Each journey begins with a single step...

Where has the time gone...

nomad_kiwis — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 02:07:00 GMT

It seems like only months ago we ended our Mediterranean cruise but it has been well over a year!

At the end of 2023 I joined with other Ulysses members to ride the length of New Zealand raising funds to help those who continue to suffer from the effects of Cyclone Gabriele. It was a great journey and I met lots of new friends. In the months to come we went to Napier and also Wairoa to help in the cleanup of houses there.

In February we had the carpet replaced in our home. Seems like a wonderful easy thing to happen but gosh what a huge job it is! It surely makes you fully aware of all the stuff you have stored everywhere. It of course allows you to sort and to get rid of things but fitting it all back in!!! Lol what a job!

Over Easter we got together with our children and grandchildren and had a wonderful time together. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a yearly event.

Later in the year I travelled to Australia to a friends home for a couple of weeks and did my best to help them as they prepare their property for sale. I really enjoyed it working on the land. Each day we cut trees, fixed fences, tidied the land, I loved it, missed my calling I think.

As soon as I arrived back in NZ I flew to Hawaii, my sisters grandchild Sloane (4 years old) was in hospital there suffering many issues. When I arrived she had already spent 8 weeks in the Intensive Care Unit. Her mum stayed with her during the week swapping places with her dad over the weekend. I was privileged to be able to help by looking after Sloane's sister and two brothers at home while dad continued with his work. It was a wonderful time. Culturally we had a lot of differences as to home life and what we eat but it all went really well, we enjoyed each others company and had lots of fun. Although I live on an island and this, Oahu, is also an island we live very differently especially because of the temperature and weather being so constantly pleasant here. My sister Dawn finished her job and moved with her husband Alan into a different apartment too, so many changes, it was great to be able to be of help and especially to spend lots of time with them. My nephew, Sloane's dad, is a hoot and it was great getting to know him, he loves the sea and of course it's always just a hop, skip and a jump away and so warm.

I was there about a month so had a bit of adjustment when finally arriving home. I'm so grateful to have a partner who doesn't mind going without me for periods of time.

The silly season has passed with quite a bit of sadness with losing a particular friend to cancer, she lived an amazing life, was a very strong woman and an absolute example of happiness and non-judgement to all she met. We lost her on January 5th.

At the beginning of February eight members of my family went on a trip to Tasmania to look up our mothers forebears who were exported there from England. It was a most excellent trip and we got to know our ancestors a little better and saw parts of their present still in our present in the buildings they had built. We also got to know each other better and really enjoyed each others company for the week.

On arriving back in NZ Dawn and Alan (Hawaii) and I drove down the East Coast and went across by ferry to the South Island and went by train from Greymouth to Christchurch and again by train from there to Picton, back over on the ferry and to home for me and Auckland for them. Our father was a train driver and drove on these very tracks we travelled on. Another awesome journey busy every day, seeing new things, revisiting old places. It was a continuation really of the Tasmanian trip in that we revisited family sites, the graveyard of those who came from Tasmania to live here and the places our parents lived whilst raising seven children.

Whilst here Dawn and Alan gave us a gift of an Aura photoframe, we are busy loading digital pictures onto it so it will roll through them and remind us of our adventures. What an excellent gift! Dawn is also helping with the upload from Hawaii, how neat is that. We are up to 1000 pics loaded and thousands to go.

Two weekends in a row after returning from down south I have had bike rides to go to, one with Kent and one all women riders. I'm back home now for a couple of weeks then off again down to the South Island but this time on my bike with a woman friend.

Another adventure looms :)

Flying home

nomad_kiwis — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 22:31:00 GMT

This is going to be an adjustment! Life back in the fast lane...

These are some long serious hours flying to our island in the Pacific. Again we stopped in Dubai but also had a stop in Brisbane. Just a break though (4 hours Dubai and 2 hours Brisbane) and our bags made it all the way with us thankfully.

In NZ we caught a bus to the train to a small town called Huntly where my son delivered our car to us in the rain. Only had a moment to hug the grandies (because of the rain and they were on their tablets in the car) they headed back home, 20 minutes north, and we headed home 1 and half hours south.

Milan & Lake Como, Italy

nomad_kiwis — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 22:29:00 GMT

The next day was spent exploring Milan. We bought tickets allowing travel wherever whenever we wanted while we were there and pretty much looked at what important or interesting things there were and just headed for them on public transport. We saw the Basilica but the lines were so long we didn't bother going in. After Gaudi's beautiful one we didn't feel we were missing much. We decided to look for a museum of Leonardo Da Vinci and got lost sort of wandering in a circle in the end and finding it about 50 metres from where we started! lol so funny, the streets are narrow and the buildings tall so the GPS signal wouldn't work a lot of the time.

One of the public transport options was trams, many of them are very old but they are kept in beautiful condition. We had a chat to one of the drivers who was very excited that we realised how special his tram was, in a couple of years time it will be 100 years old.

Our day trip out on Lake Como was absolutely magic. An upside down Y the lake is long and surrounded by lovely scenery and homes. We were bussed there and had time for breakfast before heading out on the lake with an awesome guide. Lunch and time to explore in Bellagio, awesome food and an excellent walk around the town and surrounding lake edge, we really enjoyed this day.

Back to Genoa, final day on the cruise ship

nomad_kiwis — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 22:23:00 GMT

We have become familiar with this ship and it has helped us to be totally relaxed and we have really enjoyed our cruise! But wait! There's more! Our trip isn't over, today we catch a train to Milan where we have 2 nights AND a day trip on Lake Como!

Up and showered, packed and out of the room by 7.30am as requested. Left a tip for Charlie our room guy, put our bags in a holding area and went for our last buffet meal. We don't usually have breakfast but this is a special moment and we've become quite attached to the wonderful buffet and the surprises and great food it has given us over this past few weeks.

Back to pick up our small bags and then sat waiting for departure time. We talked to a kiwi couple J&J friends we had met on board and found that that morning he had had a fall in the shower and cut open his leg. It was attended to by the medical team onboard but he looked very unwell. We all gathered off the ship and got our suitcases back and started our trek to the train station not far away. We walked with other friends we had made on board, a large family taking the trip together (20 of them, an awesome group). On the way we found the J&J struggling to get down some steps and between us all we helped them to make it to the train. The family took their bags and Kent got one of his crutches out of our bag to help J with his stability walking. We all stayed with them keeping them company and helping where we could.

The train was a one and a half hour trip but became two hours with a delay close to Milan. We found a coffee machine onboard but it ate our money and wouldn't give us anything so Kent hacked into it and got it going again. Luckily our hotel in Milan was very close to the huge train station and we took the bags to it and Kent went back and accompanied J&J slowly over the busy streets and got the hotel to sort them with their room straight away. The hotel was overwhelmed by the numbers of Kiwis arriving all at once to book in. They stowed everyone's bags in the lobby, up the stairs and out the door onto the pavement lol. Everyone slowly got sorted and all remained in a pleasant state of mind. Our room was really nice and a little bigger than our cabin. It's a noisey hotel, we think the metro is running underneath it and it sounded a bit like the ship noises and didn't bother us too much.

We went out for a walk but couldn't find anything open except for pizza (of course) and kebab so went back to the hotel and had dinner at the hotel restaurant. The menu wasn't enthralling so we were going to go back out to look elsewhere again but another kiwi couple we had befriended onboard came and sat beside us and ordered and we ended up chatting together and finally ate there as well. The food was only okay and nothing more, we decided not to eat there again but in the moment it was lovely having that time to have a conversation with our friends.

Marseille, France

nomad_kiwis — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 22:21:00 GMT

First stop in France for this journey. We docked at 8am and shortly afterward we were out planning to walk into town. I had info for the city which we docked in front of that it was close and easily accessed, MSC gave us vouchers to use to catch a bus into town for 17 euro (expensive!) and we couldn't understand why that cost. We walked down the dock, with many others, and shortly came upon a free shuttle bus provided by the city which we caught. Amazingly it took 20 minutes of travel on the bus to get us to Piazza Joillette which was the dropping off point. Much further than I had figured and definitely not walkable quickly.

Right by the Piazza was a big Mall where old dock buildings have been joined together which we wondered through which had signboards promising a museum at the other end of it but we never found it. We did find the tram though and bought a day ticket for 5 euro each and jumped on and off it throughout the day.

First we found a local street market selling fresh fruit, vege and fish etc. Many of the actual shops (in buildings) have windows to sell things to you as you stand on the street, at one of these I bought the nearest description of what we would call in NZ a spring roll but it had mashed sweet potatoe and other delightful tastes in it and was deep fried (so bad but so good) it was DELICIOUS!

Next we travelled to the end of the line and found there was nothing much to see there. We hunted for a loo (toilet) without any luck and a local said to us that we would be lucky to find one anywhere in the city :(

We had passed a big old palace/fountain as we rode the tram and we headed back to see it. It is called Longchamps and it's a huge wonderful old building with a huge fountain or perhaps a spring in it's middle but up high as it's built on a hill with the fountain half way up and the building coming rignt down to the road below. The fountain which appears to be built on a natural grotto, is surrounded by huge statues of bulls leaping out of it. Inside the building we found it housed the Museum of Natural History - so interesting. We walked all over the Museum and the building and up behind it on top of the hill was a large and very peaceful park.

Back on the tram again and looking out for a place to have lunch. We found a cafe with 3 areas, outside but all the smokers were there, a covered area that wasn't that pleasant, and inside which we chose. I had their plat de jour - pork, potatoe and vege a hearty meal, Kent orderd the local Bouillabaise dish which is a fish soup and he really enjoyed it along with his usual local beer.

A wander around and back to Joillette and just in time to catch the shuttle, this time we were in plenty of time and it was a relaxed walk from the free shuttle back to the ship.

Onboard Kent went to bed for a nana nap while I packed my suitcase then headed up to the buffet for dinner, surprisingly it was quite empty, being still full from lunch I didn't eat much. I went to the 8pm show which was a type of finale as tomorrow we leave the ship. It was a good show, very enjoyable. Back to our cabin to find Kent packing. We had to place our suitcases in the corridor by midnight keeping back some clothes and things we need for our day tomorrow.

Malaga, Spain a very special day for us!

nomad_kiwis — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 22:16:00 GMT

Today was one of the most looked forward to days on our trip. Here in Malaga we were to meet up with Gus who we first met in 2010 in Venezuela when we couchsurfed with his family. We have been in close touch with Gus throughout his life as he has gone through many changes of country, work, and family circumstances. He is an awesome young man and we were so looking forward to this day that we were one of the first off the ship to meet up with him.

Gus, who is living in Madrid, got a train down to Malaga. Trains are wonderful in Europe and go everywhere at not that much of a cost. Travel is fast, comfortable and often there are food and coffee dispencers on the trains also. It was a very emotional meetup. We can't express how great it was to be able to spend this day with him.

We walked down the waterfront talking all the way, nothing to 'catch up' on but everything to catch up on if you know what I mean.

We caught the bus up to the Castillo de Gibralfaro which gave fabulous views out over the city and down below into a Bullring. Gus and I talked while Kent explored. Back on the bus and off to visit the Museo Picasso, then lunch in one of the many (in a row) restaurants. Gus picked and did all the ordering, our waiter was also from Venezuela as were some others working there. Gus is very personable and everyone is very pleased to chat with him lol.

We are really enjoying the food part of this trip where in each city we get to explore we try to find the local fare and beer. It's a yum yum tour for sure.

We started walking back to the dock as the day had disappeared before we were ready for it. About half way we realised we were not going to beat time after all and Gus hailed a taxi driven by a very young man just starting out. We made it back to the ship one of the last to board and hurriedly said our tearful goodbyes and raced onboard. Up to the top deck to wave out to Gus from the back of the ship but it was very windy and he couldn't hear us yelling so didn't know we were there. Of course the ship didn't close down the ramps immediately so we could have spent a little longer in saying goodbye rather than the rush we had. Being first time cruisers we are finding out a lot of these things as we go.

We are hoping Gus will visit us in New Zealand in or before 2025 for as long as he can and will get to see what our lives are like here.

Canary Islands, Spain

nomad_kiwis — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:45:00 GMT

18 & 19 Oct A day at sea took us to the Canary Islands the first up being Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Arriving in the morning we disembarked and decided to walk in an opposite direction to the masses. We wandered about and ended up having coffee and tapas in a small bar being served by a local surfer who is married to a Venezualan. Well that gave us a lot to talk about, Marcus knew of NZ and had a friend living in an unknown place there, my brothers and nephews are surfers and of course we have travelled in Venesuela. He kindly allowed us to hotspot to his phone and catch up on events. Each time we are off the ship our first thought is to find a free internet connection, usually there is one at the wharf or in the town but sometimes we have no luck or as when we are on a tour, no time.

Walking further on we found a tramline an caught a tram going across the city up over the hills to a place called La Trinidad. We wandered about there enjoying being right out of the tourist zone. We had been found a store over 3 crowded small levels selling anything you may want in a home and got ourselves a couple of drink bottles. On the ship the buffet has juices available only in the mornings so now we can fill a bottle up to tide us through the days. Feeling hungry we sought out a eatery (Kent has good skills at this) and ended up in one in a back street where the staff didn't speak english at all. With it all bringing back happy memories of buying pizza in a country village in Italy years ago we ordered by hand signal, picture pointing, some known Spanish and French words and ended up with a yummy lunch and much laughter and happiness between all of us.

The tram back took us all the way to the dock, buffet dinner and a show then bed and ready for Lanzarote tomorrow.

20 Oct The wharf where we docked at Lanzarote is designated as part of the main road, it's a long road. There are quite a few on board who like us mostly get off the ship and walk into town or find ways to get there other than the expensive offerings by MSC or taxis etc waiting outside the ship. We walked to the end of the wharf and others off the ship were milling about at the round-about there trying to figure out what the next step was. I went into an eatery on the corner and asked the waiter who directed us to the bus stop which was not obvious and said a bus would be along soon. We headed across the busy double lane road and waited with a few other couples one of whom were wearing HD teeshirts so we of course had to chat. When the bus finally came all the others milling about on the other side of the round-about rushed over to get on too lol. The bus took us a couple of kilometers up the road and we got off at a local mall.

Lanzarote is a very barren dark earthed island with little to no vegetation, we have no idea why anyone would want to live here or even visit sadly. Needing a break from rushing about we chose to sit on the comfy seats at the mall and use the free internet access, Kent is posting a few pics and blurbs about our trip. Next was to explore the whole mall and find a place to eat. We decided upon an eatery that specialised in Iberian Ham (look it up) it was cut for us by our table in a full performance, very thinly, very carefully and displayed beautifully, a very cool experience. And that was it, we ran out of time so back to wait for the local bus... and wait... didn't show... got a bit worried as didn't want the ship to leave without us!

Finally the bus came but with lots trying to crowd on but we've had training lol. Dropped at the long road/wharf and hared it up there at a fast trot. There was another cruise ship docked in front of ours and we assumed it had the same leaving time when we saw a long line of people waiting. Thinking the long line was for the other ship we raced on past it planning to just carry on to the Divina, however what we didn't realise was that the line was for security and everyone from both ships was being checked through this small office. As we pounded past at a pace a woman official came up beside Kent said we'll get a person to take you through! What? Take us through what? Oh! Finally it clicked! Lucky that Kent was wearing shorts and the cripple card was being played lol, we got escorted to the front of this line and were through in a flash. We didn't need to worry about getting back on time as it took them so long to process all the others we had lots of time in the end.

23 Oct another sunbathing, book reading, friend meeting day at sea and we passed back through the Gibraltar Straits again in the night.

Marrakesh, Morocco

nomad_kiwis — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 15:53:00 GMT

17 Oct - The Divina docked at Casablanca which is a large modern city now. This is the only country where we had to take our passports with us when exiting the ship. We had pre-booked to do a day long tour to Marrakech as that would give us a taste of the old world way of living, and we would be able to see the old buildings etc. You may know that a couple of weeks previously there had been an earthquake in the mountains just beyond Marrakech, lots of villages were devastated and many lives were lost, Marrakesh itself was affected only lightly in comparison.

We boarded our bus and got on our 3 hour journey inland. The road was good quality and once we got out of Casablanca it wasn't crowded. We sat at the front of the bus and although the driving wasn't as crazy as it is in Italy it seemed like vehicles (including our bus) just drifted in and out of their lanes, from one to the other or just sitting slightly or totally over the middle line between the lanes. Our bus driver complained constantly about the other drivers and we were sure the drivers behind were doing the same about him. I wasn't feeling that good, it sort of felt like hay fever, and took a couple of panadol and slept a lot.

Our tour guide Sayed sat in the other front seat across from us so we were able to have small conversations with him when he wasn't talking on the intercom, which he did constantly. He googled interesting facts about the country and his world and relayed them to us in a steady stream. Our first stop was at a garage/eatery where I got a wrap and Kent a coffee and we both went to the loo. My loo was a squat one with water to wash yourself which I like or even prefer, Kent's luckily was a western style one which was good because he can't squat. I wonder how locals who can't squat get on now that I think about it.

Marrakesh is considered a green city, they are busy planting palms on the enty to the city and there are many plants growing everywhere. Of course it's a long way from our thought of being green, it's underlying theme is still brown and dry but for those used to living without many plants growing around them we could understand it's claim to greenness. We were driven straight to the Soukh or bazaar and Sayed on a walk through all of it's alleyways of makers and sellers. We had a local helper at the back of the group to make sure no-one got lost. It was interesting but we had no time to admire or buy anything because of the pace. We were taken to a restaurant and served some wonderful food, first an entree dishes to eat with bread then 2 large bowls of hot vege and meat, next an orange with green peel and lastly a wonderful biscuit. A bottle of red wine and some water was on the table and at the end of the feast a man brought a tray with small glass tea cups on it and proceeded to make a display of pouring us some tea. We were entertained on a central round stage by 3 different dancing women. The first danced with a candelabra on her head full of lit candles, the second was a belly dancer and the third used lights to do a performance with a beautiful flowing dress like a butterfly.

We visited an old Koran school, now not required as the Koran is taught in their normal schooling. It is a beautiful building with lace like designs on the walls. We were still in the Soukh and continued our walk which was quite difficult because despite there being a sign of two saying that motorscooters were not to be ridden through the narrow lanes we were constantly battling scooters traveling in both directions along with carts and of course locals walking about. There was some scaffolding up which we thought may be from the effects of the earthquake, it held walls or covered the lanes above us.

Back at the main Jamaael-Fna square we were left to our own devices for about half an hour. There were men with monkeys on leads making them perform and jump to command and if any tourists took or tried to take a picture they would rush over and demand a fee. The monkeys didn't look happy and some a bit scared. There were also snake charmers, Kent said they sew the snakes lips shut but I didn't get close enough to see. Neither of us like this kind of inhumane treatment of animals, we prefer that they are left in their natural habitat so we didn't go near or take pics. We walked about the myriad of stalls most selling the same things, what we did admire was the leatherwork that was on display, we had passed many of the small rooms where they were tanning and preparing the leather.

Unfortunately we didn't get to see the 'beautifully decorated Saadian Tombs' or the 'magnificent late 19th century Bahia Palace and gardens' that were promised in the description of our tour. Our return journey was without issue apart from Kent feeling the same way that I had felt on our morning journey. We arrived back at the ship around 9.30pm and they kept the buffet open for us which was thoughtful.

Genoa then BARCELONA

nomad_kiwis — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 08:26:00 GMT

14 Oct - we arrived in the morning but didn't rush to get off the ship. In NZ I had plotted a walk around some of the attractions like the Maritime Museum and the Aquarium but when we got to them they were far too expensive so we ditched the plan and just took to our usual style of just wandering about. We found San Lorenzo a black and white Duomo and visited inside, Kent went up into it's tower with views out over the city. Outside we chatted with a couple of guys who told us about a window in the Duomo that a rich man living opposite had paid to have made so that it looked square on from the entry to his business which was slightly forward of the church. It was a well executed illusion, must have cost heaps. We also were told a story about a dog that became friends with the builders and they included him in the small statues on the steps, well hidden but Kent found it.

Ended up in the centre by a lovely big fountain and stumbled upon a small non restaurant looking place that served 'pinsa' we ate that along with Kent getting his usual local beer. The pinsa was delicious, a puffier pizza with cheese, potatoe and beans on it. I tried a toasted cheese sandwich but it was a fail really, they don't put butter on their bread here and that thought included the sandwich so it just didn't work.

Our route back to the docks took us through some tunnels and past an Asian shop where we got a can of beer and a bottle of lychee drink. In the evening we had dinner at the Black Crab but didn't enjoy it. We had been alternating between it and the buffet and find that we much prefer the buffet where the choice of food is wide and varied and you can help yourself as you like and you can see out the large windows. In the Black Crab you come at a certain time to a certain table, they want to serve you wine or water first and it's costly (plus everything has a 15% tax to add) then the choices aren't the most wonderful and you have to wait for it to come to you. We felt much happier in the buffet so kicked the Black Crab to the curb.

We were going to see the show but I didn't feel the best so went back to the cabin. The AB's verses Ireland game was on and the Kiwi and Irish voyagers rolled together like large jellybeans in a tumbler and ended up in one of the top lounges where someone was able to hack the tv and cast the game for all to see. It was apparently an awesome game which very close and well played. Many commisserations were made to the Irish on board when the score put the AB's going through to the final.

I slept the night until 1pm the next day solidly and with panadol to help, to catch the dreaded lurgy on the petri dish is to be expected.

15th Oct BARCELONA - as our time here was short we had booked a tour to make sure we made the most of our time. The ship docked at 3pm which put us a little behind schedule but our guide Julio was great. The bus took us straight in to the Sagrada Familia by Gaudi (architect). WOW what a building! We saw it from the outside and Julio also took us through the inside. He was well versed on all of it's information, we wore earphones and he guided us through all the different amazing parts of the church and then left us to wander through it's museum.

This church is the first one that I have thought of as a real church. No gold here while the locals starve outside, it's all about nature and light, all about him (Gaudi) praising his god for the beauty of the world which he was representing in that amazing building. I will never forget that experience. Gaudi was a wonderful architect, the colours of the windows and the ceilings and height, everything has a meaning. He and his supporters bought a piece of unwanted barren land outside the city and started to build it. It took a long time as money was an issue and came from ordinary people, not the catholic church. Now-a-days it is funded by tourist dollars and is expected to be completed, true to Gaudi's original intent, this century.

We visited two other buildings created by Gaudi, they were very different and very cool also. Back to the ship by 7pm, dinner and bed.

16 Oct another sea day and clocks changed again. We are reading and swapping books with others in our leisure time and also dressing in the evenings so that we feel that we are going out and it's fun. Most evenings we see the show that's on although it's hard for me to stay awake when the lights go down if we've had a full on walking day. On the evening of this sea day we passed through the Straits of Gibralter, it was dark so not much to see.

Next stop Morocco

Backa toa Roma

nomad_kiwis — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 08:47:00 GMT

13 Oct and back at the port of Civitavecchia where the Italians were replaced by a mix Europeans. Still destined to be a noisey ship just because of the numbers but a slightly lower decibels. We had booked a tour this day to go to the Vatican, we were herded to our bus and met a seemingly charming guide called Sirini. She spoke a little on the 40 minute journey into Rome giving us some facts on the area and once in the city we drove past many of the famous spots that we had seen on foot. We were then all let off near the Vatican. Sirini said we had a short time for a lunch break and that she knew of a charming eatery with wonderful food at very reasonable prices if we wanted to follow her. Well she headed off at a fair trot, we had one man with issues who could not keep up, I stayed with him and his wife and Kent went about half way between us and the group to wave over the tops of the very busy sidewalks and keep us on track. Sirini didn't care that someone was being left behind and we discovered later the reason for her rush.

She wound about the streets and finally came to the restaurant where they took us right inside where tables were set up in a room not outside on the street as is usual. The owner came out and spoke to us in English and said their speciality was spaghetti and meatballs and if we didn't order that which was already prepared then they would not have time to serve us all and we would not have time for our lunch. Most did order the meatballs which were a less than enjoyable meal. We had a menu and most plates were around 12 euro and no-one thought to ask about the price of the S&M dish well more fool us all! When our bills came the S&M dish was 20 euro, there was a 5 euro serbing charge per person! and Sirini (who had sat outside in the sun to eat with the MSC girl) had the cheek to come around and say to each table that we must remember to give a tip. We were angry but paid the bill with no tip but others refused to pay the 5 euro charge and had it deducted, I wish we had thought to do that.

We followed Sirini to the Vatican, compared to the journey to the restaurant it was straigh forward andnot that far. After talking with the others who said she was on her phone a lot we figured that she was not only walking fast and winding through the streets to make us feel lost but also to make sure the restaurant had time to prepare for us all. Not good to feel scammed like that but a small thing in the overall.

At the Vatican we were divided into two groups with different guides and escorted through the church. Our guide was nice but told us he wasn't going to nor was he able to tell us much about all the statues we would pass walking through but he figured we were only here to see the Sistine Chapel painting by Michelanglo so lead us there really. When I went through about 25 years ago my memory was of walking down long halls of paintings but today there was none of that so I'm unsure if my memory is wrong, I remember a different place or the tour was substandard...

After admiring the Sistine Chapel we went back out to find our bus. On the street was an artist and I bought one of his paintings that reminded us of the evening we walked back through the lit up city togetther a week ago. It was a magical evening that made us love Rome and the art captured that.

Next stop Genoa

Santorini, Mykonos and those Italians

nomad_kiwis — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 09:49:00 GMT

The day at sea was enlightening, since the ship was sailing from Rome to the Greek Islands and back a lot of the voyagers onboard were Italians. Wonderful people individually but as a group wow, talk about LOUD! The Kiwis and Ozzies were having a very hard time with the volume up on mid decks where most things went on including loud piped music and started seeking out the quieter areas on board. Not only were they loud but they were less good mannered than we have been taught to be and would often push in to wherever they wanted to be. This trait turned into an issue in Santorini. One saving grace was that because of the way they live they rise late for breakfast so we would all have a quiet morning until around 10am.

Breakfast at the buffet is a smorgasbord of everything wonderful, fruit for me (watermelon, rock melon etc) bircher muesli and other things for Kent, the Europeans start the day with sweet pastries and cake. Slightly wierd seeing sweets and cakes out for breakfast. And of course coffee, hot chocolate, juices and water. We fill a couple of mugs with juice to take to see us through the day as apparently it is a breakfast only offering.

10 Oct 7am we arrived in Santorini, lovely to come into a port whilst eating breakfast by the big windows in the buffet area. Unloading was by tender and by room number, it was about 10am before we actually got on the island at Amoudi. There were about 5 cruise ships in the port so you can imagine how many people were on the dock waiting in line to go up to up to the town of Fira/Thira by cable car! It would have been an hours wait at least but I got talking to a ferryman and we bought a ticket to Oia which is at the northern end of the island and is possibly the most picturesque of Santorini's towns.

Off the ferry and onto a shuttle, up to a larger bus and up to the town of Oia. BEAUTIFUL! We only had about half an hour to walk around there as our whole time on the island was only about 4 hours total. We wandered along the main street looking out over the bay taking photos of the white houses curving down to the ocean below. Then walked back to catch the bus to Fira, a half hour ride. Time enough in Fira to find an Irish Tavern out of the hordes and have lunch then we found the line to get back on the cable car. This line was an hour to an hour and half long. We stood with all the others and wondered why we weren't moving faster. The line snaked along a cobbled street, around a small square and down to the cable car entry. Why were these people passing us? Where were they going? Oh... they were going to push in further up at the end of the square! Boy was everyone getting angry about it!

Kent and another Kiwi guy decided they had had enough and become the heroes of the line by standing guard at the end of the square and making the pushy buggars go back to the line end. Kent has no fear in these situations but can also be firm but calm, they dealt with many many people including one small older Italian woman who yelled at cried out at the top of her voice! She failed in her efforts suffice it to say. Many in the line congratulated Kent and offered to buy him a beer. As a result of these efforts the line started to progress, it was a hot day and the line was in the sun, a few of those around us (English, American, Oz) had partners with health issues and we were finding places for them in the shade whilst we held our places in line. By the time we got to the cable cars we were all firm friends, they were off the other cruise ships.

Oia was lovely to visit but the whole event was a bit of a shambles with not enough time allowed what was required to have a proper visit.

10 & 11 Oct - After leaving Santorini we sailed straight to Mykonos getting there in the late evening. We were allowed to leave the ship and go into the town but we were too tired after the day and retired to bed early.

In the morning we got on the local ferrytaxi and headed to town, it was a very windy day and I was only dressed for sun. Luckily the streets are narrow and winding so kept the wind a bit at bay. Of course the Kiwis and Ozzies were up and on their way early but the town was not even open, couldn't even get a coffee. We walked for ages to find some toilets and discovered there are only 2 public ones here.

The lanes of the town are very cute made of large stones which are painted around in white. You can tell if you wander into a suburban lane as it gets dirty and has poo from cats and birds underfoot so we got directed subconsciously down the correct lanes. There were lots of cats about, not particularly well fed and it looked like they lived in the town as opposed to being house cats. We finally found a bakery and had coffee and Baklava. Later on we found a nice restaurant and ordered every greek thing we didn't know off the menu, Tzatziki, Souvlaki, Moussaka, Kent had a local beer and me the fresh squeezed orange (why don't we do that at home?). It was a wonderful meal at a very reasonable cost. We tried to go to a museum but they couldn't open because their power supply was acting up.

Back to the ship to a lazy deck afternoon.

12 Oct another sea day and clocks forward an hour again - I got up and out on deck at 7am to find a quiet spot in an empty spa right at the rear of the ship. Amazingly I was able to have half an hour there on my own. Got back to the cabin to find Kent had done the washing and our cabin now looked like a chinese laundry :)

I've been worried about how empty the Mediterranean Sea feels, it's like there's nothing living in it but today while having lunch I saw a turtle waiting for the ship to pass and later I saw a lone dolpin. Feeling a bit better about it now.

Next stop back to Rome

Syracuse and Valletta, Malta

nomad_kiwis — Sat, 7 Oct 2023 14:30:00 GMT

We have been given a cruise card, same size as a credit card, which will do everything for us in relation to this ship. It gets us in and out of our cabin, puts any purchases onboard onto our account, records us when going on and off the ship so they know who is missing.

I got up for the morning workout on the pool deck then lay and dozed in the sun in a deckchair until another dance workout started so got up and into that, it was great.

At 2pm 7 Oct we arrived at Syracuse on the island of Sicily, following the instructions we'd sorted in NZ we left the ship and walked over the bridge into Ortigia. First we went looking for a Pharmacy as Kent had stump problems, unfortunately arriving at that time means everyone and most shops are shut for a 2 hour lunch. We wandered looking for The museum of Leonardo Da Vinci and Archimedes which we found in a small back street. It was very interesting with working models of Da Vinci's drawings.

Back to the Pharmacy and also to an optician where they sorted Kent's glasses without charge. We walked the streets of Syracuse and I found it a very pretty and calm relaxing place. We found our way into a church where a couple were getting married then found a shop that was selling cream cones full of ricotta cheese the consistancy of a cream freeze, boy was it yummy!

We found ourselves at the battlements of the port but sadly were unable to explore it as it was just closing. We watched the sun setting and more newly weds having photo's taken as we walked back along the sea front. Walking on into the town proper we found a nice pizza restaurant where we had a wonderful meal and Kent his local beer. A short walk back to the wharf and ship after a very nice day. On the ship I slept through the evening show as soon as they dimmed the lights lol.

8 Oct we arrived at the city of Valletta on the small island of Malta and discovered it is a British protectorite. We arrived in the port as we were having breakfast so took lots of pics of the lovely views. The town is up on battlements so we walked along below until we found a lift to take us up into the town. After walking through the Upper Barrocca Garderns we found ourselves in a central square and St John's church which was jaw droppingly ornate inside. The walls were covered with ornate gold and painted walls and ceilings but the most amazing part was the floors. The floors were made of the gravestones of the knights of Malta and were mosaic marble. No pics as a service was being held (in Latin) and it seemed disrespectful to do so.

It was early so the streets were emptyish, we ended up at Fort St Elmos where we bought combo tickets and spent hours exploring the Fort and then watching a movie on Malta, all very interesting. Back out onto the, by now, very busy streets to find lunch and ended up in a food hall where we ate 'Maltese Street Food' served by an Indian guy and cooked by Asians lol. The food (rabbit stew was the local go to which Kent had) was excellent.

More of a wander then headed back to the ship. Kent loved Malta and wants to move there when he retires.

Dinner at the Black Crab and the show was ABBA so I went on my own haha.

9 Oct was a lazy day at sea and clocks back an hour.

Next stops Santorini and Mykonos

How about going on a 25 day Mediterranean cruise then?

nomad_kiwis — Tue, 3 Oct 2023 21:10:00 GMT

We have just returned from this trip 3 - 30 October 2023. This is written posthumously from my diary and will be in several parts :

A year ago when perusing Facebook we saw an advert for a Mediterranean cruise with MSC for NZ$5,500 pp inclusive of flights. Seemed too good to be true but we applied for information and it seemed it was as advertised. We paid a small deposit and the rest over the next 8 months which also made it easy to get the funds together. When it came time to get the flights there was an extra NZ$500 pp cost to pay and we bought 3 ship excursions that we felt were absolutely necessary. We didn't buy any onboard packs (drinks, internet etc).

Time seems to be passing more and more quickly and what seemed to be a long time away suddenly was upon us. We arranged for a wonderful house/pet sitter to take care of things in New Zealand, packed a suitcase each and on October 3rd we flew to Rome. Our flight was with Emirates = Auckland to Dubai (17.25 hrs) stopover of 3.5 hrs, Dubai to Rome (6.15 hrs). Long flights but as we left Auckland at 9pm we were already ready to sleep so most of that first long journey disappeared into zzzz's.

Our arrival at Flumicino Airport, Rome was roughly 1.30pm Rome time and although the walk through the airport to baggage pickup, customs, then to the bus platform was a long one it was without issues. We missed the bus by 2 minutes and had to wait an hour for another whilst chatting to another Kiwi couple heading to the same cruise. By now we had met a few other groups heading for the same destination, including a family of about 20 of all ages. The bus we took reintroduced us to the Italian road rules, we sat in the front seats and had a bird's eye view of the crazy way Italians drive bringing back memories of when we drove around over here about 12 years ago. We chose this bus because it dropped us very close to our Rome hotel near the Vatican.

It was a nice hotel and we were fairly quickly settled into our room. Kent had a quick nap whilst I headed off to find an ATM that couldn't eat our card (this happpened to us in Afrika) and got some Euro cash and a couple of staples for the fridge from a small supermarket which was quite difficult to find. We headed straight out to walk around the city centre on a journey we had planned whilst at home taking in the Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps and we ate at a small local restaurant. Despite being evening there were a lot of people out and about and lots at each of the tourist sites. Dinner time in Italy is from 8 to 10pm approximately which can make for a long day if you are an early riser. Back to the hotel about midnight.

Our second day we caught an early taxi to the Roma Termini and got on the 6am train to Napoli where we had breakfast (E$4 for a cappucino, croissant and a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice) and caught another train to Pompeii. We had prepurchased all these tickets online in NZ, the sites weren't all exactly easy to navigate in English but we managed and had no hiccups when using them. Pompeii opened at 9am and we were the first ones through the gates. It's an amazing place to walk around, I wasn't that enthused about going to see a place where so many died but discovered it was more about visiting a city that had been frozen in time. It was very interesting although I ran out of steam well before Kent did so I just sat in the shade on the huge stones lining the streets and waited for him to finish exploring.

2 trains back to Rome again, the Rome - Napoli one was a fast train and on the return journey it had the speed showing in the carriage, it peaked at 300kmph which was pretty cool. Train travel is very reasonable as to cost, time and comfort.

Back in Rome we walked to the Colloseum and went through it catching the end of the day and so no lines and less people, still plenty of time to see it all. Next the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The wander through the streets back to the hotel took us through some very interesting streets and buildings, it was late and many areas were lit up and especially along the river it was magical. We ate at our hotel and we so shattered (I did 23,941 steps and Kent 29,320!) that we could hardly converse with our maitre d' or eat very much. Bed and out to it!

No early start today, we only had to pack up and catch the metro to the Termini (much cheaper!) and try to find the train to Civitavecchia, the port near Rome. It was quite a mission and we only found the right platform by Kent reading the very small print on a very large poster. We stowed out bags and had a good trip to the station that was only a shuttle ride away from the port. We joined a long line of people dropping bags in one spot and carrying on to customs in another. It was all pretty seamless and quick and next thing we were on the huge liner called "MSC Divina" which was to be our home for the next 25 nights.

Our cabin was mid ship and mid levels, an internal cabin with a queen sized bed with sidetables, armchair, large wardrobe, desk and compact but perfectly ok ensuite. As we're in the cheapseats there's no porthole to look out or balcony for stargazing. We went up on deck and had an explore and sat by the pool in the sun. I haven't mentioned that the weather so far has been absolutely perfect.

We had been given a time of 7pm for dining in the Black Crab Restaurant each evening if we wish to otherwise there was a large buffet we could eat at at any time. Being the first night we chose the Restaurant and met a few more Kiwis seated with and near us. All very exciting. Each night there is to be a show on at the Pantheon Theatre so we went to see the show and headed to bed. So far it's fabulous and we have made the most of our time each day which we plan to continue to do going forward.

Next = we head East

Rarotonga

nomad_kiwis — Tue, 9 May 2023 09:32:00 GMT

For my birthday we went to Rarotonga. It happened because Jetstar sent me an email saying I had a credit that had to be used within a couple of months! I panicked a bit and thought of a place and booked our tickets. I have always wanted to go there as my sister-in-law was from there, I loved her and have always wanted to see the place she came from.

After dropping our cat to the cattery, our dog to our family and parking our car in the airport parking, we headed into the airport. We only had carry on which is usual for us but when we were in the line to check in I realised I had a pair of scissors in my bag in my embroidery. A man was in the next part of the snake of people waiting, he had a big suitcase so I asked him if he would mind putting my embroidery in there. He didn't mind and in it went - whew!

It was the evening of my birthday that we flew out and we arrived in Rarotonga the day before, wonderful! I got to celebrate my birthday twice lol. We arrived in a bit of stormy weather and it was like flying into Wellington on a windy day, the whole plane clapped when we landed safely. We got off the plane and went straight through, having only carry on, but we had to wait outside customs for the man with my embroidery :) There was a shuttle to our accommodation, Tropical Sands, which we had to pay $50 for, we had arrived before the last bus and should have caught that for $5 each, our destination was only about 10km away.

We met our hosts, a lovely Hawaiian couple and were given a self contained room right on the beach, upstairs but with nothing underneath. We could hear the waves crashing very loudly on the beach outside. The room had everything we needed, a small kitchen, a queen sized bed, a couch, ensuite and large deck overlooking the beach. The reef was about 15 metres out from the property and the huge waves were breaking and then disappearing as the bottom of them hit the reef and were cut off.

The first week was a rainy one we explored the island by bus and walked a lot. Muri with beaches, lagoon, restaurants etc was 3 km away and we walked there a couple of times. Right by Tropical Sands was a petrol station and attached food shop, we found the cost of things quite expensive there though. There was also a pizza/burger shop next door to it open in the evenings, the food there was great.

Second week the weather improved, we hired a scooter and raced madly around the one main road stopping at everything that looked like anything of possible interest. Not much to see, we went to every museum etc, happy to pay even though they were tiny and not really worth it. We ate out at restaurants in the evenings the food really was really good and not overly expensive which was amazing considering the cost of everything else.

One of the fine days we climbed up to The Needle. It nearly killed me but we made it. The track fools you by starting gently then slowly getting more and more difficult until you are climbing vertically up tree roots. By that time you've got to keep going even though you are nearly dead because of the time and effort you've already invested. After getting back down we got to the icecream van in the main street just as he was closing and sat with him talking about life and lots of different things and sang with a guy from Estonia who was there too.

We went to the movies one night, which just shows the lack of things to do. We did do a show and meal and also went out on the lagoon on a boat which included snorkling and a meal and some fun. Two weeks was a bit long, ten days would have been enough for what there is to keep you occupied. If you want an enforced rest then this is the place.

Just a heads up, it's hard to get information there about anything that's going on. For example there was no bus on Sundays and although we booked a trip on that day and said we would come by bus no-one ever said it wasn't running. It also stopped for half a day without warning on another day when we needed it lol. Got a lot of walking done because of that which was positive I guess. It's not a flash island, if you don't swim, snorkel, sunbathe, or fish then there's not much there for you really.

2023 A new year and about *** time

nomad_kiwis — Thu, 9 Feb 2023 15:33:00 GMT

The thought of a new year, new adventures, new travels, new rides, was soul lifting but as we float (literally) on into the second month of 2023 I realise that someone forgot to tell the weatherman/person that it is now summer. Now of course I'm speaking of us down here in the tropics :) The weather is wonky worldwide atm. Winter places are getting summer weather, storms here and there out of the blue, freakish cold snaps in supposedly warm places. In New Zealand it's rain. It's been raining for about 6 months, feels like 6 years. We can count the number of lovely days on our fingers and toes. There's been so much rain that Auckland almost got washed away. Mind you this is mainly the North Island, the South Island is doing okay thank you very much. They send their regards but well life's a bitch sometimes and they're just glad it's not them basically.

This year is going to be a busy one is the plan. January disappeared before we realised although I have memories of going to the Auckland Folk Festival in the township of Kumeu which nearly floated away while we carried on singing. The rain was so bad Auckland declared a State of Emergency, we were in the motorhome so all good, the festival was ramped back but continued, we just donned gumboots and umbrella's. Then there was a heavy metal/rock concert out on a farm by Kihikihi in the sun with great constant music and exceptional views. And a trip to Auckland to see Sarah Millican perform, boy she tells dirty jokes and wow so funny!!!

February includes a ride with a mate down to Invercargill over a couple of weeks. For those who haven't yet travelled to our paradise the South Island is the most beautiful part of it. I of course am biased as I am a Mainlander having been born in Kaikoura. Biased or not, most Kiwis would agree it's scenery is absolutely stunning. Fingers crossed for a wonderful ride and cagers who look out for us.

March brings a group ride up to the top of the North Island and back over a long weekend. It's women riders group and an awesome one at that. Every time I am with them I feel grateful to know each and every one. Straight speaking, funny, honest, accepting, it's great to be riding with them. After that there's WOMAD in the motorhome, yay WOMAD, it's such a diverse festival. Two and a bit days of all sorts of things going on in the New Plymouth Botanical Gardens. I just love it.

My daughter and moko G are coming over in April YAY! Wow it's going to be a fabulous year! Despite the rain!

Hawaii - better 2 years later than never...

nomad_kiwis — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 19:35:00 GMT

Two years ago my eldest sister turned 70 and my two sisters and I planned and booked a trip to be together to celebrate this event in July 2020. Of course it never happened, life in relation to travel came to a full stop so the event was missed. This year we resurrected it and met in Hawaii where my other sister lives and spent a couple of weeks together.

It was a wonderful time for the three of us. We did something new every day. We went all over the island of Oahu and experienced many of it's delights in views, places, food and beaches. We got to swim (only just warm enough for me) in the clear sea a few times. We experienced the Polynesian Cultural Centre and it's food and performances.

On my last week we flew to The Big Island (the island of Hawaii) where we hired a car and explored. Got to see it's smoking active volcano and meet some local Harley riders. We stayed a night in Hilo, I really loved this town. It was a really interesting trip.

My brother, who also lives in Hawaii, was at that time visiting New Zealand. Unsurprisingly, and lucky for us, he and his wife returned early from their trip because they couldn't handle the very cold weather. So we got to spend time with them and amazingly also their son, my nephew, who had just arrived back from living in Japan!

So a truly family holiday, catch-ups all around. I'm hopeful to return again next year if the fares aren't too expensive and visit again.

I did return home with something more than memories though. We all caught Covid, we must have gotten infected on the flight to or from The Big Island. It made itself known on the first night home and I went straight into isolation for a week. Welcome home...

First flight out of NZ for the longest time

nomad_kiwis — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 06:53:00 GMT

I'm in Oz with my daughter and granddaughter having not seen them for around 3 years. It's wonderful to be here, and it's lovely weather. A few things have changed in C's house. The kitchen, bathroom and laundry have been remodelled and the whole house inside and out has been repainted. I've been busy weeding her large retaining bank next to the house and also painting balustrades.

Georgia and I have been at the beach and parks together while mum works. I got to go out with a friend on his Kawasaki 1400 GTR for a good long ride. I thought it might be hard to be on the back but as I have ridden pillion with him years ago it all felt quite natural. It was great to be out in the wind. His wife, my long time friend, and I have been able to spend time together too. So good to reconnect.

I came a week early as I was sitting at home afraid to go out in case I caught the bot and would not be allowed to fly. So changed my flight and headed over. G had the bot when I arrived but neither C nor I got it from her. I'm now half way through the visit and it's going fast.

A bit of a boring post but just a note really, hard to believe I'm finally here...

A Brave New World

nomad_kiwis — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 12:13:00 GMT

New Zealand is finally opening it's borders. This is a HUGE move for us. We have been keeping ourselves quietly occupied and alive in our own sweet paradise while the rest of the world has been dealing with Covid 19. The number of deaths we have had here have been minimal in comparison to other countries but the payment for some has been high. Tourism operators, restaurants and cafes have been hard hit financially. For us locals though it has been wonderful to wander in our own backyard without overseas visitors filling up every space and causing high prices for things. Not that we don't love visitors, we do, but this small breather is magic. We have really been missing the backpackers who do tons of bitsa jobs around the country and often at our place. I will be very happy when those Helpx'ers return and along with chatting about travels and other countries our garden will get tended to and our big retaining walls may get a coat of paint.

It was a bit scary there for a bit as I came here to write a new update and the site wouldn't work. I emailled but got no reply. Sad I thought, this blog is a record of our travels, at first, and now our lives. It has been going for 12 or so years now and the readership which commonly sat at around 1,000 and peaked at 4650 has now dwindled to under 200 which I imagine is mostly family, but someone may miss these small stories from Rotorua, Kiwilandia. As this is a great record of our lives I have been copying and pasting it into a document which I have just brought up to date and it is 253 pages long in a small font. While keeping this blog I have also been writing in diaries, my plan is to combine my diary writings with what I have downloaded and also add in photos taken through the years to create a memory for our families. It might end up quite large...

Even more scary is what some madman is doing overseas to ordinary people going about their ordinary business. We just got over having a weird possibly mad man in another country now another has raised his head. What is the world coming to?

Sometimes I'm so glad we live at the bottom (top?) of the world.

BTW a very happy 7th birthday to my sweet Friday 13th gingernut grandson Darcy who I love with all my heart. I hope your 8th year will be your happiest yet.

2022 is here

nomad_kiwis — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 13:01:00 GMT

Who would have thought we'd be living though this pandemic just 2 full years ago. Of course we are very lucky here in paradise islands, we are just, apparently, going to be feeling the effects of the dreaded COVID now while the rest of the world has been suffering for almost 2 years. And that's all I want to say as it's been fine for some and terrible for others.

Our summer has been the same so far. It is hot hot hot. But not only that it is muggy muggy muggy. The humidity index has been off the charts for our country, we are not used to living in wet heat. I don't notice humidity much but have been feeling it too. The lakes and rivers and being well used I tell you.

A couple of weeks ago I joined with some other women and rode north up to Kaukapakapa and back over 2 days. It was a fabulous trip with great company and at 'Cowkop' we stayed the night at a friends home and had a swim and spa with drinkies and lots of laughs. After arriving back in Rotorua the next day I rode around Lake Taupo with friends on another excellent jaunt. Altogether over those 3 days we covered over 1100 kilometers in beautiful weather (it's cooler on the bike lol).

Our bathroom is still in a state of flux. Whilst the floor has been up Kent has tidied up the plumbing which was looking like a crazy mans efforts and moved the pipes away from above our downstairs rooms to behind the back wall. We have bought a vanity and a bath and the hot water is back on as cutoff taps have been installed. A way to go yet but getting there.

I am back learning Maori but this time full time and full immersion. My issue has always been that I can read and write it a bit now but when it comes to speaking my mind goes blank. It has always been a need of mine to speak Maori, I have no idea why this is, and I am glad to have this opportunity to move closer to this.

Kent's back which he broke last February is healing slowly and although it's hard for him to do some things still he is doing heaps better. His sister moved over to Napier from Perth last year and we have been really enjoying having her here but last weekend on a trip down there she told us all that she is returning to Perth. We will really miss her, I don't think she realises how many people will feel the same but she must do what she needs to do.

I'm missing my mokopuna (grandchildren) but not enough time to see them at the moment. I have my eldest Kat each week to pick up after school and take to swimming lessons. She stays overnight which is cool, she is still going to school nearby. They are growing up so fast, Veronica is now crawling and I haven’t even seen it!

Ah well, c’est la vie

Normality?

nomad_kiwis — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 20:46:00 GMT

I have returned to my home, my home, my home. It's a weird feeling returning. I'm out of sorts. I look around and see that I have entirely too much stuff. Things are in a mess and so many things need doing here that it becomes overwhelming to even think about them all. Our bathroom is a bit further on than where it was. I removed all the walls and vinyl off the floor, we took out the shower, bath and vanity before I went away. Now the bath cradle is gone and a repair has been made to the floor but that's it.

Our old friend/flatmate John has returned to stay with us, this time he is staying in the apartment below. We are sharing his shower as we have none upstairs now. This is ok and not ok. It works and it doesn't work. Kent goes down and showers before going to work, John is usually still in bed. When he gets up he has a shower. However, the cylinder in the apartment is too small for 3 showers so I haven't figured out yet where I can fit in.

Today I went for a ride on my Harley, it was wonderful to be back out on the road and the weather and company of friends was magic.

Did someone say it's Christmas?

Fire! Fire!

nomad_kiwis — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 09:26:00 GMT

Fire the boss!! The bus was taken to have it's CoF but sadly it failed on some small and large things. Much frustration and discussion about the abilities and mindset of the testing officer ensued but despite the angst the work must be done. The bus was parked close to the huge shed, no small endeavour as it's a 10.5 mtr bus and the driveway is curved. Dad however is a great driver.

Repair number 4 after the small jobs of indicators etc was rust on the front step below a now non-opening door. So Dad fabricated a new plate and set about welding it in place. All went well until it didn't... We were inside with the children when a distressed slightly black figure appeared at the door - the bus was on fire! We all rushed out.

The fire was actually out now but we were all upset, worried, excited by it all. Whilst welding under the step Dad had forgotten to check what was sitting above in inside the bus. Several flamable things were and proceeded to burst into flames when the temperature reached that point. Dad was made aware of the predicament when the glass in the door cracked with a loud BANG! He jumped up and ran into the bus, grabbed things and ran out with them setting alight a the back of two seats on the way by. Whilst running he realised he actually had a fire extinguisher right in the front of the bus by the fire so rushed back in and it was sorted quick smart.

The children were understandably upset especially when boogie boards and favorite folding chairs were now black and melted. Reminders were issued about the happiness they must feel that Dad was alive and the bus still ok and Christmas that is 3 weeks away.

I spent a day with a wet towel across my face in the front of the bus with no air cleaning all the dust from the extinguisher out of under the dashboard and front steps. It is horrible blue stuff that smells terrible and feels cancerous :( I also had to scrape off dollops of melted goop from the assorted burnt articles now thrown in the 'to the tip' trailer. I moved back into my small motorhome as the smell will be hanging about for a while in the bus.

So we are back on track and the holiday is still held in anticipation, they are heading north for Christmas after the 15th which is the day that Aucklanders are allowed to explode out of their lockdown of 3 months and carry all their money and germs to the rest of the country. I am planning to head south a day or two earlier than the explosion date in order to miss the long lanes of traffic that will no doubt ensue.

I've been here about 6 weeks and I'm really going to miss all this hectic lifestyle.

I haven't mentioned the goat

nomad_kiwis — Sat, 4 Dec 2021 06:11:00 GMT

or the ram... Barry is an adolescent goat, friendly, curious, non thistle eating goat. He is friends with the large unco-operative ram called Lawn. Originally there were two of each of these animals (Barry & Larry, Lawn & Mower) but unfortunately one of each has passed on. Goats are very social animals and prefer company so Barry and Lawn have become besties, they have head butting tournaments and are never very far from each other.

There also used to be a bull, after demolishing the fences and damaging the air conditioners he became meat. Back to Barry and Lawn. These two are escape artists. Now you can imagine a goat climbing over around and through but a big fat ram? Well the children and I watched and watched but couldn't see where these two were getting out, but every day when we came home they would be happily eating the lawns around the house. One day the neighbour kindly ran some sheep in her next door field and Lawn couldn't stand it, he had to get closer and voila! The end of their wooden paddock fence butted up against a wire fence in a T intersection but the two were not attached to one another. So they had figured out how to push against the wire fence forcing it away from the wooden one and squeeze past the end wooden post.

So they have remained in their paddock for 3 days so far. Barry can still squeeze out between the wires on that fence into the neighbous paddock but he always comes back as Lawn is doomed to only one paddock as we have fixed the problem. Our fix was not a fancy one. We found a wooden gate in the grass and wedged it against the wooden fence pusing the wires to their limit. Now and then the neighbours horses lean on the wire fence to eat the grass on our side (always greener right) and end up pushing the gate back but overall it works.

We are however missing the sometimes 3 times daily efforts of herding a too smart goat and a recalcitrant ram back through an awkward gate from the lawn into their paddock. It was challenging and fun teamwork with lots or yelling, lots of laughs, lots of congratulations all round when done.

A day in the life of...

nomad_kiwis — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 00:21:00 GMT

It's Mr 9 yr olds day to make dinner. He takes a can of baked beans out puts them into a bowl and puts them in the microwave to warm them. Mum comes along " that's not enough dinner for everyone Mr 9" so Mr 9 goes to the freezer and gets out some frankfurters and puts them in a pot of water. While he's doing this Mr 6 comes along finds the baked beans and eats them. Meanwhile Mr 9 puts the hot frankfurters in a bowl to cool while he gets some buns out to cut open to put them in. Miss 5 comes along, finds the frankfurters and eats 3 of them. Dad comes home - not much for dinner tonight Dad lol.

I am in Auckland, Auckland is in Lockdown Level 3 and has been for 3 months because of Covid 19 which has only mostly been in this area for that time. The rest of the country is in Level 2 which is much like normal life but with wearing masks when out and distancing from each other. A month ago I moved to Auckland to stay with my daughter and her 4 children - 9, 6, 5, and 3 month old baby - to help. I came up in my small motorhome and am parked next to their large bus motorhome. The bus has more space and a large bed with a comfy mattress but no lighting, no hot water and (as of today) no fridge. My camper is great but is very compact. Between the two I have everything I need including my own space.

Today, Saturday, the bus needs to be taken for a CoF (Certificate of Fitness) so that it can be used legally on the roads over the summer. Son-in-law spends the morning doing this and that to make sure it will pass this test. Finally at around 11.30 am he heads off with 3 children on board to get the test. Minutes later a phone call and I have to jump in the car and take some containers to them as they have run out of gas about 5 km down the road. Off I go, hop on the bus while S-i-l takes the car and containers to fill them. Back, fill and start (always a problem to restart when no fuel in the lines so I sit in the bus and pump the throttle whilst turning the ignition, whoops there I am pumping the brake pedal instead! It started though... haha). I jump back in the car and they head on. I look at the seat next to me and there is S-i-l's phone with his creditcards etc in it. I race off ater him tooting and waving the phone but he doesn't notice and I follow him all the way to the CoF centre where we arrive just in time to see them pull down the doors - They're closed

Lockdown

nomad_kiwis — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 20:22:00 GMT

We are in lockdown again... One person found with Covid19 and because of it's exponential behaviour Aotearoa went immediately into lockdown.

Now a lot of us find lockdown nice, yes nice. We are lucky enough to not have to go into it for too long, not like other countries. We have an enforced holiday, get things done at home, rest up and are able to survive with help from govt funds. Of course that's not how it is for everyone, I feel for those who live with people they don't get on with... for those who are waiting proceedures in hospital etc.. businesses finding it very hard, especially small ones. We've been in Level 4 which is don't go out except to the doctor, to be swabbed or vacinated, or to the supermarket. No going outside your own neighbourhood when exercising. Next Wednesday we go to Level 3 which is a bit more freedom, Auckland and north however will stay on in Level 4.

We are back to being alone in our home. My son and his family have moved into a house in Ngongotaha to wait out the build time for their new house. There's good and bad to this, good = it's quiet, bad = it's quiet. I miss them all a lot.

We've been busy doing a few very small things during lockdown. Kent working on his ute and making a rack for our riding gear in our garage. Me sorting a cupboard upstairs and repairing a curtain rail, doing things out in the garden and sweeping the yard. Yesterday I followed a YouTube tutorial and did a painting of a woman dancing in an awesome yellow dress, it came out well.

Terrible things are happening overseas, other than Covid. The Taliban taking over Afghanistan and suicide bombers killing people trying to get out at the airport, famine in Yemen and people starving there, floods and fires in USA. The world seems to be going through a bad time. Bad things have been happening in our family also, it can be hard to remain positive and feeling happy and I find I'm having to work on this in order not to feel down.

The housing market here has gone crazy. An ordinary old house in Papakura sold for a million dollars. Our next door neighbour sold his for $815,000 and another 2 houses down went for $870,000. It's just weird, who ever has enough money to pay that for a home! How could you pay the mortgage? People are also having to pay high amounts to rent houses too. So we will all get on the merri-go-round again where prices will go up for everything and wages have to rise in order for people to even eat.

We had just gotten to the point where travel overseas was so easy and cheap. Last year I had 3 trips planned, all cancelled, it almost seems unreal. Will we ever be back in that position again... I can't even imagine wanting to travel to most countries because of Covid19.

This is seeming like a very black post, he pouri nui, but it's just how things are. We are not low, we are very lucky to be living on this island and mostly Covid free over the last 18 months so able to live normal lives. We are looking forward to summer, to bike rides and camper trips, to sunshine and swimming, to barbys with friends and adventures with family.

We hope all is well with you all

Special Arrival #7

nomad_kiwis — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 19:19:00 GMT

On the 21st of June my last (assumed) moko (grandchild) was born to my eldest daughter. I got to Auckland arriving after her birth and got to hold and dress this precious wee parcel. I am so grateful to be a Nanma and now have seven grandchildren, three boys and four girls.