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Aussie
Arrivals Xmas 2005
Leona recalls 10 days of fun in the crinkly hills of the
King Country
Leona finally revisited Taumarunui after three decades bringing her
husband, Ben, her son, Jack and Jack’s girlfriend, Lone.
A midnight landing (thank you Freedom Air) had Margaret up making
scones at 2am. How can anyone compete with that for a welcome?
Next day naturally involved a town tour…a stroll down memory
lane…old house, town views and our first intro to geocaching…then a
little kayaking trip to check out our skills before our paddle down the
Whanganui from Taumarunui to Ohinepane (22k) the next day.
We all made it without falling out and nabbed another cache!
No rest for the wicked…a tramp all over Mt Tongariro…up the hill, up
the hill, up the hill…Ben and I starting to sound like Darth Vader
with our laboured breathing before a cloudy rest at the top and then
down the hill, down the hill…. &
no… there is no third “down the hill”…I reckon there is always
more uphill than downhill when tramping in NZ!!!
Whew!!! Rest day and some
geocaching around the town. Time
to hit the lolly jar (yes there is a big one on top of the fridge) to
catch up the calories!!!
A
lovely sightseeing drive (including more geocaching) on the way to
Whangamomona whence we went in search of a long-forgotten tunnel.
Alack, alas it was not to be found so Ben and I took the gentle
stroll down the road to the pub while Don, Jack and Lone bush-bashed to
the bottom. Beers and
nachos heartily enjoyed and congratulatory tee-shirts were bought by Don
for Jack and Lone. Margaret
devoured the papers and crosswords while she patiently waited for the
intrepid explorers. Tired
legs led to an early night even though it was New Years Eve.
Gentle
stroll today around Lake Rotopunamu.
Nice to walk on the flat for a change.
My goodness my robust tramping days seem far behind me.
The next day saw us a Tokaanu Thermal Pools….hmmmm that feels
good…and then in Turangi for a great hamburger. Back around the Lake
again the next day to Taupo and a family visit followed…great to catch
up with all the rels and even managed to see the Waiotapu
Thermal
Springs.
Rest
and packing day then off we set for the “big NZ
experience”…yes…you guessed it…a bungee jump at Mokai Canyon near
Taihape. 80m of
exhilaration and madness!!! Dad
and I also went on the flying fox…quite a different experience …fast
and thrilling. We all had a GIGANTIC Chinese meal at a local
restaurant…best spring rolls I’ve had in quite a while…I hear Don,
Margaret and Jack revisited the restaurant on the way back to Taumarunui
after Matthew’s wedding. Can’t
say I blame them…
Last
part of the visit was flying to Christchurch for Matthew and Emma’s
wedding. … they had a
beautiful wedding enjoyed by us all.
We rented a 12-seater bus and Dad kindly drove us (and Mark and
Kyle) around Christchurch on a site seeing tour in the morning and then
ferried a large group back to Riccarton after the wedding last thing at
night. Old jobs die
hard…no really…we had a great time and it was wonderful for the
Aussies to see the sights. Thanx
Dad!
We
had a FANTASTIC time in NZ…Margaret baked her delicious scones and
peanut brownies, picked us up from varied locations, provided delicious
thermos flasks of hot coffee, tea and Milo after every outing and Dad
went all out with the fun outdoor activities….tramping, kayaking, bungee
jumping, bush-bashing, sight-seeing, interspersed with great fish
and chips, ice-cream and biscuits…just like it says on the ads…
beautiful one day…fat the next!!!!!
Guide
Don points to the car at the top left of the pic!!!!
Boiling mud and colourful hot
pools at Waiatapu
Mystery Pic
Can you guess what this is?
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