Lovely start to the day, & not rushed, thanks to Rodney! Left at~10.30, after filling in a very positive feedback form, & went straight to the Genesis Recreation Centre for a swim in the indoor heated pool. There was also a spa (over 16s only!), a waterslide/chute, a kids pool with a "river" (with quite a strong current) & a full sized swimming pool. We all really enjoyed ourselves there, for ~90mins, & then it was time to leave Masterton, but n...

Decided to stay another night, as a) we really liked the feeling of the holiday park, & it is well equipped, & b) Rodney & Jelena's (the managers) list of things to see & do had caught our eye! After breakfast & schoolwork, & a long chat with Rodney, we went to the i-site to buy the Wairarpa Family Fun Pass ($65) to gain entry to 4 local attractions. The first one happened to be next door to the i-site: The Wool Shed - the National Museu...

Bright, sunny, morning, with a few white clouds in the sky. Successfully negotiated the morning's chores, & were leaving the holiday park just after 10am. Immediately stopped in the Park car park, as D wanted to take a few more photos (orcs pulling down trees, Isengards gardens, & a different view of the entrance path to Isengard). Then a short drive to find Topaz Rd & Gemstone Dr & the location where Aragorn drifted to the river bank, after the...

Alarm went off at 4.45am! D&L immediately up & dressed & finished last bits of packing. Dragged kids sleepily out of bed, got them dressed, cleaned teeth & into the car. Got to the check in at 5.15, then sat in line, waiting to board, eating breakfast, & watching dawn break. Very easy crossing - no swell - we mostly read with occasional forays out into the bright but windy morning. Highlight of the crossing: a pod of ~8 dusky dolphins swimm...

Woke to blue skies & sunshine - a glorious morning! Packed & ready to leave by 10am, but hung around for another half an hour, using the free wifi! Lovely drive along the coast for 20 mins to Mapua, & Danny's house. Good to see him again - had a long chat about what we'd all been up to since leaving S.E.Asia, & looked at all of his photos & momentos, in his home. Took a walk in the sunshine around the wharf & coastline of Mapua, & le...