Gail Dickson .. my blog from Down Under

Last weekend we went down to Rotorua.   Travelled down on Friday night and to say that Rotorua was a bit smelly that night would be a bit of a understatement.   I think it must depend on wind direction and strength how bad it is as the first time we visited with my mum, it was really bad however when we were there in May it didn’t seem so bad.   Whatever causes the changes, there was definitely a strong sulphur smell last weekend.

The weather forecast for the weekend wasn’t very good and we were expecting rain for most of the weekend so when we woke on Saturday and found it to be wet, we decided to head down to Taupo for the day to see if the weather was any better there.   Called in at Huka Falls on the way down and then went looking for Huka Village which we’d visited with my mum …. It seems to have turned into a hotel rather than being an historic village selling nice souveniers.   Oh well, went into Taupo itself and had coffees on the little beach at the lake.   Kyle and Regan decided to go for a bit of a paddle which turned into a dip and the two of them ended up going back to Rotorua in their underwear!

Sunday weather was even worse but decided we’d better visit the thermal park anyway … it was very atmospheric with the steam and the rain mixing however we got very wet and since I didn’t want to get the camera wet, I got no photos of it.   We wanted to go on the Luge but when we got there, you couldn’t even see the top of the hill for the clouds so decided against it (we’ll go again and Lynne wasn’t really into it anyway!).   Kyle had found a Caterpillar museum in the guide book so went there instead.   I like looking at old cars but must admit, Caterpillars don’t really do it for me …. Kyle enjoyed it though and the museum gave quite a bit of history on NZ which was quite interesting.

The weather was better on Monday so decided not to stay in Rotorua for the day and headed north to Tauranga.   We’ve never been there before and it turned out to be a lovely town … one which I could quite easily live in if only there were IT jobs there.   Houses are much cheaper there than Auckland too.   On the way home, we called in at Waihi Beach which was great although I think they have imported some Aussie flies!!!   The only other place in the world where I’ve encountered flies that bad was Australia … they just wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Back at work for the rest of the week and then today Lynne flew home.   Bobby picked me up at work and we all went to the airport to say goodbye.   It was very weird as it’s usually us that are leaving!
Finally remembered to take some photos of VF so they are now on Flickr but here is the view from the front door out to Viaduct Harbour …. nice init??

Left on Friday after work to go up north to Paihia.   The weather hasn’t been too good since Lynne got here and Saturday wasn’t much better …   Decided to drive to 90 mile beach which is a couple of hours away as we hadn’t been able to drive down it when we had the Subaru at Christmas as it’s too low.   Feels a bit weird driving down a deserted beach at 100km/hr!   But the truck coped really well and I guess that’s one of the reasons we bought it.   The weather was quite nice while we were there so the kids got completely covered in sand and sea water so spent the journey back in their underwear/nappies!!

Sunday we went on the Mack Attack boat out to the Hole in the Rock and Cathedral Cave.   It was a quite fast boat which I thought Kyle would love but he didn’t and spent the whole journey with his head tucked down so he couldn’t see.   He saw more than Regan though as she slept the whole journey.   Bobby had very sore arms by the time we got back as he had to shelter her from the sun/wind.   Lynne seemed to enjoy it though.   Got off in Russell and had a wander around before going back to Paihia for a late lunch.

Today we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds which Bobby and I have actually never been to before.   For those who haven’t read the whole story of the Treaty, it gives a good view of what went on and I guess anyone who is visiting New Zealand should really visit, as it tells the story of why we are where we are today.   I read a book on the history of the Treaty when I was applying for the residency visa as the application forms etc made a big deal of needing to know about the NZ history and the Maori culture, however when I went through the interview at the end of the process they never asked me anything about it!!   It was really interesting though so not complaining.   Lynne is now reading it.

On the way back down the road we called in at Waipu Cove which is a lovely little place with a great beach.   If it was sunny it would be gorgeous!   Maybe we’ll go back up on a nice weekend.   A lot of people in NZ camp during the summer months in those big tents … trying to decide whether I could handle a tent again after all these years.

Lynne made it okay on Sunday although she wasn’t impressed with either BA or LAX.   I think she brought the weather with her though as it hasn’t been that good since she arrived … in fact it was raining when she got off the plane.    It’s warm though so she doesn’t seem to mind.

Sunday we went for a short drive north just to let her see the area.   Since then she’s been to Albany shopping and into the city to have lunch with me and have a walk around.   Today, she decided to walk into Browns Bay for a look around and (remembering that it’s only about a mile away) she managed to get lost … twice!!

Anyway, we’re off to Paihia this weekend so hopefully the weather will improve since we’ve promised Kyle that we’ll go on the big boat to look for dolphins.   May go to Waitangi to see the treaty house as well as it’s just beside Paihia.   Really looking forward to the break.

Other than Lynne’s visit all is well.   Regan is now walking quite well although she does still crawl as well.   It really depends on how she feels at the time.   She has also found her voice as she’s really loud!   Both her and Kyle can stand on the deck outside and shout loud enough for it to echo down the valley …

We had confirmation this week that Kyle has been accepted to the local school and also has a place at before and after care.   It’s a great relief to us as I’m not sure how we would have coped if he didn’t get a place at the before and after club.

Work is still really hectic.   There is an Agile development expert across from the SI’s UK branch and he’s in talking to us about what we’re doing/what we should be doing within the web area.   He seems to think we’ve done well to get where we are now so quickly so I guess that’s good.

One thing I keep meaning to say on the blog and always forget is around summer dress at work.   It is the norm down here for blokes to turn up at work in shorts (knee length not stubbies (short shorts as they call them down here)), t-shirts and jandals (flip flops).   I find it quite weird as it just wasn’t the done thing in the UK.

It’s been a quiet weekend for a few reasons ..

The weather hasn’t been the best - it was a bit rainy today.   Actually it’s not a bad thing as the humidity builds up over the space of a week or so and then it’s actually a bit of a relief when the rain comes as the air dries out a bit.   The sky tonight before it got dark was almost cloudless again so hopefully it’ll be much nicer next week.

It was a really hectic week work wise … so I’m a bit fried.   New PM hasn’t really taken very much of the workload off me yet so still doing around 7.5 hrs worth of meetings per day which doesn’t leave very much time for actually doing any work!

And lastly, because the next few weekends are going to be a bit busy, we decided not to do too much on purpose.   This time next week, Lynne will be here.   I’ve booked a long weekend in Paihia and another in Rotorua so that she at least sees more of NZ than just Auckland (although it is lovely!).   Kyle is looking forward to taking Auntie Lynne on a fast boat to see the dolphins …

Regan has started walking between things and is fairly steady for a few steps but still not really very kean on more than that.   She has also taken a great liking to blueberries.   You have to see her in action to believe it ….   She just shovels them in her mouth until there are none left then she squeals for more!   It‘s quite amusing …   When were at the beach with Caylen’s family last weekend, they were amazed at how much she ate …

Mentioned it a few weeks ago, but we bit the bullet and changed my car for a 4WD truck (eek!).   It’s actually come in handy a few times already so will definitely be worth it when we go away as we’ll be able to get to all those places we wanted to go when we were on holiday and couldn’t.   The people at work were quite funny when I mentioned it to them … they just nodded and said that it was the first step towards becoming a “real kiwi”.   When asked what the next step was they said that it depends on whether we like boats or not …. If we do, then the boat … if we don’t, then it’ll be a trailer and a chainsaw!   Hmm, not sure we really need a chainsaw living in Browns Bay!

It’s a public holiday on Wednesday as it’s Waitangi Day.   New Zealand History Online describes it as:

Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.   In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs signed what is New Zealand’s founding document.   The day was first officially commemorated in 1934, and it has been a public holiday since 1974.

For some people, Waitangi Day is a holiday; for many, and especially for Maori, it is the occasion for reflecting on the Treaty.   Since the 1970s the style and mood of the commemorations on Waitangi Day have been influenced by the increasingly heated debate surrounding the place of the Treaty in modern New Zealand.

Waitangi Day is recognised as New Zealand’s national day, but the long-standing tensions associated with it are always likely to surface in one form or another.   The date is an important marker in the country’s history.   Recognition of the significance of the Treaty of Waitangi as the nation’s founding document will continue to encourage leaders, communities and individuals to mark the day in new ways.