Last Post of 2014 from Kiwi Land

As I write this we are waiting to leave and fly home. This will be a summary blog of our last few days here.

We made it to Hanmer Springs having giving a lift to a French architect who was walking the tracks from the far north of New Zealand to the far south. We only climbed a little hill in Reefton.

The snow was not there when we went to bed

Then we travelled on to Christchurch. At New Brighton the sky was blue, but the roads reflected the earthquake damage. We then drove on to Governors Bay. The hail was heavy and sharp. We got to our motel just as the heavens opened and continued through the next day, accompanied by damaging winds up to 138 kph. This was a 100 year event.

The next day we visited the city and went on a bus tour.  As it was pancake day we had a lunch of pancakes but they came with bacon, banana and maple syrup. The earthquake damage was significant. We got soaked walking through the city to the cardboard cathedral. There is no shelter on the walk. There are no buildings except in 'Restart' where we got cash.

The following day the rain continued and roads began to flood, the wind was still strong but the plane took off. The weather in Auckland was so different.

On Thursday we were back to our normal routine which was shopping, a paddle and watching the after school netball.

In the evening we went for a final visit to our friends Stefan and Debbie. He was travelling through Christchurch three hours before us on a visit to Invercargill. He is very hopeful of getting a job as a metallurgist in the large aluminium plant there. 

Making a card decoration for Zoe's birthday cake took me most of the morning. Once more we walked down to St Heliers.

There was an early start on Saturday as we all prepared to go to Zoe's birthday party. This was at a place called 'Jump' It was a large area of trampolines. On the way back we had lunch at a 'Coffee Club' after buying kapok at Spotlight.

Once again the house was busy early. Zoe was out at a sleep over, but Sally and Ian were busy getting ready for a barbecue when staff from Sally's office were calling in after they had completed 'Around the Bays'. We drove off to church and after coffee and a good conversation we went to Sylvia Park to purchase our presents to take home.

 I went with Ian to pick up Zoe at Riverhead. The four adults went off to Auckland to have dinner at a Japanese restaurant where the chefs cooked dinner on a hot plate at your table.

Sally was the only one to catch a piece of egg in her mouth.

On Monday we started to pack and take final photographs.

Emily, Sally, Zoe and Ian

Today the packing continues. When the cleaners came in we went down to St Heliers to take the last library book back and a last paddle. Now we wait.