September 1st
marked the start of spring. New Zealand has had its warmest winter on
record and it has felt a bit spring like some time ago. However a cold snap is
forecast so we are not packing away our winter clothes just yet. Last week we
went for a short break to Wellington. Unfortunately the weather was wet and windy as we left Nelson airport
at 7am. We flew with sounds air whos planes only carry 11 passengers. We set
off a bit late and then we had to fly around a bit longer as wellington airport
had a technical problem. It was a bumpy ride and I was sick (first time I have
been sick on a plane). We should have been ther in 30 mins but it took twice as
long. When we eventually arrived we were greeted with rain wind and a chill
factor that reminded us of Portrush.
Within a hour of arriving Lisa had bought a hat and we both bought a
thermal t-shirt. Windy Welly lived up to its reputation for most of our trip
until saturady morning when the sun shone, the wind dropped and Wellingtonians came
out to play. The waterfront was buzzing with activity and we sat in the sun and
watched a rowing regatta, while listening to a busker. The flight home was with
Air New Zealand ( a bigger plane). There were clear skies all the way and we
were back at Nelson in less than 30 mins.
A couple of weeks ago I went on a school camp with almost 80
16 year olds. We had had a spell of lovely weather until we went on camp. It
rained all the time except for the last morning. On day one I went with the
group into Abel Tasman national park. We got a water taxi into the park. There
was a huge swell and it was more like a roller coaster ride. 40 mins later
we were dropped off and then started a 3
and a half hour walk back to get collected at a pick up point. It rained the
whole time, but there were no complaints and everyone had no choice but to keep
walking. The next day they had the choice of doing mountain biking,
coasteering, raft building and waka racing (traditional Maori team canoe). I
went in the waka and we soon warmed up even though it rained constantly. There
was a morning and afternoon session. We went back to camp at lunchtime and 6 boys took the opportunity to hide somewhere
and avoid the afternoon session. They were found out, then sent home, then
suspended from school for a couple of days!!
On the last morning the sun came out and we got to see how lovely the
camp site was. Thankfully the camp was not under canvas. We stayed in cabins
and we didn’t have to do our own catering. The food was superb so no one went
hungry.
Back on the home front, the gardening continues. Lisa has
become addicted to chainsaw work, which is just as well as we had two tress cut
down, so there are an awful lot of logs to be cut. As the temperatures increase the grass has started to grow. The
daylight is extending into the evening so it gives us a chance to get out
cycling after work and possibly even before work.
