And On To Kaikoura

Once at Picton, on Thursday afternoon, we picked Steven and Theresa up for the journey to Kaikoura and the wedding tomorrow.

Driving south  we were viewing country side we hadn't seen in many years.
At first it was just taking in the new lie of the land of the South Island but then the horror of the drought was all too noticeable.
Hard to believe the green of Picton was just a few kilometers north.

The only green is a vineyard

Little pockets of green became less and less

How farmers survive I will never know

Finally we reached the shore of the northeast coast of the South Island. Not long until we would be at Kaikoura.

We dropped Steven and Theresa off at their motel and went to find our little cottage I had booked for accommodation.
Driftwood Cottage was owned by an elderly man who rented it to couples for a great price and although it seemed like we had stepped back into the 70's, it had everything we needed and straight across the road from the beach.

Once unpacked and settled I wanted to take a photo of the view from the gate. But people were strolling past all the time to take in the last of the evening sun.



But then there was a couple and one of them run in front of me jumping up and down to be funny. And as I looked I saw it was my father and sister out for a walk!!

They came in to look at where we were staying and then went on their way, and I was able to get a photo of the view of the bay looking north.

Kaikoura beach with the Seaward Kaikoura Range

And then Katrina's moment had arrived in the form of Callum, a special man who she had met 7 months ago to the day. They had longed for this day and it bought a tear to the eye to see how special it was.

It was getting late so we all climbed into the Isuzu and went off to look for some fish and chips for tea.

Crossing the Cook Strait

On the Thursday morning the alarm went off at 5.30am!

Wellington docks from Tinakori Hill

We were up and ready (a little longer for Katrina) and traveled down to the ferry terminal as the sun tried to poke through the clouds.
I was glad of the sea sickness tablets as the sea looked like it was going to be a rough cross from the North to the South Island.

Lining up with the other vehicles I suddenly thought I would need my jacket as you are not allowed to go back to the vehicle once the ship is moving and it felt cold, but alas it was nowhere to be seen, I had left it at my brothers. Fortunately Harry had two so I used one of his.

By 7.00am we were all boarded and the ship was on its way. Even in the harbour it was rough with a swell but the sun tried desperately to shine through.

Heading out of Wellington Harbour

Once we had left the safety of the harbour and into Cook Strait I decided enough was enough for me and it was time to head in for a coffee and get some reading done.

Not before I took a quick (that's why it is blurry) photo of the InterIsland ferry that was following us all the way. Theresa and Steven were on it and were coming with us on the drive to Kaikoura. And the reason for this pic, you can see a plane in the top left corner as well!!

After about two hours we were entering the Marlborough Sounds, the sun had come out and the sea was beginning to calm down.
I ventureed on deck and found Harry sheltered from the wind and near one of the generator vents so it was warm.

Entering the Marlborough sounds

Harry in the warmth of the sun

And sure enough there was the InterIslander following close behind but not able to pass due to the restrictions of traffic flow in the sounds.

 The sounds are quite beautiful and many people boat, fish and find little bays to rest in.

And then you come around a bend and see Picton ahead so the journey is nearly finished.

Suddenly there is a hive of industry on the deck as the deckhands start preparing for docking.

As we approach the docks the loud speaker system starts up and we are given instructions as to the pattern for departing the ship.

Note the green of the hills in the background

Before long we are heading down below and getting into the waiting vehicles.

Waiting in the Isuzu

But to be quite honest I was a little concerning as to who was going to be moving first - us or the trucks and in which direction!

These trucks are just meters away from us

But it is all a three-times-a-day process for the shipping company and before long we are all off and on our way.

On the Way to Wellington

Kaikoura

We have just been to a nieces wedding in Kaikoura. What a wonderful time, but to get there was no mean feat.

We live in the Waikato in the central north of the North Island of New Zealand; Kaikoura is on the upper Eastern side of the South Island. There is the Cook Strait in between.

On Wednesday, a little later in the day than we had hoped, we set off on our way south for the (477 km, 6 hours 7 mins via State Highway 1) drive to Wellington where we had booked to travel on the Blue Bridge ferry early the next morning.

Fortunately the traffic for a middle day of the  week of the holidays, was not too busy, so we made good time.

Mt Ruapehu

One would usually take a pic of the mountains on the Tongariro Plateau

but I also took some of the plateau as we raced through on the desert road.

Then we were on the bit of road I find almost boring as it doesn't have many towns and you drive for ages seeing the same sort of thing. Except it you are lucky you can glimpse the  Rangitikei River.

After a good few hours our travel led to more familiar roads (We used to live in Wellington) and were reminded of the care needed on the roads.

 

Overtaking lanes on both sides of the road here are closed due to a recent fatal road accident.
This created a bottle neck jam and at times, quite a way back, we were driving at a snails pace.




On to the Kapiti Coast and more views that are from my childhood even.

Kapiti Island off the coast from Paekakariki

Then over the hill and down to the harbour of Wellington.
A cruise ship was going out but not for us. We are due out tomorrow morning early on a smaller ferry.

I wasn't too sure about it as the sea was looking rough and this is in the calm of the harbour!

We met with Theresa and Steven at their apartment for a lovely roast lamb tea and then up to my brother's (who were letting us use their place) for the night, setting the alarm for 5.30am.

What a welcomed place of rest 

Please note that most of these pictures were taken in our vehicle, as Harry doesn't like stopping often on the drive, so the foregrounds are a bit blurry!

Old Calenders

When you change your calenders and you are left with the ones that  'fold over' after each month instead of ripping the page off, I have often thought, "what can I do with these?"

If they are big, sometimes teachers will use them in the classroom for stories etc so check with your loacl school or preschool. They also may like the pictures if the are appropriate.

I have also found a very useful idea for the wire binding.

The easiest way to remove the wire from the calender is simply to tear off the pages a couple at at time.

When it comes to the last pages the wire will tend to stretch as you tear off the pages. That is fine, as it is the whole idea!

The wire can then be crunched up into a ball, but not too tight as you will need gaps for flower stalks. You now have a mess of wire that when placed in a container for flower arranging, that you may not normally use, you can be sure of having control of the arrangement.

Here is an idea of using a large wine glass. You can see what I mean as the daisies would have just fallen over the edges of the glass but with the wire they will stay in place.

Make sure you dry the wires after each use so they don't rust. How ever they can be replaced next year!!

New Year 2012

The new year has dawned. I was up early for our 8.00am morning liturgy service which was a bit hard after a fun night with other church members as we did at house crawl before a 10.30pm New Years Eve service the night before.

As the new year comes around again some of us make New Year Resolutions. But how long do we go before we have broken them or lapsed back into our own ways again.

Our Vicar's wife preached from Jeremiah 31:31-34

³¹ “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.
³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
³⁴ No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 

She talked about how God promised us a new covenant in the promise of Jesus. The old covenant was that of the law in the old testament. But the law could not save us, it can only show us that we are sinners.

God's new covenant is His love and Grace. We are filled with the Holy Spirit when we ask Jesus into our lives and He teaches us and dwells in our heart. He will always be there and with us. He forgives us even before we knew Him “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

We may make promises only to break them. We may make changes and sometimes succeed but often all under our own steam. We need to learn to ask God to help us. We should remember the only unchanging thing for 2012 is God's faithfulness and that He will always be there.

 All scripture is from New International Version 1984 (unless otherwise started)

Some church family New Year revelers dressed for the occasion.

I am second from the left