Sorry- We are still alive!

Just a quick message to apologise for not publishng the blog! Believe or not I have been very busy!! Anyway, hope you enjoy the posts below!

May 2007- Wanaka

What to do? Knowing that we have 3 months here and probably not going to see much of Greg or if we do, we won’t talk to us because his head is buried in a book studying g.k.w about aeroplanes….we need to find some things to do.
After discussing it with the children we decided to see if we could get them into the local school for a few weeks, not because I don’t think I am doing a great job, but just they can meet some other children.
So off to the localest school, no room, try the main primary school. After talking to the head she said that they would need a study visa, immigration dept wanted $120 each and it would take a few weeks… we only wanted to send them for a few weeks..!! So no go!!
Next place to meet children, after school clubs??

This has proved more successful, Alistair & Rowena have started Karate, Rowena joined the Gymnastics class, a bit basic but she enjoys it, and importantly will get some badges, she already has a T-shirt! After a couple of weeks the teacher asked her if she would like to stay for the next class which is the display class, they do routines and perform them periodically. You can guess what she said! After the first class she was doing cartwheels, handstands, flips on to or rather off the trampoline, and had a wide grin!!
Alistair has decided that he has gone off football and prefers rugby! I wonder who, if anyone has influenced this change of heart?
After talking about the fact that just because he goes training will not automatically mean he will get on the team, he returned from the first training session to tell me he had a game on Saturday!
So we duly trooped off to the rugby ground and watched him tear around the pitch, his first ever game, he touched to ball once, but he enjoyed himself. Since then we have travelled to Queenstown to watch him play surrounded by snow covered hills and then this weekend we attended a 7’s tournament in Alexandra, another trip of 80km to watch under an inversion fog (for those who don’t know what it is- look it up!!! That’s what my father would say!) Just as they almost finished the fog cleared and the sun beat down on us.
We have joined the library and the librarian is very nice and lets the children use the internet for free to do some schoolwork so they won’t have to sit in the garage to do it! The garage being the only place that the internet will work as we are down a dip below some terraces left by the retreating glaciers!
When we were there this week, Rowena got asked if she would like to help with the under 5’s story and craft group so from next week she is going to. She is looking forward to it immensely.

The weather is lovely here, even if it is freezing in the morning it clears up by 10’ish and the rest of the day is clear and sunny, we are doing lessons outside on the deck and got quite red noses the other day. We had rain the other night and in the morning the mountains around Lake Wanaka looked as if someone had been out with a sieve and some icing sugar! Most of it has melted now but the higher mountains are still covered.

We have signed up for ski passes in preparation for the season which starts on 26th June!!
We had a huge pile of firewood delivered and the children and I spent a backbreaking afternoon stacking the logs beside the garage and sorting out suitable kindling. Greg was far too busy studying to help….!!?

There aren’t a huge number of places to walk here as most of the land in private, however we have found a few walks to go on. We left home mid morning with the intention of climbing Roy’s Peak, a mountain which lies on the edge of Lake Wanaka. It was freezing at home and we were dressed accordingly, once at the foot of the mountain the temperature had risen several degrees and we were over dressed! Anyway we decided to carry on up. The path started almost vertical for 3/4of hour then flattened slightly, however after a further hour of climbing we were still 2 hours from the top and it was just too hard! (I have never given up before…!!) By the time we got back to the car our knees were knocking and shaking together, I am glad we didn’t get all the way to the top… Greg is talking about having another go, I think not!

We have had the warmest May since records began and it has been lovely.
Greg went solo in May and now has clocked up several hours and is doing false landings and circuits. Gaining confidence daily. He now has 3/6 exams under his belt he says they are the easy ones.

The children discovered some bike jumps near here and Rowena in particular is getting more confident with her jumping, one of her wheels actually leaves the ground. Alistair is much more cautious.

And so we move into June.

April 22nd – 29th

We left Christchurch and travelled up the East coast, stopped in a little site near Blenheim for the night. The following day up to Picton and caught the afternoon ferry to Wellington. Calm crossing watched 2 films on the way, Rowena wondered why the films were always about “loving”….
We arrived in Wellington at 5.30pm and drove to the Te Papa Museum car park, there is something nice about revisiting places as you know where to go.
It was just getting dark, Rowena suggested going to play 10 pin bowling, so off we went it passed some time. When we got back to the van we realised that the house battery was dead so we had to go for a drive to recharge it. I wasn’t feeling very comfortable about staying at the carpark as it is in the middle of town and I felt rather venerable. Anyway there is no where else to stay in Wellington so it had to do, 2 other vans arrived during the evening so I felt a bit better, I still didn’t go to sleep until after midnight!
The following day someone told me that a few days before some local thugs had poured solvent on the tyres of a van there and set light to them…..!!!! SO pleased thay I foundout after we had stayed!!
Along the West coast, familiar route to Turakina beach (piano beach of Jan) stayed at the same campsite (only ones there but I was fine with that) Then on further north, stayed in a park over property belonging to a chap who was blind but used to make Western saddles and run the local Rodeo!
Then further towards Auckland staying at some hot springs where the children spent ages on the hot water slides and I sat in the hot pools reading my SE Asia guide book.
Last night in the van- Spent packing things up, eating the last bits & pieces and final sleep.
Took Van back to RV Motors collected our cheque and got a taxi to the airport.
Good flight to Queenstown took 1hr50 mins. Greg met us at the airport and we drove back to Wanaka.
Thus endeth a chapter…….!!!! What’s next…..???

April 16th – 22nd – Departure of Harry and Mum

The children and I left Wanaka and travelled sedately to Christchurch, booked into the campsite did some shopping for supplies and awaited the gathering of the clan.
Greg and Harry arrived late afternoon and then we went to collect Betty & John from the airport.
They had had an enjoyable time but it had been so hot!
Had an early start on the Monday morning, Betty & John decided to stay in Christchurch and have a potter around and we took Harry to Hanmer Springs for a day of relaxation and soaking! It was a bit cooler than when we went last as we left Christchurch but by the time we arrived there it was pleasant enough to sit around by the waters edge while the children spent about 3 hours going up & down the slides. They had a great time and resembled prunes when they got out!
Returned to Ch-ch as it was the final night, so checked that all the bags were ready and went out for a farewell dinner.

Leaving day- A,R & I took the car back to the rental agency and Greg took the others to the airport, with plenty of time to spare. When we got there everyone was rushing around in a panic as they had bought the flight time forward by 2 hours! Good job Greg is so cautious and arrives early. It meant, though that we had hardly anytime to say goodbye and they were gone….
We sat at the airport for a while and had a cry and then got on with it!
The first thing we had to do was get the windscreen sorted out as we had collected lots of stone chips in the last few months, some rather large ones, also the brakes had been getting increasingly worst, so off to the garage. Windscreen no problem, booked it in for a few days hence, the brakes- well.. The cylinders had blown and the chap said that really he wouldn’t drive it anywhere as it was too dangerous. They would need to keep it overnight as it required striping down, as we didn’t fancy staying in a garage for the night we retired to a local hotel, and were treated to a slap up breakfast the next day.
Come Saturday 21st Greg & Alistair went to a Ruby match between the Hurricanes and Crusaders. Rowena & I went to see a film- Mr Bean, she liked it, I thought it was dreadful!

The next morning it was another parting of the ways, this time, Greg to Wanaka and us to Auckland to return the van.

Blog missed from March!!

Aspiring and beyond!!

Sitting in Wanaka with Mount Aspiring National Park in the distance beckoning, I suggested to Greg that we do an overnight walk to Aspiring hut and stay overnight and then, for Alistair and I to go on the following day to another hut and stay, to return 2 days later.
We checked out at the Dept. of Conservation office where we could go and were given two options. From Aspiring hut you can walk further up the valley and then choose whether to go up one vertical side of the mountain to Liverpool hut or the other vertical side to French Ridge. Both were about 2 kms up but the climb to French Ridge would take 3-4 hours as it was 1000m above, the other to Liverpool hut (a tin shed) would only take 2 hours.
On balance French Ridge sounded the best as the hut was much better and there was a warden there and a radio.
We got packed and away we went. The walk to Aspiring was along a wide valley floor which climbed steadily all the way, not steep but constant. The Matukituki River ribbons down the valley, with lots of pebbles along the bank and in the middle and the river constantly splits. Grassy meadows on either side of the river.
After about 2 hours we arrived at Aspiring hut and sorted out ourselves a bunk, there was
huge kitchen and seating area with gas stoves and running water. After dinner we went to
bed after speaking to some of the other people about the best place to go.
Early next morning we got ready to move on, there were 2 other women also going to
French Ridge so we all set out at the same sort of time.
Greg & Rowena went the other way.. with the arrangement that we would either see them
at the road end the next evening or, if for any reason we couldn’t get to the hut then we
would see them at about lunchtime.
The walk followed the valley along the river crossing at some quite hairy swing bridges,
the river is a lovely blue colour because of the very fine particles that have washed out
from the glacier.
We followed the path through beech forest and across wide flat meadows with Ragwort
in it and waterfalls falling down the side of the mountains, the further up the valley we
went the more glaciers we could see hanging from the mountain tops.
At the place we had to decide whether to carry on up or not we stopped and looked at the
weather.The mist was rolling in over the mountain tops, the wind was really high and to
top it all it started to rain! We, the other 2 women as well , decided to stop and wait for a
while because when we got out of the bush line wewould be really exposed and if it was
very windy I didn’t really want to be up there with Alistair with a heavy pack.
Although it stopped raining the wind was still high so we regrettably decided not to go
up. Alistair was devastated and so upset! Instead of going straight back to Aspiring hut
we decided to walk on to Scott’s Bivvy which was a further 2.5 km further up he valley.
It was a really hard walk, we left one pack at the path junction and I just took mine with
our lunch and wet weather gear.
The path climbed up out of the tree line and on to scree along by the river. Fantastic
views with mountains all around us didn’t seem that far to Mt Aspiring with all the snow
on it.
We had to cross a particularly high swing bridge with just a floorboard plank to walk on!
We eventually turned back as we had a long walk back to Aspiring Hut. Picked up the
other pack, very relieved to find that someone hadn’t ‘borrowed’ it, and headed back the
way we had come. Typically the weather had changed and it was now crystal clear up
towards French Ridge with blue sky and little wind.. Oh well we will have to do it
another day…
I was so pleased to see the hut, as we had been walking from 8.30 and it was now 6.30!
Alistair ran the last bit back so as to be the first there, I didn’t have the energy to assure
him that there was no way that I was going to get there fast!
Stayed the night at Aspiring and then walked down to the car park the next morning to
meet Greg and Rowena, who were just setting off to go up to Rob Roy Glacier. Never
one to say “No” we went with them.
Rob Roy Glacier was up in a steep valley it took 2 hours of continually up to get there but
was lovely. It hung, all around us, and water poured off the edge as lovely waterfalls. By
the time we got back to the car I was exhausted, Alistair on the other hand had heaps of
bounce left!

All in all it was a good trip, Alistair is now desperate to do another long walk for 3 days
and 2 nights, then one for 4 days and 3 nights then one for 5 days and 4 nights …..