Boxing Day and beyond

A quiet Boxing Day. All the eating and socializing the day before is somewhat exhausting. But aren't we lucky to have family, friends, food and fun in bucket loads.  On this day we wandered through Trellisick Park, following the stream to the steep hill and returned along the gravel path. Found a small rimu tree someone had decorated - just might be an annual thing until the tree gets too big in a hundred years or so. Went to see Toni (op is tomorrow and I wish we were still around to see her) and then sat on the new sea wall in Island Bay enjoying the best summers day so far and eating Christmas left overs.

 It is the 27th and we are off to Whanganui. Traffic was heavy and after Ohau turned into a crawl. I was sitting listening to Harry's choice of music and thought if we were overseas this would be an opportunity for photos - somehow less exciting in your own country but just as pretty if not more so.

 We stopped off in Marton. Google told me there was a pottery shop there by the potter of our two birds who sit proudly in our lounge. Get some more we thought. Oyster catcher, pukeko, tui to join our takahe and kakapo. Spend some $$$.  What a disappointment. The shop was actually behind the house and everything was wrapped and in boxes. We told the potter what we wanted. "We don't do them anymore"he said. "People like realistic birds, shiny glazed, with long legs now - that's the fashion". "The ones we have have personality " I said. He smiled and continued with the same line "we don't do them anymore, you could try trade me". Finally I got it. Money still in pocket we drove to the end of the street and sat in a windy grassy spot to eat more left overs.

 On the way to Whanganui we were delighted to see Mt Ruapehu in the distance - and better still we can see it from our air bnb. And further around is Mount Taranaki. Whanganui started a bit like some of our adventures in the UK.  "What are going there for?" people would ask with a laugh. A week in a place can change your whole attitude. We plan to do lots of walking to get Harry back to Kaukau fitness levels and see places you would often drive past without a second thought. Most people still weren't impressed. We probably won't get asked to show our photos. Wonder if travel club would like to see them.

We found our digs 4 km out of Whanganui just like the owner and Google told us. Right into Pickwick Road, left into Dickens Street (a literary scholar was obviously on street naming on that day!!).  The locals prefer the Chronicle but we won't tell Mr Dickens that. It's a nice place with a view and a dog called Caesar (Julius?).

Had some more sustenance and then drove to Lake Westmere (definitely in the classic mood as I kept calling it Lake Windermere). Its a little lake where visitors park their cars at all different angles along the fence line. Once a water source for Whanganui it now is a luxury home for birds (ducks is all we saw). It took us about 40 minutes to walk round. Then off to the supermarket cos we had left all our veges nicely packed up in the fridge at home.

After our last Christmas left over dinner we went to Rotokawau (more commonly known as Virginia Lake).  Great time to visit, lots of birds around . Someone put a coin in to make the water lily fountain go (doesn't take cards).