We have settled in nicely and been here for just over a week. That has gone so quickly and we haven't stopped. I want it to go quickly so we can get to see family but then again I don't. Oh heck all these mixed emotions!
Today is my birthday - yeah! And tomorrow is my sisters birthday! So weird being twins and not celebrating on the same day. Well we do but not until Julie wakes up around 8pm our time. So happy 57th birthday to us. Where did those years go full of growing up, marriages, families, work, play and holidays?
Thank you girls for my lovely present. We are going to really enjoy this and will try hard not to eat and drink it all at once xxx
What a busy week we have had though Wednesday was even wetter than Tuesday.
We went swimming at the Riverside complex in Nelson and also did some Aqua jogging which I tried once with Hannah in Queenstown when she and Lewis came to stay with us back in 2011. We joined up for the week so we can go as many times as we like.
Thursday 4th June was just gorgeous, wall to wall sun, so we went to Rabbit Island for a very long walk. I love this place and we almost had it to ourselves too with just the oyster catchers for company. I love to watch them. You get close, they are standing on one leg and they begin to get agitated start to hop then make lots of noise and run in the same direction you are walking so get even more agitated! Oh well .....
... Cute though aren't they? We walked up to the Mapua end for a change and the tide was gradually going out so it just got better and better.
This place gives me a big hug and we revel in the peace and tranquility.
After over four miles of walking on the sand we were pretty tired so drove over to Mapua to go to the Smokehouse there and have their fish and chips. They are always so good and cheap so we sat in the sun and ate our lunch.
We popped in to Richmond for supplies on the way back and clumped in front of the TV for a while. We went in to the Sprig and Fern on Golf Road opposite the beach for the evening and joined in their quiz night for charity. As a small team of two we were doing really well until the music then Harry Potter questions where we bombed spectacularly and came last. So as we are going again this week we were allowed to choose the 'specialised subject' so it's going to be something about computers as they had done our first choice of airlines a few weeks before. It's hard to choose a subject when you are put on the spot and we thought of loads more on our walk back that I'm sure we would be better at so don't think we may have much of an advantage on our 'joker' round!
It rained again Friday - what is all this wet stuff!!!! But it's warm. We went to an Aqua jogging class at the pool at lunch time which was great fun. I didn't think Derek would do it but the class was packed and there were four other men so he could hide. I think he actually quite liked it.
Saturday the 6th was lovely again thank goodness so as we hadn't planned anything we went into Nelson and the market was on. Derek left me to browse which was great as I got to sample lots of jams, chutneys etc, bought lots of veggies and wandered around all the artisan stalls. I was last here with my sister Julie in 2010, the market is still just as good Jules! I grabbed some cinnamon buns from a lovely little shop in a mall then met up with Derek for coffee and we sat eating them by the cathedral.
We walked around the cathedral and I went in to see all the knitted and crocheted poppies they have in there from Anzac Day;there were hundreds of them all joined together in collages and they were lovely.
We then drove up to Cable Bay north of Nelson to have a quick walk on the beach and sit on the stones watching the world go by, well some people fishing off their canoes and the half a dozen people who were sharing this lovely place with us.
This was the first place they had telegraph on the South Island so is quite significant history wise.
Now it is a beautiful place to kick back and sit, swim or fish, can't be bad!
We got back here around 2pm and decided to walk on Tahunanui Beach again as it is only ten minutes from the motel to the beach and a good walk through the park and swamplands on to the main beach. We walked the full length and back today, so pretty as the sun was going down and the tide is out.
There were even people swimming in the sea today. It's got to be cold in there!
Sunday was another glorious day and very warm for winter. Think we are loving these temperatures. So we went a bit further afield today and drove up to Marahau right on the edge of the Abel Tasman where the water taxis go from. What a gorgeous morning!
We walked on the beach here and went to look at the boats. Last time we came it was a hive of activity with all the taxis coming and going. When the tide is out they load you on to the boats and take you out on to the sand flats by tractor which is quite an experience then drop you into the water until the boats float then you are off. It was quiet today though, it was high tide too and only one taxi going out.
We drove the wiggly waggly road back to Kaiteriteri keeping out of the way of the and cyclists who cycle up these tortuous hill roads for fun. I can think of more ways to have fun than be in agony for so long but good on them, they must feel thrilled in their achievement. I would be!
We had lunch in Kaiteriteri at the beach then walked up the hill to see Little Kaiteriteri beach.
Derek was in heaven as he was in flip flops and shorts all day! He even paddled!!
We have visited here lots of times over the last six years and love it, Derek especially so. Later this week we are going walking in the Park so are looking forward to that. We have been in the Park a few times but always kayaked back so it will be nice to see some of the native bush from land rather than sea.
We stopped in Motueka briefly for milk on the way back and drove through Ruby Bay for a different drive back.
Lovely day and so that ends the week here. It's nice to fill up our days with long walks on the beach and just pleasing ourselves. We have many more of them to come.
Thanks for looking
Take good care of each other xx