZ is about. We then helped with some gardening around the property. Lisa then did some businees stuff while I prepared for tomorrows interview.

Another week has just flown by; this one had some big milestones in it.

The news the last few weeks has had nothing to write home about and the found items are a bit boring (but still lots of them).