Fourth day

Today we traveled from Picton to Bulls. We shared a table on the ferry with a couple from Levin and the time passed pleasantly.  The sea in the sounds was green but once in the strait the water was  charcoal. Into Whanganui - a - Tara and the waters lightened again.
We had lunch in the Sunday market and went to Te Papa,just to see the Gallipoli exhibition.  It is a very emotional time. There is such an absence is speech. Few adults say anything.  There is mostly the voices of the soldiers telling their stories. Very little children, those too young to understand the gravity of war,and the raw emotions of adults, call to their daddies, and that actually adds to the pathos of it all.
Once I hot Ron into the correct lane I slept ad I had not slept at all well last night.
We arrived at this lovely little campground in Bulls just as the owner was about to leave to spend his new years eve elsewhere. Lucky eh.
And now,at 9 pm,it is time to prepare for bed,with the traffic roaring past regularly.  I am trusting that it will stop begore long. Surely people must all have something else to do tonight than to drive by our campsite.

Third day of northward travel

What a lovely way to wake this morning, by the sea. All night it sounded like wind in the trees and I had to keep checking that the walls o fthe tent were still. But it was just the sea rolling in. We packed leisurely and I wondered at the three vehicles that pulled up right in front of our site, almost blocking us in, but they were just waiting for us to leave so they could take our site.
We went to Omaka Heritage Aviation Centre - amazing place! We had coffee there. It came with a jelly plane. Not a jetplane, but in the shape of a vintage plane. Very cool.
Then we went to a lovely little gallery near the junction of the Nelson highway and Rapuara Road. We tried to find The Ned winery but without any luck, so we went to the Moa Brewery instead. It has changed since the last tme we were there. It is much bigger and much busier.

Day 2

The drive up the coast is as glorious as ever.  There are interesting changes and it would be nice to be able to stop more often. The water has changed from the beautiful blue green close to shore to a murky pale green.  It looks as if the rivers are flooding and pouring their silt into the ocean. But many of the rivers are only pools or trickles or have dried up completely. Even the mighty Clarendon looked less feisty than we saw it last.
Tonight we have stopped at Marfell's Beach,a DOC campsite. The sea is rolling in, breaker after breaker, a constant meditative backdrop.  It has cooled considerably and clouds are gathering. 

And we are starting

We finally packed and left Gore in beautiful sunshine about 12.15. Always there are those final things to be done which take a little longer than you expect.  We had a pleasant drive and stopped for lunch in Milton.  Ron has been thinking about learning archery in his retirement and,serendipitously, we spoke to a couple in the cafe who were part of an archery club in Balclutha.
We called in to see my friend who is home from England for a holiday. It is such fun catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.
Aunty Colleen was not at home in Timaru but we later found out she had a fall and was in hospital. 
My big brother was at home in Ashburton when we called for a cuppa. 
We stayed the night with Shona and Peter in Christchurch. Polly was pleased to see me.

Unexpected training

At the very hottest part of the day my family decided that the drunken talk of the night before should be made a fact. So off we went to Croydon Bush to walk to Grant's Knob. Just over 2km relentlessly uphill and just under 3 down. I am somewhat shattered it would be fair to say. The rata was blooming and the bush was scarlet.  It is flowering early this year.  All the trapping by the Tramping Club is having a good effect.  There is more rata than I have seen before and there was fairly constant birdsong.

The route

This is the route we will follow. We have books by the Kennett Brothers.  The Tour Aotearoa is a brevet which is done in between 10 to 30 days but we ae NOT going to try to do that. We intend to enjoy this. It is the break between work and retirement.  Sort of like a gap year in reverse.

Thank you

This morning I went for a radio interview with Cave FM. And Wendy put the Givealittle page on line last night. $250 already. This is quite exciting - and very daunting!