Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Hello Everyone,
We are presuming youngest daughter Kate and boyfriend Steve have arrived safely in the UK after their flight from Sydney or we would have heard to the contrary! They are back for a few weeks to attend Steve's brother's wedding in Cheltenham, to visit friends and, of course, to meet nephew Oliver for the first time!
Our friends Anne and Martin have been with us in Auckland for the last few days and we have taken them exploring to some of the areas we have discovered and also some new to us, down on the south-west coastline level with Auckland in an area called the Waitekere Ranges Memorial Park. There are three long, twisty, undulating roads in and out, none of then join up at the coastal end except by very narrow tracks, too small even for 4x4s; they would make great rides with the VMCC bike club! Only half an hour or so from central Auckland, it is still a very rural area and has farming and horse-rearing as main economies. It is rather posh, too, there being plenty of millionaire's weekend residencies amongst the otherwise rolling, unspoilt native bush. There is a major surfing beach - better described as a community - called Piha, and a fantastic black-sand cove called Te Henga, or Bethell's Beach.
Today, Anne and Martin are visiting the son and his family of a friend of theirs from home, who moved out to Auckland a short while ago. We have had a fairly lazy Sunday but have done some domestic chores and gone for a drive along Vaughn's Road this afternoon to a bush walk.
We are listening to Solid Gold FM on NZ radio, they are having a special request weekend, '60s and '70s hits alternating with Beatles' numbers - currently 'All My Loving' from the Please Please Me LP. We are in our element! It is rather sad that we still know all the words to all the songs!
A+M are with us 'til Tuesday, then after they have gone back to the airport we are going off travelling again. We will go down to Opotoki on the east coast, catching up with Sue and Dave for the last time before we head for home. Less than two weeks now!
There is a new album of photos to look at.
Best wishes to all,
Dave and Denise
PS We have heard that Kate has arrived safely and there is a photo on the latest album of her meeting with Oliver.
- comments