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!
