Tales and Tails

Two days of travelling between islands has passed in a blur, made memorable only by our stop in Blenheim where we went to see The World's Fastest Indian, a New Zealand-made film about Burt Munro, whose 1967 land speed record for his class of motorcycle is as yet unbroken. It's a great movie--catch it if you can, even if you don't like either motorcycling OR New Zealand!

Well, I DID remember to keep my camera with me when I went topside on the ferry this time, and was rewarded by a dramatic sunrise over the Queen Charlotte islands that made it clear why the Maori word (Arotearoa) for NZ means "land of the long white cloud."


By the time we were driving north from Wellington, however, the clouds and fog had cleared and it was sunny and HOT by the time we reached our home for the next month: Saddle Creek Farm Retreat. Our hosts David and Joy live in the nearby farmhouse, and have built this large 'barn' as a retreat centre. It has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big kitchen and living room, a library, plus a huge 'meeting space' and it's all ours for the month! There's also another outdoor bathtub, that quirky NZ specialty!



We were both exhausted from the drive and 'sleeping' in the car in the ferry line-up, so we barely appreciated the rainbow windmill (to the right in the above photo) and the views from our balcony and terrace before tumbling into bed.

This morning, opening the door to the terrace, I was greeted by two peacocks and a turkey, and the braying of Emily and Rodney, the friendly donkeys! This is really country--but only 20 minutes from the nearest town (and beaches) of Waikenae, and only an hour north of Wellington.



We'll relax and settle in for a day or two and then start to plan our activities at the local unis and polytechs. Onward!