Saddle without a Horse

Wednesday 21st February

Last year I missed out on tramping on one of the great walks – the Queen Charlotte Track around the Malborough Sounds. This year I did not miss on out on one of nature’s wonderlands. Supporting stunning views over the Malborough Sounds this walk was the best ever. We took a water taxi from Picton over to Toreo bay and walked to Mistletoe bay – a good four hour grunt up and down and round about with panormaic views over the Malborough sounds on both sides of the saddle walk. A truely amazing walk – even better to share it with my parents. Invited back to the Tomestone Hostel (dead good) to eat Fish and Chips was a delight after that big grunt. What a fantastic day. I wish all days could be like that.

A Pefect Moment

Monday 19th February

How do I describe this mornings walk to my parents hotel. I stuck the MP3 player on (I don’t do ipods) listening to “The Feeling” – blue picadilli – London was a million miles away twelve stops and home or 12 million miles way and home amongst meandering my way across a suburb or two with the biggest grin ever on my face. Life just felt perfect. Here I was in Wellington, New Zealand going to meet my parents on the most perfect summers’ day ever. Just a perfect moment. My turn to play tourist guide as we went up the Wellington Cable Car, sat around the Botanic Gardens enjoying the rays of sun and a packed lunch, giving my dad some pocket money for an ice cream and sending him off to Te Papa to enjoy some Kiwi culture, mouching around the shops failing to buy anything and topping ourselves up with a relaxing cuppa at Te Papa later in the afternoon. It was my parents last evening in Wellington so as a thank you to Mel for being Taxi driver and Laundry Woman for my parents we all went out for a harbour meal at one of the old converted sheds. A nice meal with very naughty deserts. A visit up Mount Victoria supported stunning sunset views across Wellington. A perfect end to a perfect day.

Meeting Pommy Mummy and Daddy

Sunday 18th February

Naughty naughty, no waking up at 6am today, I didn’t rise and shine until 9am. How lazy. I was greated by a “good afternoon” from my lovely Kiwi friend; Mel. The sky was blue, the sun was hot, a perfect summers’ day in Wellington. A gorgeous “East” walk took us on the rim of the hills to one of the points looking out towards the Tasman sea. Watching the Interislander ferries come and go, the daily lifes of the fishermen, boats gently sailing across the calm waters in this stunning scenary; only a few km from the hussle and bustle of Wellington City Centre. I love this city. I can not explain why, I just love it. This is my third time here in 5 years and my 2nd time here within a year. The afternoon was a shear monging afternoon, after a lazy lunch out on the decking, watching the garden grow and chatting over copious amounts of tea we relaxed and caught up on weekly administration. After just over 3 months I was about to see my parents again. Their train – the Overlander from Hamilton was running a little late so it was 8pm by the time we got to the station. Within seconds of us getting to the platform the announcment that the Overlander would be arriving in 5 minutes was made. We jumped up and down like silly little children, over excited about seeing my mum and dad after so long (and Mel excited to meet pommy mummy and daddy – even if it was just to hear the accent!!) She was nearly going to paint her face and do the Haka on the station. My first glances was my dad’s stripy t shirt as they stepped off the very swish Overlander train. Greated with huge hugs and a litre of milk. It was so wonderful to see them again after so long and to beable to meet them in such a fantastic city. Mel very kindly shuttled them back to their hotel. They both looked so well, unstressed and plesently surprised that New Zealand was actually a first world country where people are so polite and friendly that it puts the UK to shame. I am also the prowd owner of 160 typhoo tea bags – decaf style – I am so happy.

Finding Travis

Saturday 17th February

Early start this to allow us to go meandering around the Wairapa, poking about; stopping off at the delightful Greytown and Martinborough after doing a good old little tramp around Kaitoke Regional Park – a gorgeous gorge paying our tributes to Rivendale – Lord of the Rings set. Down at Lake Ferry, a sleepy little town on the Wairapa coast Driftwood scattered across the beach, falling up and down the sand banks, time was endless – gazing at the Angry sea ready to gobble up little Pommies. No sign of Travis though. It’s hard to believe that a week ago I was diving off the calm coasts of the golden East Australia beches. Such a contrast but each as beautiful in its own unique way. We were looking to stop the evening but decided to head back to Wellington and go out for a Take Away. Yes go out for a take away to a gorgeous Cambodian Cafe – every mouthful was just yummylicous.

Windy Wellington

Friday 16th February

After delicious homemade yoghurt, Muslei and a lovely cup of twinnings tea for breakfast we played tourist around the centre. Taking us nearly an hour to park the car admist taking abuse from some grumpy car parking guard (wonder if he was from the UK) we poked around stopping off for a smashing cuppa and naughty cake thing. Delicious. A refreshing hours walk around the Wellington bays made it feel perfect with the wind blowing around us, not quite gale force, this is Windy Wellington after all. Refreshing just like today. Perfect.

Simply New Zealand

Thursday 15th February

Rise and shine at 4.30am quick throw on of random clothes and wave goodbye to Brisbane I wasn’t sad to leave that city, it didn’t do it for me I am afraid. 5.30am sky train to the airport, second flight out of the airport to a country I was in only 10 months ago, Simply New Zealand. My last pennies were spent on a ‘nice cup of tea’, a ‘chocolate Koala’ and a cookbook that I had see a couple of months ago in Victoria. I had 10cents left to my name. Fantastic. Simply excited, yet I have been here twice before.Simply New Zealand. Great flight thanks to Qantas. Watched The QUeen, great film if you haven’t yet seen it whilst eating copious amounts of Qantas Bananas. As crew prepared the cabin for landing the views over the Malborough Sounds at the top of south Island were breathtaking, inlets, winding their way around the calm blue seas. A fantastic sight to an amazing country. I could hardly wait to land once again in this small mass of land that has more to offer that the biggest KMart in the world. It took ages to get through immigration. Not because they wouldn’t let me in (yes I declared that I had tea bags, a chocolate Koala for my friend and had been on a farm stroking Roo’s) but because three flights had come in from Oz all at once. An hour later my gorgeous Kiwi friend Mel was there to give me a hug and shuttle me 5 minutes back to her place. I still love Wellington even though the wind was blowing and it was very fresh compared to the East Coast of Australia. I have to declare it my favourite city in the world (apart from ‘home’ = Sheffield). It is my ‘home away from home’. A chilling out afternoon drinking ‘nice cups of tea’ was just what I needed. It was refreshing to see a familiar face after the hectic life of the backpacking trail in Australia. Being able to relax in the garden surrounded by peace and tranquilty was bliss. Kiwiland was honoured to transmission of the the BRIT awards this evening. Unfortantly the broadcast was very poor. Not at all the quality that would get transmitted from the BBC. It makes you appreciate what the BBC is all about (I am not biased honest after 6 years of employment there but quality definatly comes up top trumps). It seemed that The Killers were the band of the Brits this year, the Oasis performance was appauling and how Take That won anything is beyond me, their performance came across as worse than a four wolves howling on their hind legs. Sorry Take That fans but it was pretty awful. Was this trasmission either live or straight off the reel given the appauling broadcast quailty? Its one of those places you have to visit and experieced for yourself to understand why I have fallen in love with New Zealand. Simply New Zealand.