The Auckland Seafood Festival

Saturday 30th January 2010

Maxine took us to Half Moon Bay to catch the ferry to Auckland as no-one fancied driving back from the Auckland Seafood Festival. Max and Darren were going to watch Harry play cricket but we met up with Kenny and Helen, Kathy and Alex, Pete and Christine, Monkey and Paul. The ferry left at 12.45pm and sped it's way along Bucklands Beach towards Auckland city centre, a much more refined way to travel into the city than driving. The ferry was pretty busy due to the public holiday long weekend (it is Auckland Day on Monday) as we made our way to the port. Upon arrival, we made our way into the harbour area and paid our $15 entrance fee, to be met with a host of stalls that were all things maritime. There was food being served from just about every country in the world, with a maritime theme. Sorry Pat, but I can't recall seeing any 'traditional Canadian food' but I did see someone wearing a Toronto Blue Jays t-shirt and there was a waitress in one of the bars that was from Montreal. She was Frernch speaking but was learning English in NZ. We visited the variety of tents although I must I must admit that most of them were purveyors of alcoholic beverages. We sampled different foods and I even went a to cookery demonstration that showed how to cook fish correctly on the barbie. Lucy, do you remember when you and I went to Valencia in Spain for the America's Cup Yatch Racing a couple of years ago? The Team New Zealand base is in Auckland and there was an opportunity to go out to sea on the America's Cup yatch. There is a photo attached for you.

Nothing much more exciting to report on except that we got a taxi back to Kathy & Alex's house for a couple more drinks before calling it a night. Their house is beautiful and has a lovely terrace area beside a swimmimg pool and jacuzzi. They even have a pull down screen to watch TV outside, quite the business.

All for now, hope to report on something more interesting tomorrow.

Kenny, Helen, Kath and I got a taxi back home at around midnight.

Back to Auckland

After the blog post this morning, we had coffee and decided what we wanted to do. Kath is not great on water and some of the trips around the islands took 4 hours or more, so that was out. Another boat trip that was only 1.5 hours was a speed boat and we watched the occupants being given waterproof jackets, not disimilar to the ones we had to wear in Santa Monica, California when we were caught in the torrential rains several days ago (seems like forever since), so that was out also. In the end, we settled for a leisurely trip across the bay from Paihia to the town of Russell where the oldest church in New Zealand is situated. It was built in 1836 and is a wooden building and still bears the scars of the battles with the Maouri tribes as there are musket and cannonball holes in the structure from a battle in 1845. The grave of Waka Nene, an Ngapuhi chief, who sided with the British in the Northlands War is also there (photo attached). The town is very quaint with white painted wooden buildings selling souvenirs, arts and crafts and several tea-rooms and restaurants. The boat trip took 15 minutes, going past some of the 144 islands in the Bay of Islands and upon arrival, Kath mounted her trusty four wheeled steed and I pushed, dutifully steering her in the appropriate direction to which I was commanded. The sun was shining intermittently although there was more cloud about than yesterday. After perusing the shops, we settled on a bench overlooking the harbour to have lunch outside a restaurant. As we awaited our order, a sudden wind blew up and advertising boards were blown over along with a few chairs. We dived for cover inside as the rain started to fall. By the time we had completed lunch, the sun was back out. We visited the above church and graveyard and constantly bumped into English people who always ask where you are from and if you are on holiday etc. On one occasion, we met a lady from Bingley nr. Bradford who was on holiday with friends, having left their husbands behind in the UK. Seems like women have a habit of doing this.... South Africa rings a bell?... no more to be said! I don't quite know how, but work was brought into the conversation and when I disclosed my profession, I was asked if I knew Tim Ives. Yes, said I, I was on the same shift as him at Dudley Hill many years ago. The lady had known him since he was a small child.

After a a few hours in Russell, we sat by the beach and awaited the next ferry to take us back to Paihia. It was a wonderful afternoon but the daunting task of a long drive back home was looming. Kath re-made her aquaintances with a couple she spoke to on the way over whilst I sat upstairs to take some photos and spoke with a couple from Rotorua, who said we must go there before we went home...... I tend to agree.

We stopped for a final coffee at a harbourside restaurant then went back to the car before driving into the Waitangi estate. The Waitangi treaty was signed on the 6th February 1840 between the Maoris and the British Crown, effectively giving the UK ownership of New Zealand and forming the birth of the New Zealand nation. There is the Treaty House built within the grounds and many exhibitions of Moari culture. We then made our way further into the grounds and visited the Haruru Falls, a horseshoe shaped waterfall on a very much smaller version of Horseshoe Falls at Niagara. Due to the small amount of water that has fallen recently, the falls were not all that spectacular and I was able to walk across the rocks at the top but nevertheless, still worth a visit. I'm not sure about the lack of rainfall, they have obviously had less in the north of the island than we have had in Auckland.

We set off back to Auckland and had an uninterupted journey, even the Harbour Bridge at Auckland was quiet and we were back with Darren and Maxine exactly 3 hours after leaving the Falls. They were in the final thows of a barbie but fortunately there was some very good steak, chicken and prawns left and we ate what was left over followed by a few drinks and a chat about how we gone on over the previous two days.

Friday 29th January 2010

Up at before 9am !

Ready for going out to expolore but I've added a few more pics from yesterday. The first one is an experimental one with Lucy's camera with an increased exposure setting and no flash, taken in the dark at Paihia. There is the view from the bridge where Kath lost her walking stick , the boats at Whangerei, Ocean Bay and Kath sitting on a bench at Parua Bay.

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Photo's from 28th January

Trying to uplaod these in the Motel and their wifi is pretty crap !!

Whangerei and Bay of Islands

Thursday 28^th January 2010

After breakfast we decided that we would set off for the day but took overnight clothing with us just in case. We headed up Highway 1 through Auckland for Whangerei, pronounced Fangeray. After driving for well over an hour, we saw a turn off for a small village called Puhoi. It looked a bit of a ‘one horse town’ but had a bar that sold coffee and so we sat outside to enjoy the hot sunshine. In a shady corner near to the entrance door was a picnic table with a sign above that said, BULLSHIT CORNER. Presumably this is where the locals sit and discuss their affairs but when someone talks bullshit, another person rings a bell to announce it to everyone else in the bar. Could do with one of those at our club, the bell would never stop ringing.

After coffee, we walked to the bottom of the road and took a few photo’s. We then stood on the bridge that passed over a small river. It was obviously tidal and the tide must have been out as there was a small amount of water in the middle whilst the edges leading up to the banks comprised of wet sticky mud. At this point, Kath decided to play her ace card and drop her walking stick from the top of the bridge, through the railings and down into the water below. Somehow, the bottom of the stick stuck in the mud and so it rested at an angle with the handle slightly above the water. After a few expletives and a certain amount of laughter, some workmen who were resting from the hot sun under a tree on the river bank came to our rescue. One of them got a large strap with a hook on the end, the type used for holding things down onto large trailers, and tried to hook the handle of the stick from on top of the bridge. The bridge was about 5 - 6 metres high and there was a slight breeze blowing under the roadway and every time the man got somewhere near to hooking it, the strap blew to one side. It was like one of those impossible games at the fairground where you win a stuffed dog if you are lucky. By this time, there was an audience of several people, all willing him on and he eventually got a hold of the handle and moved it to the side only to lose it again and it dropped sideways in the mud. One of his intrepid friends then made his way down the embankment but said that he wasn’t going to step onto the mud as he would be swallowed up by it and most likely drown when the tide came in. He took hold of the strap that was still dangling over the edge of the bridge and his mate held it tight as he stretched across the mud and managed to rescue the stick which gained him a big round of applause and comments such as,’ well done bro’ and good on ya bro’ (everyone is ’bro’ to the Pacific Islanders, whether the person is their brother or not). We offered to buy them a drink for their efforts but they refused to accept and so we cleaned it up the best we could and went on our way.

We travelled through some very nice scenery and upon arrival in Whangerei, we ate our sandwiches that we had made at Darren and Maxine’s earlier that morning and took out the trusty wheelchair for a tour of the harbour area. Very picturesque but not a great deal more to the town other than the harbour and a few museums and gardens. We stopped for coffee at a harbour side café then made our way back to the car to explore the road out towards Whangerei Heads. The road is dotted with mangroves and pohutakawa trees and we stopped to take photo’s at various locations along the way such as Parua Bay, McLeod Bay, Reotahi, Tauikura and Urquart Bay. At the end of this 29km road is Ocean Beach, which, as the title suggests, is facing the open Ocean, unlike the many bays we have encountered around North Island. We parked the car at the end of a pathway that led to a spectacular beach with Pacific rollers pounding the shoreline. We had a hell of a job trying to get the wheelchair along the path as the wheels kept getting stuck in the sand that had blown across the path from the dunes. That was without Kath sat in it ! We eventually struggled onto the beach and collapsed in the folding beach chairs we had loaded into the wheelchair. The weather was very hot with hardly a cloud in the sky and we both dozed off for a short period. After an hour or so, we made our way back to the car and followed the road back to Whangerei. Unfortunately, there isn’t an alternative route as the 29kms comes to an end at the Ocean and goes nowhere else.

We decided to drive further north to the Bay of Islands. We had heard that it was stunning scenery and although we are here now, we haven’t had chance to explore much as we didn‘t arrive until after 8pm, but judging by what we have seen from our base for tonight at the Bayview Motel in Paihia, we will not be disappointed . There are many boat trips from the harbour and I am looking forward to what tomorrow may bring.

We have been out tonight and enjoyed a pizza and drink at Frank’s on the harbour front but what is strange about NZ is that the bars tend to close early, even here at what is a popular holiday resort. Frank’s was probably the last to close and that wasn’t much after 11pm. I’m not bothered though as I have just finished watching Andy Murray beat Marian Cillic in the Aussie tennis semi-final.

Maxine has been in touch tonight and she has booked a table for a meal at the Sky Tower in Auckland tomorrow night at 9pm. As yet, we haven’t a clue when we will be leaving here but we have covered almost 400kms today and it will be at least 4 hours back to Auckland …. We will have to see. The other worrying thing, which is more important, is that Dad is back in hospital again. He didn’t sound too good when we spoke to him yesterday but it appears he is having more breathing problems. We just hope that they can sort him out quickly. Keep us informed Vicki, if you are reading this later tonight and we will speak to you tomorrow at some stage.

More pics from the 27th January

More pics from the 27th January.
Sunset at Bucklands Beach
Eastside Beach x 3 and a view from Musick Point

Don't believe the weathermen

Wednesday 27th January 2010

Firstly, an apology is apparently due as I made a spelling mistake yesterday and wrote the word 'is' twice, one after the other, or so I was told when I was talking to Lucy on the phone this morning. Doing this blog was not easy last night after a couple of beers and watching Andy Murray beat Rafa Nadal in the Aussie Open Tennis quarters. I will try better tonight Lucy though I am watching another quarter final, Djorkavic vs Tsonga as I write.

I read that after many years, the BBC are supposed to be getting rid of the the Met Office as their official weather forecasters due to the fact that their forecasts have been so poor recently. The replacement service is supposed to be more reliable and will come from New Zealand. My advice to the BBC is that they are equally poor out here if not worse. On the strength of the thunderstorms that were forecast today, we decided to stay in Auckland. Bucklands Beach is situated to the east of Auckland but because of the shape of the coastline, you have to travel south then east before going back north again, up a 'finger' that points northwards into the ocean. It is less than a mile between the east and west coasts of the finger and Bucklands Beach is situated on the west coast whilst the east side is named rather imaginitively, Eastern Beach (see the photo above pinched from a website where Bucklands is at the bottom and Eastern is at the top of the finger).

We decided to travel to the tip of the finger through the Howick Golf Course and into the Nature Reserve to Musick Point, named after a famous aviator in 1942 according to Wikipedia. We travelled as far as we could in the car and parked up but the wheel chair made another appearance and allowed us to venture down towards the tip. You can now see why we called the blog 'Have Wheelchair Will Travel' because without it, we would be very limited in what we see. As you will see from the steps in another photograph, it wasn't possible to push the chair any further unless I aimed it for the cliff edge but Kath politely asked me not to do that. She parked herself on a bench overlooking the sea whilst I ventured down the steps towards the beach at which point, it started to rain. The islands in the distance and Auckland to my left, disappeared behind a mist and the sky got darker. I made my way back to Kath and pushed her through the rain back to the car. As we got into the car, the heavens opened. I drove back towards the golf club and parked up again, overlooking a cliff with Auckland in the distance. We had a full 360 degree view of the sky around us and whilst it was heavy rain in one area, it was clear in another. We watched as small open fishing boats sped back to the safety of wherever they had come from and wondered what the driver was going through as the rain belted down in monsoon like conditions. After a few minutes, it was all over and I suggested that we went down to Eastern Beach for a coffee. As we arrived at the Esplanade Bar, there were one or two people on the beach but there was no sign of it having rained. The road and footpaths were toatally dry yet this was only a four minute drive from where we had just encountered the downpour. How strange is that? After coffee, we explored the beach area and liked what we saw. The clouds broke up and the sun came out so we went back home and made some sandwiches and returned to the beach for a picnic. Between the road and the beach is a grass bank and at the far end where we sat, there are picnic tables on the grass, located under trees. We sat and had lunch at one of the tables after which I settled down in a chair on the sand whilst Kath took out some book that she buries her face into from time to time. Some of the local Seagulls decided that they would share lunch with us. They came up very close and one nasty creature in particlar kept us amused as it attacked anything else that came near but whilst it flew at another fellow Seagull and chased it to towards the sea, a sparrow would come and take what we had thrown leaving Mr. Nasty somewhat confused to find nothing there when he returned. There is a nice picture of him above.

We had a really nice afternoon, the sun was beating down and the sky clear....where were the thunderstorms NZ Weathermen? I had a swim in the sea and we returned home at around 5pm. I went onto Bucklands Beach and had another swim. It was incredible how much colder the water was on Bucklands Beach to the Eastern Beach though the water at Bucklands shelves deeply very quickly whilst you can wade out for quite a way on the other side and still be only up to your waist.

The seven of us had a lovely dinner of chicken and mushroom stroganoff with rice and garlic bread after which I took some more pics of the sunset opposite the lounge window. Darren and I then went to the supermarket for a couple of things before venturing into Howick for a quick beer or two. They called last orders at 10pm !! but we were about to go home anyway. It's a bit early but as Darren explained, most people get up early for work and if there isn't the requirement for later opening hours, why stay open.

I have looked at the forecast for tomorrow and it is not bad but it is still saying thunderstorms for Taupo and Rotorua. Much as I would like to go, I think we will head north to Whangerei as it will be more settled there (hopefully). It is about a 2.5 hour drive so I had better call this a day if we are to get away early. I won't be seeing the end of the tennis tonight unfortunately.

Hope all you bloggers are enjoying the cold (Geraldine in Florida excepted). We have less than a week to go here now before heading for Australia, how quickly this is going.

As I write this, it will be mid-day Wednesday in the UK and the bathroom fitters will be setting about ripping the bathroom out at home. Vicki is starting a blog with some pics so that we know what is happening, I just hope it goes OK.

If we stay in the north tomorrow night there probably won't be a blog again unless the hotel has free wifi but not sure what we are doing at this stage.

Goodnight all..................A & K

Two day update

Monday 25th / Tuesday 26th bJanuary 2010
Hi Bloggers, sorry there hasn't been a report for two days but I have been to the South Island and Kath couldn't find the laptop as I had hidden it under the chest of drawers. I though she knew where it was but apparently not.

Kath writes:- Andrew and I went to the Botany Shopping Centre in the morning to and look around the shops and find some cotton for Brenda so that she could turn up Harry's new school shorts. Andrew bought some sandals and treated me to some flip-flops which cost $3 (just over a pound !) After lunch, Kenny came around and took him to the airport for his trip to Nelson. The weather was beautiful and so I sat in the garden all afternoon and chilled. Legs were ok(ish) but don't think I will be drinking alcohol again as I always feel crap the next day. Upon Darren and Maxine's return home from work, we all had dinner and Darren went out with a friend whilst Maxine and I stayed home and had a glass of wine....not drinking didn't last long did it?

This morning I did very much the same as yesterday but did a few household chores whilst everyone was at work. Weather was beautiful again.... two days running, not bad.

Andrew says:-
I arrived at Auckland airport about 25 minutes before the plane departed. Good job we didn't leave it any later or I would have missed it. The traffic around Manakau was horrendous. I scanned my print-out from the internet into an Air New Zealand ticketless boarding card machine and then walked to the plane which was by then boarding. No checks of bags, in fact there was no security whatsoever. Within half an hour of arriving at the airport, I was in the air and on my way down to Nelson on the South Island to see my old mate Neil Kitchen. Neil was waiting for me when I arrived on time, 80 minutes later, with his 3 year old son, James. We drove to a local bar for a drink but James was asleep when we arrived so we sat outside and kept an eye on him until his Mum, Jo, arrived a short time later. We made our way back to their home in Wakefield (isn't that where I work?) and had a most enjoyable dinner with Neil, Jo, James and daughter, Olivia. I used to work with Neil but he has since transferred to the New Zealand Police and seem to be settled there. Their house is set in 10 acres of land with cows grazing in the adjacent field and surrounded by rolling hills and forest. Olivia (13) is in the process of looking to buy a horse. There is certainly plenty of space for one there. We sat and talked well into the morning, recalling people and incidents from our days in Bradford in the late 80's. Most sentences started with, "do you remember..." .

I was up at 9am and after saying goodbye to James and Olivia, Neil and I went into Nelson where we met up with Jo for coffee. He showed me the beautifully tidy but small city centre before enjoying a late breakfast/early lunch of Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce in a bagel. I had smoked salmon with mine - most agreeable. After a little more sightseeing, it back to the airport where we said our goodbyes. It was a short visit but very worthwhile and I hope to visit them again one day, hopefully next time, Kath will be able to come along. If you read this Kitch and Jo, thanks for a good time.

I was booked on a flight to Wellington where I had to change aircraft for another flight back to Auckland. As I waited at Nelson, there was an Air New Zealand flight going directly back to Auckland with spare seats so I tried to swap my tickets for that but 'the computer said no'. Jobsworth's, what would have been the harm in letting me on? I waited another 10 minutes for my flight then flew to Wellingto, again, no security or baggage checks. As we landed, a fog rolled down the valley and covered the airport. It was really strange watching it tumble down the hill and block out everything in view. The airport announcer said there may be delays but as soon as it came, it started to disappear just as quickly. I departed on time and was joined on my row of three seats by two uniformed police officers returning from an enquiry in Wellington. The man at the other side of the aisle said that I had better be on my best behaviour with two cops at the side of me. I told him that I was in the same job as them and it was he who had better be on his best behaviour as there were three cops at the side of him, which caused much hilarity. Good old Kenny was at Auckland Airport to take me home which was very much appreciated.
Kath and I sat in the garden in the sun, there were quite a few people across the road on the beach as this is the last day of the school summer holidays for a lot of Auckland kids. Harry starts his new school tomorrow at Macleans College. When Darren came home from work he suggested we have a trip out in the bay on the canoe. We headed north towards Brown's Island and turned around after about 20 minutes and paddled back against the current, much more difficult than the outbound journey.
Upon our return, Vernon, Brenda and Harry had returned from their two day trip down to Taupo where they had problems with the weather and the car. We are supposed to go tomorrow but the forecast is a bit dodgy and I don't fancy going if it going to rain again.

As I write this, it is almost mid-night. Everyone is in bed and I am watching the Murray v Nadal match in the Australian Open, what a good end to a day, or, it will be if Murray wins....could this be his year to win a Slam at last.

More pics from 24th January 2010

Change of plan or misunderstanding !

Sunday 24th January 2010

Ignore what I wrote yesterday as apparently I wasn't listening properly and the trip to Waiheke Island is planned for next Sunday, not this. We set off in two cars this morning and I was the only one that thought we were going to the beach. The weather was much improved but shortly after the sun came out, it disappeared again and threatened yet more rain. We drove to a Farmers Market in the picturesque town of Clevedon which is about 25kms (15 miles) south east of here. Disappointingly, there wasn't much going on with stalls selling honey, wine, rabbits and plants to name but a few. We wandered around the stalls but it wasn't long before we made our way back to the cars and we were soon back on the road again, with Kenny leading the way and me following. We made our way around the coast road for another 35 miles or so to Miranda Hot Springs where we paid the $12 entrance fee and joined many other families enjoying the hot waters of the springs. It was not as I imagined, bubbling hot water coming up into rock pools, no, this was a concrete swimming pool with naturally heated water at 36C and another smaller pool where the sauna water was 41C. The weather remained mostly cloudy but you could feel the sun coming through the clouds and, as we found out later in the day, we had all been slightly burned on our faces and shoulders. I had to laugh on the way out as I saw a sign for second hand towels at $5 each. The whole place gave the impression that it more concerned about making money than customer satisfaction and to sell towels that people had left behind just about summed up the place. Having said that, we had an enjoyable time for a good couple of hours. Maxine had made sandwiches and brought the left over pizza from last night, which went down well.
We then continued on our journey around the coast, enjoying some spectacular views which would have been greatly improved if there hadn't been so much grey cloud. The hills in the distance were shrouded in mist, the water was grey and the clouds were grey. We were told that the water is usually emerald coloured but there wasn't much trace of that today.
We travelled round the coast further to Kaiaua, where we stopped for a drink in a very nice bar with a lovely garden at the rear. The sun came out again and so we headed across the road to the beach and messed around playing cricket and taking photos for a while. Next to the bar is a fish and chip shop and it was decided that fish and chips was the order of the day. No haddock or cod here that we usually have in the UK but the Snapper was very nice indeed and the chips cooked to perfection. We sat outside in the sun and ate them from a newspaper which took us all back a few years to the days before they banned it at home. This led the conversation onto the children not being allowed to take toilet roll tubes to school for modelling due to health and safety issues. Aluminium foil tubes etc, yes, but toilet rolls, no. How times have changed.
We set off again with me leading the way this time, heading for ice cream at Kawakawa Bay. We nearly didn't make it as I was utilising my old advanced driving techniques from the police and cutting bends by going through them in a straight line which involves going onto the opposite side of the road if safe to do so. There was no traffic coming towards me but I hadn't counted upon the motorcyclist to my rear suddenly overtaking me. I almost forced it off the road....don't think the rider was best pleased but it was a stupid place to try to overtake me. No harm having been done, we made the ice cream parlour without further trouble before continuing on to Maraetai. By now the sun was out in force and the views across the water to Coromandel were stunning. It reminded Kath and I of the drive up the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland from Belfast to the Giants Causeway, really spectacular scenery. We stopped again for a while and took somme more pics before making our way home for about 7.30pm. The sun was still out at Bucklands Beach where Darren and Maxine live and I sat on a bench across the road from the house at the side of the beach and photographed the sun going down over the harbour.
Darren and Maxine are back at work tomorrow, Vernon, Brenda and Harry are going to Lake Taupo and staying overnight which is where Kath and I are going on Wednesday on our trip to Rotorua. I am flying down to Nelson tomorrow to see Kitch and returning on Tuesday and Kath is staying at home, hoping that the sun shines and chilling out in the garden. I'm not leaving until after lunch and Kenny has offered to take me to the airport so that Kath can have the car but I don't think she is bothered about having it so I may just drive to Auckland and leave it there.
Another eventful day and very enjoyable but I do wish the sun would shine a bit more than it has been doing. Looking forward to seeing Kitch tomorrow but is an 1100kms round trip a long way to go for a drink?

A Quiet Saturday

Saturday 23rd September 2010

Not really sure about today. The weather was blustery again and intermittent showers kept driving against the lounge window every so often. Spoke to Dad on the phone and he seems to be improved upon the last time I spoke to him just before we came away, so that is good. Kath and Maxine went to the supermarket for provisions. Kath is doing very well so far and we haven't touched the wheelchair since it was put into the rear of the hire car. She managed to walk around OK which is a good sign. After they returned, we eventually all set off for a day out but myself, Kath, Maxine and Harry were following the other car driven by Vernon. We had no idea where we were going other than 'out for lunch' to somewhere nice. As we made our way through the various roads, Maxine and Harry were guessing where it was we were heading only to be proved wrong each time we took an unexpected turn in the opposite direction to what they anticipated. After travelling down through Auckland city centre past the Sky Tower and turning left, we eventually came to a halt in a pub car park where we were informed that the lunches were very good. Once inside, I took a photo of the Chef's Special board which consisted of Cheese & Tomato sandwitches (that is how it was spelt....see photo attached). We all laughed at the supposed expertise of the chef and decided we would eat elsewhere. How is a cheese & tomato sandwich a speciality ? Next place was in Ponsonby, a seemingly affluent area of Auckland and this was reflected in the price of the drinks which just happened to fall on my turn to pay. After picking myself up off ther ground and paying $63 for the round, we were informed that the chef had gone home until 5pm but we could have bar snacks. We ordered chips, potato wedges, bread, prawns and various other small dishes before tucking in to our feast.
We made our way back to the Winchester Wine Bar where Kenny & Helen have friends and then went back 'home' to Darren & Maxine's. Later in the evening we ordered pizza's for everyone from hell.co.nz where you can choose how hot you want the pizza, either Flame Kissed, Forked Tongue, Ring of Fire or Hot as Hell. I shared with Kenny and we ordered onions, roast garlic, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and fresh spinach with a chilli guide of Ring of Fire. I can eat chilli's and hot curry's but this was mind-blowingly hot. We kept having to stop for cold water and at one point, Kenny had a yoghurt to take away the burning sensation in his mouth. We did however, manage to finish it but phewww, was that hot.
We sat around planning various trips out. Kenny and I fancy going white water rafting next weekend but not sure about anyone else. Darren, Maxine & Harry have just recently come back from a trip to the Queenstown in the south island where they went rafting and they were all tipped out in the rapids. Looked dangerous but fun and I fancy a g0 myself. We are all going to Waikeke Island tomorrow as the weather forecast is good so we may even get chance to swim and sunbathe for the first time this holiday. I am flying down to Nelson in the South Island on Monday to see Neil Kitchen who I used to work with in Bradford a few years ago. I booked the flight yesterday and am spending the night at his house before returning on Tuesday. Kath is staying in Auckland whilst I am away. Don't feel sorry for her, it was her choice and she was talking to someone this afternoon who is a hairdresser and beautician (fingernails and the like) so I think it may cost me whilst I am away. Kath and I are also planning upon a trip to Rotorua with an overnight stop on Wednesday/Thursday and at some stage we are all going fishing so the rest of the time here is pretty much accounted for but we will see what happens.
All for now, goodnight bloggers.

An evening at Helen & Kenny's

Curry at Helen & Kenny's 22nd January 2010