A drive towards Whanganui

Another lovely sunny morning. However I woke to find I had a bed companion, or at least he was on the wall above me. I pointed him out to Leigh and she confirmed that it was indeed an Australian biting creature, the white-tailed spider! I was not too concerned about this as it was less than 3cms in size and not moving. However Leigh assured me that they can “attack” if you move and give you a nasty bite. Leigh sprayed it but it was in no hurry to die and skuttled (love that word) along the curtain rail. It was obviously time to get up!

Today I thought I would check out the short cut through to the College at the back of Leigh’s apartment. Not much to it really over a stile, through an area of animals, including sheep and lamb, chickens Muscovy Ducks and I think there was a goat or two.; then over a trickle of a stream and up over another stile which took me into the grounds of the college. I walked across to the college buildings which, from this angle I realised were quite extensive. There were still 13 and 14 year-olds attending while the older students had just completed their exams and had now left for the holidays.

The morning’s chores finished, Leigh took me out on a drive through some beautiful hilly countryside in the Parapara towards Whanganui. This was her extended lunch hour.

These poplars planted in rows are quite structural and iconic, particularly in this area, and are used as windbreaks.

We saw some serious sheep mustering and stopped to see what they was going on… shearing was the reply. I so wanted to ask if I could have a go but there wasn’t time today….. one day maybe!

Just love these daft birds…

Leigh was concerned how little water there was here….

We stopped for a spot of lunch at a little cafe. It actually turned out to be a huge omelet with EVERYTHING in it!

While we were eating Leigh was having a bad time on her mobile over the computer repair issue and, to cut a very long story short, she was dumb-struck as it came to her knowledge that her beloved touch-screen computer had befallen a fate worse than death in the hands of the courier… and was now an EX computer!

She did learn later that it was to be replaced, however.

We returned to school to watch some of the activities taking place as part of the end of term Tabloid Fun Day.

The kids were working in teams at various activities involving hoops, balls buckets of water, tight ropes and stilts. Each activity was given a certain period of time when a loud horn was blown and the team would move on to the next activity.

In the evening, Leigh and I were invited over to Adele’s house which was in the middle of nowhere in the hills… a beautiful spot.

They first took us on a walk in their bush which led up to a delightful little wooden hut on a hill where Adele comes to mediate… it had views as far as the eye could see.

Michael’s vegetable plot…. he demonstrated the various stages of his composting.

This was not the main house, which had been recently built, but Adele’s previous house before she met Michael, which she had built herself from mud blocks…. quite amazing!

They have solar heating and although most of their food was produced themselves, they don’t claim to be self-sufficient. Wheat for bread is a problem!

Thank you Adele and Michael for sharing your home with us and for a delicious meal.

A nice pic to complete my stay in New Zealand…..

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