New Zealand

'Are we etched in stone or just scratched in the sand, waiting for the waves to come and reclaim the land' Tightrope by Stone Roses

Hello all. Stand by for a very speedy update as we are in the South Island of New Zealand and we have lots that we want to see and do.

Saturday November 17th
My cousin Peter drove us to Piha beach via the hills around Auckland where Peter and I went for a refreshing dip while Lynn lay on the volcanic sand and slept in the sun. Peter is currently sporting a rather funky moustache (wrong spelling I think) in homour of 'Movember' where Kiwi's men grow tache's to raise money for Prostate Cancer charities. After the beach we drove into the outshkirts of town where the area known as Grey Lynn was having a free festival in a park. There were stalls and 3 stages with bands playing. The sun was out in force and we enjoyed some nice Paella and watched a couple of bands. I also bought George Harrison's epic 'All Things Must Pass' on triple vinyl for only $10NZ (around 3.50) from a record stall.

On the way home we popped in to see my Great Aunt Betty again and we had a great chat about Hamilton, where my Mum was born. I can't believe how good my Aunt Betty's memory is. She talks about the 20's and 30's like it is yesterday and it has been fabulous to see her. We then bought fish 'n' chips and went back to Peter's to watch the World Cup netball final between New Zealand and Australia with his Mum. Australia won an epic encounter

Sunday 18th November
OK, so you may have read my previous update on the Scotland game. We lost 2-1 to the Italians and a dodgy referee. We got up at 5.30am to watch the game and then went back to bed for a few hours. When we got up I phoned my friend Ian to discuss the game, forgetting about the time difference. Thankfully Ian and his wife Kerry were still up!

Peter drove us to the airport to pick up our hired jeep and we then went on to pick up Lynn's parents - Les and Winnie. We discovered that their flight was delayed for 10 hours, so we headed into town and checked into our funky boutique hotel - The Quadrant. Funky studio apartment style rooms in the heart of the city at a great price. We wandered down High Street, full of cafes, bars and cool shops, got a sandwich, read for a bit (I bought the Ronnie Wood autobiography) and then headed into the airport for 11pm.

Lynn's folks eventually got through customs at 12.30pm and we were safely tucked up in bed at 1am. It had been quite a long day.

Monday 19th November
Les' luggage had gone missing thanks to Emirates so Lynn's folks headed into the shops to get some essentials. We all headed out at 12pm for lunch at an Irish pub in Vulcan Lane, a lane full of nice bars. We then walked a fair distance to Auckland museum. Lynn and I paid an additional $15NZ to go and see the Charles Darwin exhibition and we both really enjoyed it. What a fascinating guy, a real explorer!

Lynn's folks were understandably knackered so they went for a kip and we met Lynn's Mum at 8pm in the hotel bar. Les was feeling tired and a little run down so he decided to stay in as the three of us headed for dinner. We had Tapas at a lovely little restaurant off High Street with a beautiful bottle of Pinot Gris wine. Wine conniesseurs should check it out.

Tuesday 20th November
I got up early and headed into town for a $10NZ haircut and to visit an opticians as my prescription sunglasses are starting to look their age - almost 3 years and considering I wear them every day they have almost reached the end of the road. I ordered a new pair and will pick them up when we return to Auckland mid-December. I'll get my moneys worth out fo them in South America.

I got back to the hotel and Lynn had surfaced and packed. We checked out and drove 3 hours South to Rotarua, arriving at 2pm. We had a great lunch at a funky bar/cafe called Fat Dog Cafe and then checked into the Ambassador Hotel, opting to share a room for the bargain price of $150NZ. The Motel had 4 thermal pools, so we had a relaxing afternoon bathing. Lynn's parents were tired at night and opted for a night in while Lynn and I went to a Thai restaurant.

Wednesday 21st November
Quite an active day. The alarm went off at 8am as we were heading to the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. It's recommended that you arrive for 9.45am as the Lady Knox geyser erupts at 10.15am every day, with a little help from some surfactant. The water bubbled and steam rose before the water burst 10 metres into the air.

We then went on the 3km walk around the park and saw hot streams, bubbling mud craters and colourful pools. The different colours are caused by different mineral elements. We took a heap of pictures, I hope they do it justice. Speaking of pictures, it will be anotheer few days before I get round to updating our flickr site.

We had a drink and snack in the cafe and headed back to Rorarua via some mud pools. We all had a 1 hour power nap and then Winnie, Lynn and I walked to the Polynesian Spa, booking in for the $35NZ outdoor pools. You could choose between 4 pools, all of varying temperatures - 36, 38, 40 or 42 degrees. We spent most of our time in the 38 and 40 pools, looking out to the lake. It was a very relaxing few hours.

We got back to meet Les who was feeling better but still not 100%. Winnie and I went to the 9 ole golf course nearby and I played my first ever game of golf, shooting a 56 to Winnie's 50. I did lose 3 balls though! After and active day we all went to the Pig and Whistle pub for some top notch pub grub.

Thursday 22nd November
Lynn's Dad's 60th birthday. Unfortunately he still had a bit of a cold. We had a chilled morning and drove back to Auckland, stopping at a retail park for Les to by some more clothes as the luggage was still missing. We got back to Auckland and checked back into the Quadrant. Lynn's folks went for a nap while Lynn and I went to see my Great Aunt Betty again. She was delighted with the Harvey's Bristol Cream we bought her as a present. She gave me a loan of a book to read while we travelled round the South Island entitiled 'Tea At Miss Cranstons' featuring recollections of a bygone era in and around Glasgow.

We got back and headed out to meet Peter, his brother Andrew and Mum Jennifer at the Loaded Hogg pub down in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour area. We then headed next door where Peter had booked a table for 7 under the name of James McFadden! We all killed ourselves laughing when a Scottish waiter came to take our order,he had been hoping it was the real James McFadden. The waiter was hilarious, the food was excellent and the wine went down a treat. The restaurant is called Soul and I'd recommend it to anyone after a good meal in Auckland. An All-Black was eating a few tables away so it must be good!

Friday 23rd November
We checked out of our hotel, dropped the car off and went to the airport to fly to the South Island and Christchurch. Still no news on Les' bag, it's not looking good. The flight was only 1 hour and when we landed we picked up two campervans from Juict Campers. We then drove to the Top Ten campsite, 5km from the centre, checked in and immediately headed into the centre. Christchurch immediately struck me as being a beautiful place with lovely old churches and a stunning cathedral. We had dinner at a hotel in the town square and headed back to sort out our campervans for the coming weeks. We also went to a supermarket to stock up on some food to take around with us.

So that is you all up to date. Lynn's Mum and Dad are hanging around Christchurch today to go to a Tai Chi festival while Lynn and I head to Mount Cook for some trekking. We will then meet up in Queenstown tomorrow night where we have booked into another Top Ten camp site for 3 nights. Will Lynn and I take part in some crazy sports in Queenstown? Bungy, canyon swing, white water rafting...stay tuned for an update.

While driving around we have been listening to 3 cd compilations our good friend Dave Taylor has made. Dave has a fantastic and varied taste in music and the cd's reflect that well. Thanks Dave, we were all singing along to Deacon Blue one minute and then rocking out to Neil Young the next.

Love and lemonade
Murray and Lynn
xxx