It's been a very busy few days, so I'll quickly try to recount what we've been up to! First up, we took a day trip up north to Karamea, which is only a tiny town, but is right on the coast and has lots of beautiful scenery and walks to take in, so we thought we'd check it out. It took about an hour and a half to drive there, but it was such a beautiful, sunny day that we were able to stop several times along the coast just to marvel at how gorgeous it was!
Along the coast towards Karamea
You have to drive over a mountain pass to get there, and the road is very windy (which Jo says is normal here on the coast, and right through New Zealand actually, but which made me a little sick eventually!) As you can see below, it is basically forest all the way.
Over the mountain pass
We drove through Karamea and continued along the coastline for about 15 or 20 minutes, until we got to the beginning of the Heaphy Track, which was our final destination! The Heaphy Track goes from Karamea to Nelson, and takes two or three days to hike in total, but we thought we would walk a part of it because it's such a pretty walk to do. We had packed some lunch so before we started off we ate up at the nearby beach and river.
River at the start of the Heaphy Track
Jo frolicking on the beach
At the beach
After lunch we started along the Heaphy Track...
One of the first thing we came across was a swing bridge across a river. The other side led into a fern gully, which was really pretty, and very cool compared to the warm sun outside!
The swing bridge
Jo amongst the ferns
We stumbled across a clearing and a pretty stream
By the time out walk was over, it was late afternoon and we decided to head back. It was good timing because we were able to catch the sun setting over the sea - beautiful!
Jo getting some snaps....
Here's one of them....
Moi
Coastline in the sunset!
It was a wonderful day out, and luckily for us the sun has stayed with us these last few days! On Wednesday we drove up the mountains nearby Jo's parents house and took in some more lovely views.
View over Waimangaroa
We stumbled across The Mask on our way up the mountain...
...and tested out our artistic ability with these shots!
Back home, Jo's mum and I spent the afternoon in the kitchen busily preparing for a small birthday party we were having that night for Jo, Jacob and Lauren - they are all born withing a month or two of each other, and we're never here to celebrate together! So we thought we'd take advantage of us all being here and have a joint party for their birthdays. It ended up being a great evening, i made pizza's, and some desserts, and Jo's mum put on a great spread for us. She has also arranged a cake with some special icing on it, which had a picture of the birthday trio and a message saying "Birthday Buddies - Jacob, Jo and Lauren", which was very cute, and was a big hit.
Some berry tarts i made!
Jacob, Jo and Lauren with their special birthday cake
The children were at their giddy best of course - we got having a bit of a sing-a-long, because for some reason i started singing that song "She's a Lady" by Tom Jones, and Lauren immediately started mimicking me which was hilarious, and then so did Jacob, and before long we were all dancing around singing it. Then Jacob and I did a stunning rendition of "Love Me Do", to which he knows all the words of course, and his special request, the yellow brick road song from the Wizard of Oz, which we bought them on DVD and which they have been watching incessantly ever since.
The kiddies and I
Yesterday was another lovely day, so Rochelle and I headed into Westport for some lunch. We had a wonderful chat about everything under the sun, it's been really great getting to know her better because she is such a good person, and I've really enjoyed being able to have some great chats together. It was her friends birthday that day too, so we picked up gifts and we over to see her. She had made some delicious raspberry cheesecake which we indulged in, and then we were off again to sit by the harbour and talk some more.
Jo and Matthew had been playing golf all afternoon, and they brought back fish and chips for everyone for dinner, after which the children played with Uncle Jo by having him lie down near the couch so they could jump from the couch right over him - i was sure some sort of accident would ensue, or at least one of them throwing up after all the food we'd just ate! But nope, none of that happened, and apart from Jo ending up with a few bruises, a good time was had by all!
Our evenings, of course, have been spent watching movies and eating junk food with Matthew and Rochelle - I'm sure I've put on ten kilos since I've been here. Since my last blog we've watched The Last King of Scotland, Gone Baby Gone (which has an ending that will definitely leave you debating and questioning things in your head long afterwards), 28 Days Later and it's sequel, 28 Weeks Later (which left me sleepless that night!), and an old family favourite, Back to the Future, which always makes us laugh. I've also just finished an AMAZING book that you should all go and read, called Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's about a boy who lost his father in the twin towers on September 11, and how he copes with that loss. It's funny and heartbreaking and left me laughing and crying at the same time - such a moving book.
I'd better be off - we're having a Christmas in July dinner late lunch today since we won't be here at Christmas this year, and then off to the beach for a bonfire and marshmallows! Then back here for more dessert, plus i have to pack, and it's an early start back to Christchurch tomorrow morning...so i will skedaddle and report all of those things back to you tomorrow night when I'm back in Sydney. I can't believe how quickly this two weeks has flown, we've had such an amazing time with Jo's family, who are such lovely people, and we'll miss them when we return! Can't wait till we're back in February, will be great to be here in the summer.
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