With Joss round his Dad's for the weekend this gave me the weekend to do as I pleased. I think under normal circumstances this happens every other week although apparently things can sometimes change around a bit. I therefore decided to head out for a walk, choosing to go to the nearby Belmont Regional Park which could be entered nearby the bus route. The walk followed this stream through the Korokoro Valley, and all the recent rainfall made the valley really fresh and green! After following the valley for a fair while I headed upwards towards the Belmont Trig which primarily went through woodland before emerging in scrubland which opened up great views of Wellington Harbour and surrounding areas. I then headed back down the other side towards the Korokoro Dam which was a pretty dam along this equally pretty stream. After the dam I got back to the turn off where I went up to do go to the trig and followed the valley the same way back to Petone where I started.
After getting back to Petone I headed into Wellington as there was both an All Blacks game, and my first early Southampton kick off since I've been in NZ. I couldn't miss this so headed straight into Wellington, having a little look round Te Papa when arriving to kill some time. After having dinner down Oriental Bay I headed to down to Courtney Place for the rugby and the atmosphere was buzzing, made even better by the 57-0 scoreline which pleased the locals. I then headed to another place which was showing the Saints game, although as it was an 11.30pm kick off I watched the Australia Argentina rugby game before. I was unfortunately the only Saints fan there, although there were quite a few English people there which was nice. After the game I just headed back into Eastbourne, which is serviced by a night bus throughout the night. Come the Sunday I had a lie in and a very relaxing day as I didn't get back until late.
With Joss not returning home until Monday after school, this gave me another pretty chilled out day. I was happy however as when walking the dog I went over towards Point Howard and onto the pier there and saw a Blue Penguin! Apparently they a very shy and only normally come out at night so I was very lucky! Come the afternoon I decided to do go for a little walk, heading out into the East Harbour Regional Park which is literally accessible 2 minutes from the house. There are lots of paths from the Bays which take you up to the main ridge track, making an alternative scenic link to the bays. I headed up from the York Bay entrance up a pretty steep track, and it passed some small waterfalls with the occasional clearing to get views over Wellington Harbour. When reaching the ridge track I followed it for a bit despite it being very muddy and dropped back down to Days Bay. There are plenty of paths up here so I'm spoilt for choice if I ever fancy a walk on my doorstep!
Tuesday was a more grotty day in terms of weather, although we did go out in the morning to pick up a few things for Jossy as he had his artsplash performance the next day which is a performing arts events the local schools in the Wellington area do. We also went out to look for some curtain rings for some curtains Liz bought from a car boot sale they went to at the weekend which proved unsuccessful in the end. It was nice to get out and Liz showed me round Lower Hutt which was nice of her.
The following day was yet another grotty day in the morning although it cleared up after lunchtime. We did head into Petone though to pick up a few things including dog food to make Max happy. With artsplash in the evening and his Dad picking him up from school I therefore had a few hours spare and I thought while the sun was out I would go for another little walk in the East Harbour Regional Park, this time accessing it from Lowry Bay where once up on the ridge got some great views into the Hutt Valley, and some more great views of Wellington Harbour. I exited at Point Howard so it was a nice little loop walk. There was even apparently a 5.0 earthquake whilst I was out although I didn't feel it!
Come evening it was artsplash time and after getting into Wellington we went out for dinner at a local pub before heading to the theatre where it was taking place. It was actually a pretty big event with a fair few schools in attendance and despite being really scared went up on the stage and sang. They had songs from Joseph, Moana, and we few specially written songs, as well as sections of dance, orchestra, and artwork and was actually a really good evening. Afterwards as he did so well we went for an ice cream before heading home, with Jossy going with his Dad as he was staying there the night. The rest of the week was more chilled out as Jossy was round his Dad's and weather restricted me from going out very far, although he did come home for a couple of hours after school on the Thursday before his Dad picked him up after work. He didn't come home properly again until Friday after school.
Monday, 25 September 2017
Wednesday, 20 September 2017
Eastbourne Week 1
After meeting Joss on the Thursday after school, I didn't see him again until after school on the Friday which meant I could have a lie in. His Dad dropped him back home after dinner and as it was the weekend he was allowed to stay up a little later so we played a few games. On the Saturday we headed into Wellington for the afternoon and we went and had a ice cream and sat watching the buses as he loves big vehicles. Whilst in Wellington we looked round a few of the shops and did the food shop, before finally ending up in Toy World which he loved! For dinner we even had Paella as Cynthia is Spanish and that's their main dish and it tasted really good!
The following day was another chilled out morning, although we did head into Wellington again in the afternoon again for a couple of hours. We even met one of Joss's old au pairs who had just recently come back from Asia, who met us as he had left his car outside the house and wanting a lift over to pick it up. Unfortunately as he had left it for so long it didn't work so he ended up staying the night as it was too late in the day to get someone out to fix it by the time we got back. Come evening we went out to a local restaurant run by a British couple where we had a really nice roast dinner!
By Monday it was back to school which meant no more lie ins. The school had however decided to have a half day which meant Joss was home by lunchtime! On the Tuesday everything was back to normal in terms of school and after he went I had the day to myself to do whatever I wanted. I therefore decided to walk into Petone as it was such a nice day, following the coast road in via the marina. It was a nice walk and I chilled on the beach and sorted a few things out while I was in town. I caught bus back home though and it was Cynthias last day so after Joss got home from school we said goodbye before she went off to the airport.
Wednesday was another great day in terms of weather, although Joss goes sailing on a Wednesday morning which meant we had to pick him up from school at half 10 to take him down to the boating area. A group of volunteers take young people out into the harbour, and it's disabled friendly which makes it perfect for him. Whilst there I was even allowed to go on the power boat and head out to nearby rocks as some seals had made their home there, and they were really cute. After dropping him back off at school I had the afternoon to myself as his Dad was picking him up from school and dropping him back home after dinner. I therefore decided to pop into Eastbourne to explore the village which I hadn't done yet, following the road along the bays in. I even managed to pick up soon leaflets about walking opportunities in the Wellington area which was useful.
Thursday was a more hands on day round the house as because Cynthia had left who was staying in Joss's room, it needed sorting out. As it was an empty room I therefore did a deep clean as the ceiling was covered in mould which wasn't good! I soon sorted that and it looked as good as new. Come afternoon we took Max out to the pet shop as it had a diy dog wash. Apparently they take Max there every other week to get washed, although when getting there he absolutely hated it and knew exactly what was happening! I got him nice and clean eventually though with a bit of encouragement!
On Friday it was a more laid back morning as Joss had an appointment to sort out his walker which needed adjusting at half 10 over in Johnsonville, which meant we didn't bother sending him to school as he wouldn't have been there long before we needed to pick him up. His walker thing is designed to encourage him more put more weight on his legs and hips rather than actually walk and he absolutely hated using it, but the guy said if we could encourage him to use it for just 5 minutes a day it could help him in the long term.
After the appointment we dropped him back off at school and that gave me the afternoon to relax, although the weather was horrendous in a wind sense as I found out walking the dog along the bays! The issue is the stretch of coastline Eastbourne and the bays lies on is very rugged, with very little flat land. The road is barely wide enough for 2 lanes and a pedestrian walkway, and is effectively at sea level. As it was so windy the waves were crashing into the road which made walking along pretty sketchy. It's a good thing I suppose that most of the houses are built on the hillside because if a tsunami was to strike the few houses on the road level would have no chance! When Joss arrived home from school he only stayed a couple of hours before his Dad picked him to stay round his for the weekend. This gave me the weekend off so Liza took me down to the local pub to introduce me to a few of the locals which nice of her, before heading back via the Chinese for dinner.
The following day was another chilled out morning, although we did head into Wellington again in the afternoon again for a couple of hours. We even met one of Joss's old au pairs who had just recently come back from Asia, who met us as he had left his car outside the house and wanting a lift over to pick it up. Unfortunately as he had left it for so long it didn't work so he ended up staying the night as it was too late in the day to get someone out to fix it by the time we got back. Come evening we went out to a local restaurant run by a British couple where we had a really nice roast dinner!
By Monday it was back to school which meant no more lie ins. The school had however decided to have a half day which meant Joss was home by lunchtime! On the Tuesday everything was back to normal in terms of school and after he went I had the day to myself to do whatever I wanted. I therefore decided to walk into Petone as it was such a nice day, following the coast road in via the marina. It was a nice walk and I chilled on the beach and sorted a few things out while I was in town. I caught bus back home though and it was Cynthias last day so after Joss got home from school we said goodbye before she went off to the airport.
Wednesday was another great day in terms of weather, although Joss goes sailing on a Wednesday morning which meant we had to pick him up from school at half 10 to take him down to the boating area. A group of volunteers take young people out into the harbour, and it's disabled friendly which makes it perfect for him. Whilst there I was even allowed to go on the power boat and head out to nearby rocks as some seals had made their home there, and they were really cute. After dropping him back off at school I had the afternoon to myself as his Dad was picking him up from school and dropping him back home after dinner. I therefore decided to pop into Eastbourne to explore the village which I hadn't done yet, following the road along the bays in. I even managed to pick up soon leaflets about walking opportunities in the Wellington area which was useful.
Thursday was a more hands on day round the house as because Cynthia had left who was staying in Joss's room, it needed sorting out. As it was an empty room I therefore did a deep clean as the ceiling was covered in mould which wasn't good! I soon sorted that and it looked as good as new. Come afternoon we took Max out to the pet shop as it had a diy dog wash. Apparently they take Max there every other week to get washed, although when getting there he absolutely hated it and knew exactly what was happening! I got him nice and clean eventually though with a bit of encouragement!
On Friday it was a more laid back morning as Joss had an appointment to sort out his walker which needed adjusting at half 10 over in Johnsonville, which meant we didn't bother sending him to school as he wouldn't have been there long before we needed to pick him up. His walker thing is designed to encourage him more put more weight on his legs and hips rather than actually walk and he absolutely hated using it, but the guy said if we could encourage him to use it for just 5 minutes a day it could help him in the long term.
After the appointment we dropped him back off at school and that gave me the afternoon to relax, although the weather was horrendous in a wind sense as I found out walking the dog along the bays! The issue is the stretch of coastline Eastbourne and the bays lies on is very rugged, with very little flat land. The road is barely wide enough for 2 lanes and a pedestrian walkway, and is effectively at sea level. As it was so windy the waves were crashing into the road which made walking along pretty sketchy. It's a good thing I suppose that most of the houses are built on the hillside because if a tsunami was to strike the few houses on the road level would have no chance! When Joss arrived home from school he only stayed a couple of hours before his Dad picked him to stay round his for the weekend. This gave me the weekend off so Liza took me down to the local pub to introduce me to a few of the locals which nice of her, before heading back via the Chinese for dinner.
Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Paraparaumu
After leaving the airport I headed over to Manukau to catch the night bus down to Paraparaumu. It was a horrendous journey though as it was quite busy and I couldn't really sleep. Each stop we got to the driver put the lights on and spoke over the loud speaker, and at Rotorua someone got off to go to the toilet and when leaving there husband didn't realise they were missing until a good half hour down the road so we had to drive back to Rotorua which was frustrating. I ended up getting into Paraparaumu about 6 ish so it was dark when I arrived and a little nippy, but when arriving at Melvas it was nice to sit down and relax for the day as I was a little tired.
The following day was another relaxing day although I did get a guided tour round Paraparaumu and went to the chip shop for lunch round Karen's. Come Sunday it was my birthday and it was nice to get a present in the post. After lunch we went out for a walk with the dogs down towards the Waikanae Estuary which lead to a driftwood covered sandy beach which was nice but very windy! There was also a great view of Kapiti Island across the water. It was weird having my birthday away from home but it was a good day.
On the Monday I woke up to lots of birthday messages as the time difference meant most people posted overnight. As it was such a nice day I decided to go out for a walk for the day, heading out to Paraparaumu Beach which I followed to the Waikanae Estuary. When reaching here I followed the river upstream, the opposite side from the previous day towards the swing bridge which I then crossed and continued following the river to Waikanae itself. I then followed the road and went up into the Nikau Reserve which was a steep climb through the woods to a viewpoint which had great views, including as far as the South Island. I then followed the ridge line for a bit before dropping down into Paraparaumu via the mall back home. It was a really good walk.
Come Tuesday I had a more chilled out day as it was a little more overcast, and by Wednesday after applying for several jobs a couple of people finally contacted me with jobs I had applied for. One job I applied for was an au pair job which sounded like a nice job by the description although I was worried that I wouldn't be suitable due to lack of experience. When speaking the woman on the phone though it seemed like something I could manage so I headed down to Wellington to meet her and speak about it and I accepted. We even played a few games of pool so it was probably the most laid back interview I've ever had!
The following day I left Melvas which I really enjoyed staying at, to head down to Wellington once again where I was picked up at the railway station and driven round to her house in York Bay which is about half hour drive from Wellington CBD, nearby the village of Eastbourne, and the small city of Lower Hutt. The hiking opportunities are also abundant in the area with the frequent transport links meaning I won't have to hitchhike to get round which is useful. My primary role is lifting the 9 year old boy who is disabled up and down the stairs, and into the car and his wheelchair, although there's other little things like walking the dog who is a Golden Retriever and a bit of housework every so often, and obviously engaging with the boy who particularly likes Tractor Tom and Thomas the Tank Engine!
When arriving at the house I had time to settle in and meet Liza (his Mum), Liz (his Nan), and Cynthia (a cousin from a Spanish link someone on the family who's come to visit), before meeting Joss. Liza also took me for a drive around the area which is on the opposite side of the harbour from Wellington CBD which is visible from the house. By 3 Joss arrived home and I got to meet him and although he didn't like me at first because he didn't realise he was getting a new au pair, his last one leaving unexpectedly after a couple of days. I soon made him like me though, and by the time his Dad came to pick him up for dinner as he was staying round his Dad's, he didn't want to leave me! Apparently the routine regarding when each parent has him is a little all over the place so we'll see how that goes!
The following day was another relaxing day although I did get a guided tour round Paraparaumu and went to the chip shop for lunch round Karen's. Come Sunday it was my birthday and it was nice to get a present in the post. After lunch we went out for a walk with the dogs down towards the Waikanae Estuary which lead to a driftwood covered sandy beach which was nice but very windy! There was also a great view of Kapiti Island across the water. It was weird having my birthday away from home but it was a good day.
On the Monday I woke up to lots of birthday messages as the time difference meant most people posted overnight. As it was such a nice day I decided to go out for a walk for the day, heading out to Paraparaumu Beach which I followed to the Waikanae Estuary. When reaching here I followed the river upstream, the opposite side from the previous day towards the swing bridge which I then crossed and continued following the river to Waikanae itself. I then followed the road and went up into the Nikau Reserve which was a steep climb through the woods to a viewpoint which had great views, including as far as the South Island. I then followed the ridge line for a bit before dropping down into Paraparaumu via the mall back home. It was a really good walk.
Come Tuesday I had a more chilled out day as it was a little more overcast, and by Wednesday after applying for several jobs a couple of people finally contacted me with jobs I had applied for. One job I applied for was an au pair job which sounded like a nice job by the description although I was worried that I wouldn't be suitable due to lack of experience. When speaking the woman on the phone though it seemed like something I could manage so I headed down to Wellington to meet her and speak about it and I accepted. We even played a few games of pool so it was probably the most laid back interview I've ever had!
The following day I left Melvas which I really enjoyed staying at, to head down to Wellington once again where I was picked up at the railway station and driven round to her house in York Bay which is about half hour drive from Wellington CBD, nearby the village of Eastbourne, and the small city of Lower Hutt. The hiking opportunities are also abundant in the area with the frequent transport links meaning I won't have to hitchhike to get round which is useful. My primary role is lifting the 9 year old boy who is disabled up and down the stairs, and into the car and his wheelchair, although there's other little things like walking the dog who is a Golden Retriever and a bit of housework every so often, and obviously engaging with the boy who particularly likes Tractor Tom and Thomas the Tank Engine!
When arriving at the house I had time to settle in and meet Liza (his Mum), Liz (his Nan), and Cynthia (a cousin from a Spanish link someone on the family who's come to visit), before meeting Joss. Liza also took me for a drive around the area which is on the opposite side of the harbour from Wellington CBD which is visible from the house. By 3 Joss arrived home and I got to meet him and although he didn't like me at first because he didn't realise he was getting a new au pair, his last one leaving unexpectedly after a couple of days. I soon made him like me though, and by the time his Dad came to pick him up for dinner as he was staying round his Dad's, he didn't want to leave me! Apparently the routine regarding when each parent has him is a little all over the place so we'll see how that goes!
Wednesday, 6 September 2017
Kiwi Bus- Bay of Islands and Auckland
Friday was an early start to head up towards Paihia and the Bay of Islands, although due to our antics on the Frenzi Bar Crawl the night before we got very limited sleep and was luckily woken up by someone else in our room. The bus up was just a minibus so it was quite cosy, although I ended up being stuck next to a Portsmouth fan which was interesting. They couldn't really say that much though. En route we stopped in Warkworth for refreshments, before heading up into Whangarei to check out the waterfall. We arrived up in Paihia before lunchtime which was great giving us the whole afternoon on a really sunny day.
Through winning the quiz a couple of nights previous, one of our prizes was a free boat cruise round the islands. As I had already done it previously I let Tom go, whilst I spent the afternoon down the beach to have a nap as I was a little tired. He typically saw lots of dolphins though which they advertise as a 99% chance of seeing, something I didn't see on the cruise before. We met over in Russell though and headed up to the top of Flagstaff Hill which had some great views of the islands and back towards Paihia. We then headed back down to the beach where there was a great sunset, getting the ferry back to Paihia shortly after. It was great though because I met a couple of Saints fans on the boat! We then had a bbq at the hostel in the evening before having a more chilled out evening.
The following day was Tom's birthday although we had a more chilled morning. One thing he's been talking of doing all trip was a skydive so it made sense to do it on his birthday. After lunch we got a shuttle out to the skydive centre and it was fun watching everyone jump out the plane. You couldn't see people until their parachutes opened but it made me wish I was doing one! I forced him to do the 16000ft one which was the highest they offered, and despite shitting himself he did it. Experiencing freefall is a hard feeling to describe but it's amazing so you want to get as much as you can which he thanked me for after! Come evening we went for a few drinks and it was a good night.
Sunday was back down to Auckland, although kiwi experience screwed up because they sent us up on a minibus, and had people already there which meant there were too many people to fit in the minibus. They instead had to send a few people down on an inter city bus a bit later. We volunteered which actually worked out quite well because it meant having a double seat to myself, and meant we could watch the boxing which we would have missed otherwise so it made sense staying later. We even managed to get a few hours down the beach during the day. We didn't arrive back into Auckland until late though but I didn't mind
With Tom leaving on Thursday we had 3 free days in Auckland. It was tempting to go away somewhere for a night but we decided just to be more chilled out. On the Monday we headed out to Western Springs which I haven't actually been to before. The parkland is home to lots of birdlife and it was nice walking round the lake and getting glimpses inside MOTAT and Auckland Zoo. It did however absolutely piss it down with rain in the afternoon. It was pretty mental though as the two other people in our dorm room were from Shoreham which bearing in mind the hostel covered 7 floors and had several rooms on each floor was a funny coincidence.
The following day we were debating between visiting Rangitoto Island or Devonport. We opted for Devonport in the end and left relatively early as we were up so early. After arriving we headed over towards North Head and explore some of the old war shelters and tunnels, as well as checking the view up top. We then headed down to a couple of beachs, before heading back into the village centre for lunch. We then went up Mount Victoria where there were more great views before heading back down and into Auckland city centre. From there we walked along the harbour side towards Mission Bay where we chilled out for the afternoon. On the way back there was a great sunset before getting pizza hut for dinner.
On the Wednesday we had a more chilled out day as the weather was pretty grotty, but it was nice to relax. Thursday was the last day for Tom so we went and sat down Victoria Harbour for a bit before heading to the airport in the afternoon. I went with him as I booked a bus south to leave from Manukau nearby. I was nice to say goodbye after travelling with someone for a month, although it's going to be weird looking for a job and going back to work again!
Through winning the quiz a couple of nights previous, one of our prizes was a free boat cruise round the islands. As I had already done it previously I let Tom go, whilst I spent the afternoon down the beach to have a nap as I was a little tired. He typically saw lots of dolphins though which they advertise as a 99% chance of seeing, something I didn't see on the cruise before. We met over in Russell though and headed up to the top of Flagstaff Hill which had some great views of the islands and back towards Paihia. We then headed back down to the beach where there was a great sunset, getting the ferry back to Paihia shortly after. It was great though because I met a couple of Saints fans on the boat! We then had a bbq at the hostel in the evening before having a more chilled out evening.
The following day was Tom's birthday although we had a more chilled morning. One thing he's been talking of doing all trip was a skydive so it made sense to do it on his birthday. After lunch we got a shuttle out to the skydive centre and it was fun watching everyone jump out the plane. You couldn't see people until their parachutes opened but it made me wish I was doing one! I forced him to do the 16000ft one which was the highest they offered, and despite shitting himself he did it. Experiencing freefall is a hard feeling to describe but it's amazing so you want to get as much as you can which he thanked me for after! Come evening we went for a few drinks and it was a good night.
Sunday was back down to Auckland, although kiwi experience screwed up because they sent us up on a minibus, and had people already there which meant there were too many people to fit in the minibus. They instead had to send a few people down on an inter city bus a bit later. We volunteered which actually worked out quite well because it meant having a double seat to myself, and meant we could watch the boxing which we would have missed otherwise so it made sense staying later. We even managed to get a few hours down the beach during the day. We didn't arrive back into Auckland until late though but I didn't mind
With Tom leaving on Thursday we had 3 free days in Auckland. It was tempting to go away somewhere for a night but we decided just to be more chilled out. On the Monday we headed out to Western Springs which I haven't actually been to before. The parkland is home to lots of birdlife and it was nice walking round the lake and getting glimpses inside MOTAT and Auckland Zoo. It did however absolutely piss it down with rain in the afternoon. It was pretty mental though as the two other people in our dorm room were from Shoreham which bearing in mind the hostel covered 7 floors and had several rooms on each floor was a funny coincidence.
The following day we were debating between visiting Rangitoto Island or Devonport. We opted for Devonport in the end and left relatively early as we were up so early. After arriving we headed over towards North Head and explore some of the old war shelters and tunnels, as well as checking the view up top. We then headed down to a couple of beachs, before heading back into the village centre for lunch. We then went up Mount Victoria where there were more great views before heading back down and into Auckland city centre. From there we walked along the harbour side towards Mission Bay where we chilled out for the afternoon. On the way back there was a great sunset before getting pizza hut for dinner.
On the Wednesday we had a more chilled out day as the weather was pretty grotty, but it was nice to relax. Thursday was the last day for Tom so we went and sat down Victoria Harbour for a bit before heading to the airport in the afternoon. I went with him as I booked a bus south to leave from Manukau nearby. I was nice to say goodbye after travelling with someone for a month, although it's going to be weird looking for a job and going back to work again!
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