First of all, be sure to check at the bottom of most previous posts, if you would like to see some pictures!  Sorry I haven’t been a more frequent blogger…..or actually, maybe once a week is just fine, thank you!  We’ve just been hanging out this weekend, staying around home.  Kevin went fishing Friday night https://picasaweb.google.com/116819527466773721245/FlounderFishingAtWaitarere?feat=directlink and Saturday, we had the neighbors over for “tea” (or dinner in our parlance), and since then it’s been rainy (oh I know, sobsobsniffsniff!). We read, knitted (well, I did) and watched some movies.  Today we got cabin fever and drove about a half hour away to a larger town to see a couple museums and watch a movie on a rainy day. We saw “The King’s Speech”, which I think was just released last week, so that’s earlier than when we would have seen it in Decorah, I bet!  (We recommend it highly. Fun to see it here, where many of the audience lived through the reign of King George VI.  The theatre was PACKED. I’ve just looked it up, the UK and NZ are independent constitutional monarchies, who share the same queen, Elizabeth II. Thanks, Wikipedia. I knew they had Parliament here, but not that she was actually queen here.  Didn’t know you were going to get a government lesson here, did you?)

We had lunch out today, and I was reminded that I haven’t told you about dining out.  What’s nice is that the price on the menu (and the price of anything listed anywhere) includes the GST, or tax.  AND, there is no tipping.  So you know right off the bat what you’re going to pay. Nice. Depending of course, on the restaurant, it often is comparable  in price or a little higher to what we might pay at a moderate to higher priced restaurant at home...so lunch today was $10 and $17, but remember the dollar here is about 75% of our dollar. Lots of cafes do “brekkie” and lunch, and have menu items but also “cabinet” items, which are ready to go, almost like a deli, just need to be heated up.  These might be sandwiches, a stuffed kumara (sweet potato, I had that today), quiche or pasta, and are generally cheaper than menu items. And at dinner time, they often list appetizers, entrees, and main dishes.  Items might be available either as an entree (like an appetizer size) or as a main course, and both prices are listed.  I still don’t quite get that, what is the difference then between an appetizer and an entree?  Lamb is often but not always on the menu, as is seafood. Seafood depends more on how close you are to the coast. Nobody is too far from it in this country, but they might not serve seafood.

Oh, we also got to attend the Horowhenua AP&I show this weekend! It’s akin to the county fair, only here they have sheepshearing events, alpaca judging (and the same for their fleece), sheepdog herding, and lots of sheep along with the cows (Dexter and some other kind that Kevin liked) and pigs.  They also have a lot of horse jumping and hunting events, which was where I spent much of the day on Friday :)  I did similar events (although not at this level!)  as a horse crazy teenager, and now my niece Ivy Smith does the same in Texas.  https://picasaweb.google.com/116819527466773721245/HorowhenuaAPIShow#

I never told you about last weekend, Jan 14-18.  We got to stay at Chrissy’s Bach, three hours drive in Taupo, meaning it belongs to the Hulls and they save some weeks for family and friends, and rent it out other weeks.  It’s full of character, a great family cottage, three blocks from the beach at Taupo.  Lake Taupo, NZ’s largest lake, fills a volcanic caldera in the midst of the north island, and is just north of Mt Ruapehu.  Which means that to get there, we drove past Tongariro Nat’l Park from last weekend on it’s eastern edge, past Mt Ruapehu and it’s neighboring two peaks. A lovely drive, at sunset.  All these peaks are volcanic, so they just jut right up out of relatively flat or rolling land, as opposed to seeing high peaks in the Rockies, where there are lots of smaller peaks all around the big ones. As you sit in Taupo (town) and look south across Taupo Lake (which gives new meaning to the term clear water) you see these peaks jutting up beyond the southern shore. Taupo, along with Rotorua about an hour north, is in the midst of Maori country, as well as lots of geothermal activity. So we went to museums in both towns with their varied emphasis on both topics, took in a comprehensive and not-just-for-show Maori cultural experience that included a geothermal walk, dinner and concert, took a hike amongst some geothermal activity (sorry, but this one withers next to Yellowstone), and saw Huka Falls - twice.  It’s where the longest river in the country leaves Lake Taupo and starts it’s journey to the Tasman Sea up near Auckland, but it leaves the lake by thundering through a very narrow channel with frothy teal water. It makes up for a short “fall” with lots of volume through a narrow space. Cool.

Some more language I left out

tramp = hike

lolly = candy

collect = pick up, as in Dr Hull collects Dr Sand enroute to work on W&F, which pleases Leslie very much, thank you!  Means she gets to keep the car all day til time to run in later to bring Dr Sand home (because he stays later than Dr Hull does.)

More random thoughts - The water supply comes from rain running off gutters into a large water tank that each house has. It can be filled by someone if need be, which maybe costs in the $150-200 range. Hulls have filled theirs maybe 2-3 times in 10 years, I think he said; there are only two of them but they often have their three grown kids’ families, or grandchildren alone, come to stay and play at Grandma & Grandpa’s house.

And now it’s Wednesday the 26th already, and since I have’t posted this yet, I’m going throw in an addendum.  Yesterday, the last day of the four day weekend, it was good weather and we took off for a nearby hike in the Tararua Range, which we see from our backyard. Armed with a good map, we drove about 15-20 minutes before we were on a narrow, metal :) winding road above the Otaki River gorge. Eventually we got arrived at the trailhead carpark (parking lot, pretty simple that one).  Kevin, of course also armed with camera and new compact collapsible fly rod (thanks to the WMC nurses’ retirement gift!) wanted to try for the trail that would give us river access. This trail was marked with the backpacking guy, which means strenuous hiking, requiring appropriate footwear which we had, as well as being fit, and we were not sure we had brought that with us. And we had not taken a hike marked like that yet. But it did also say “40 minute return” which translates to 40 minute round trip.  How bad could it be, right?  Well, we made it!  Some of us fell twice, and it was not the same some of us that fell on the mountain biking trail.  However, no broken or sprained ankles, arms or any other sort of appendage.  AND, it was fabulous.  The ten minutes each way closest to the river (hope that makes sense, it was the down and up part) was a little challenging, but not bad, since it was SHORT. When we got to the bottom, we were in a rocky river bottom, flanked by various huge green growing things all around up the sides of the gorge.  With whitewater rushing down over the rocks….hmm, no it did not make me think of tubing or kayaking, not enough room on top of the rocks. And a big green pool at the bottom, with….no trout or other beasts of the fishy type to be caught.  Not for lack of trying, and Leslie was very patient, as she had of course come prepared with book, and...knitting :)  There was some shade, and fantastic scenery that we had all to ourselves.  We had met one YOUNG man with dog enroute down, and he had just arrived back at the top, out of breath and sweaty.  We, however, did not sweat (at least, not like he did), ‘cuz we went slow.  He, on the other hand, must not have. Anyway, it was really well worth it, we spent a few hours at the river :) and made it back up successfully.  https://picasaweb.google.com/116819527466773721245/OtakiRiverTramp#

Well, I am slowly figuring stuff out to make these pics show up.  I hope this works well for you this way.  Sorry there are so many, I just got tired of trying to decide what to delete and kept too many!