New Zealand (again)
I've been back to New Zealand for eleven days staying with Mark & Lucy in Auckland.
Thursday 22 - had a pretty good flight and was out to where Mark was waiting for me by not long after 3pm, then headed home where we picked up his son and went to a skateboard park for about 20 minutes, after which we dropped off his son and met a friend of Mark's at a local pub overlooking the beach (when Mark and Lucy first arrived back here from Sydney they used to hang out here because it reminded them so much of Coogee), then back home for a bit before Mark had to head off to pick up his older daughter from Ballet before dinner.
I was too excited to sleep well so it was up with the kids at 6:30am or so, then into Parnell near where Mark works on his way to work, then a bus into town, walked up to the Sky Tower around the corner and spent about 2 hours there, checked out some tours at the i-site there (tourist information centres scattered all over NZ) then walked down to the docks, walked all over the place looking for Dolphin Explorer who run the swimming with dolphins tours, but to no avail, spent a couple of hours at the Maritime Museum which was really good, then had lunch on the pier which was a bit posh, then caught the bus back to Parnell and walked up to the museum where I spent almost 2 hours checking out this special exhibit on the colonisation of the Pacific Islands by the island people (originally from Taiwan according to scientific sources - they had plenty of different islands own legends but I only checked out a few of them) then took a quick squizz at one floor of the museum before walking around the corner to where Mark works for a ride home. We had dinner earlier followed by a game that Lucy had made then sat around talking for a little while after the kids went to bed, but soon followed.
Saturday 24 we were up early again, although I must have been soundly asleep as I didn't wake up until 7am after the kids had been up for about half an hour. We drove over to Devonport and walked all over the fortifications at North Head and had a picnic with chip sandwiches before coming home. I had a talk with Lucy about whether she misses anything from when she did her PhD in chemistry, but she doesn't. Writing children's books in rhyme gives her plenty of mental stimulation. "Mainly Music," a music course for children that Lucy runs once a week that she encouraged me to talk to my church about doing which I might start, is publishing 5 of her songs on their next album.
Their children are three of the most delightful children I've ever met.
Sunday went to the Baptist church with them in the morning and took it easy in the afternoon.
Monday I went over to Devonport in the ferry and checked out the Naval Museum and climbed Mount Victoria where the have an old pop up gun from 1899, had lunch, caught the ferry back, picked up my tickets for an all day trip to the Bay of Islands up north where I will (hopefully) be swimming with dolphins, the checked out the rest of the museum before going to Mark's work and going to a family do with Lucy's recently returned from overseas brother.
Tuesday I checked out the Art Gallery, which was hosting an exhibition called Turbulence with works in other parts of the city. I started with the new gallery then worked my way through the old gallery, which had more stuff which is my kind of thing, then had some lunch and checked out one of the venues for Turbulence which had a documentary on the Dixie Chicks and the three years after one of them made a comment about being ashamed George Bush was from Texas which I watched. Then caught the bus to Parnell and walked back to Mark's work.
Wednesday I took it easy and rested. Thursday 29 I took it easy and started reading 'The Prophet' by Frank Peretti.
Friday Mark dropped me in early to go on my dolphin cruise but the roads to the area I was going to were flooded so I wandered around, went to the Mr Bean movie which I thought was better than the first one (I liked the ending better), then went window shopping. I then found a church to have a bit of a pray in, headed back to where I had been window shopping and bought the Dixie Chick's latest album, which the documentary had inspired me to do (and I liked the songs on it). Then I wandered down to the library and spent a couple of hours looking up books which I couldn't find on the shelves, rang Mark and got a lift home. They had been at a wedding out in the country.
Saturday 31 we went to the zoo, which was pretty good. We caught up with Mark's cousins who were in town for the wedding. Lucy said that was the first time she saw Kiwis in the Kiwi enclosure and she's been there a lot (she has a season pass). That night we went to dinner and an auction at the local Presbyterian church to raise money for a girl going on an exchange student program to Germany. I got a night's babysitting for Mark & Lucy.
Sunday got to the airport just after 4am in time for my plane which was supposed to leave at 6:10am but left at 8:30am. I had a good chat with a bloke on his way home from six months in South America, then back to Australia.
Blessings,
Joe :-)
Thursday 22 - had a pretty good flight and was out to where Mark was waiting for me by not long after 3pm, then headed home where we picked up his son and went to a skateboard park for about 20 minutes, after which we dropped off his son and met a friend of Mark's at a local pub overlooking the beach (when Mark and Lucy first arrived back here from Sydney they used to hang out here because it reminded them so much of Coogee), then back home for a bit before Mark had to head off to pick up his older daughter from Ballet before dinner.
I was too excited to sleep well so it was up with the kids at 6:30am or so, then into Parnell near where Mark works on his way to work, then a bus into town, walked up to the Sky Tower around the corner and spent about 2 hours there, checked out some tours at the i-site there (tourist information centres scattered all over NZ) then walked down to the docks, walked all over the place looking for Dolphin Explorer who run the swimming with dolphins tours, but to no avail, spent a couple of hours at the Maritime Museum which was really good, then had lunch on the pier which was a bit posh, then caught the bus back to Parnell and walked up to the museum where I spent almost 2 hours checking out this special exhibit on the colonisation of the Pacific Islands by the island people (originally from Taiwan according to scientific sources - they had plenty of different islands own legends but I only checked out a few of them) then took a quick squizz at one floor of the museum before walking around the corner to where Mark works for a ride home. We had dinner earlier followed by a game that Lucy had made then sat around talking for a little while after the kids went to bed, but soon followed.
Saturday 24 we were up early again, although I must have been soundly asleep as I didn't wake up until 7am after the kids had been up for about half an hour. We drove over to Devonport and walked all over the fortifications at North Head and had a picnic with chip sandwiches before coming home. I had a talk with Lucy about whether she misses anything from when she did her PhD in chemistry, but she doesn't. Writing children's books in rhyme gives her plenty of mental stimulation. "Mainly Music," a music course for children that Lucy runs once a week that she encouraged me to talk to my church about doing which I might start, is publishing 5 of her songs on their next album.
Their children are three of the most delightful children I've ever met.
Sunday went to the Baptist church with them in the morning and took it easy in the afternoon.
Monday I went over to Devonport in the ferry and checked out the Naval Museum and climbed Mount Victoria where the have an old pop up gun from 1899, had lunch, caught the ferry back, picked up my tickets for an all day trip to the Bay of Islands up north where I will (hopefully) be swimming with dolphins, the checked out the rest of the museum before going to Mark's work and going to a family do with Lucy's recently returned from overseas brother.
Tuesday I checked out the Art Gallery, which was hosting an exhibition called Turbulence with works in other parts of the city. I started with the new gallery then worked my way through the old gallery, which had more stuff which is my kind of thing, then had some lunch and checked out one of the venues for Turbulence which had a documentary on the Dixie Chicks and the three years after one of them made a comment about being ashamed George Bush was from Texas which I watched. Then caught the bus to Parnell and walked back to Mark's work.
Wednesday I took it easy and rested. Thursday 29 I took it easy and started reading 'The Prophet' by Frank Peretti.
Friday Mark dropped me in early to go on my dolphin cruise but the roads to the area I was going to were flooded so I wandered around, went to the Mr Bean movie which I thought was better than the first one (I liked the ending better), then went window shopping. I then found a church to have a bit of a pray in, headed back to where I had been window shopping and bought the Dixie Chick's latest album, which the documentary had inspired me to do (and I liked the songs on it). Then I wandered down to the library and spent a couple of hours looking up books which I couldn't find on the shelves, rang Mark and got a lift home. They had been at a wedding out in the country.
Saturday 31 we went to the zoo, which was pretty good. We caught up with Mark's cousins who were in town for the wedding. Lucy said that was the first time she saw Kiwis in the Kiwi enclosure and she's been there a lot (she has a season pass). That night we went to dinner and an auction at the local Presbyterian church to raise money for a girl going on an exchange student program to Germany. I got a night's babysitting for Mark & Lucy.
Sunday got to the airport just after 4am in time for my plane which was supposed to leave at 6:10am but left at 8:30am. I had a good chat with a bloke on his way home from six months in South America, then back to Australia.
Blessings,
Joe :-)
posted by Joe at
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
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