Visiting Nicki and Richard’s patch

Molesworth part 2

Across to the South Island

We had sun, rain, gale force winds and then serene calm and blue skies as we crossed the Cook Strait and then went through Queen Charlotte Sound to Picton on the South Island.

Last night we caught up with Ian and Alison from Makara of Exe, who sailed on the World ARC with us last year. They live in a piece of paradise up the Wairu Valley, with horses, a 2 week old foal, deer, cats and dogs and made us hugely welcome.

Today we are taking the  200km gravel Acheron road up to Molesworth station at 1300m, and on down to Hanmer Springs tomorrow .

Kapiti coast to Wellington harbour

It was our first night "freedom camping" last night, pulled up by the beach at Raumati opposite Kapiti island. Yesterday afternoon the island vanished behind cloud and rain, but it was back this morning. 

Yesterday was special particularly because Rob walked 4 miles on the beach without pain stopping him. A big improvement compared to a week ago. Fingers crossed for our plans to trek in Fjordland in early Feb.

Today: a morning swim before breakfast, hard to beat as a start to the day.

On down to windy Wellington, it was a beautiful sunny day. Wooden houses perched on steep hillsides, wonderful trees and birdsong in the botanical gardens, busy bustling dockside and waterfront. 

We are watching the sunset from our patch in Camp Wellington on . Shelly Bay. It's all pretty good!

Sarah, Brett and Phoebe

Here they are! Fun to catch up after so long. Sarah is Prof of Leadership at Massey, and pioneering for women in sport in NZ. We shared stories of our sailing trip and may have whet an appetite for a family trip to the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia...

Back on the road again

I was sad to leave Homewood and the Tathams yesterday after a wonderful few days, but excited to be en-route to see Sarah Leberman in Palmerston North , my dear college friend last seen 19 years ago.

On the open road the plains spread out in front of us, before we crossed the mountains to the west and dropped down to Moonshine Valley Rd near Massey University.

The Woolshed

In the woolshed the lambs are mustered before being loaded onto the truck, and they are dagged (shorn around their bottoms) before going to market and then to the slaughterhouse.

Up on the beams are the names of the shearers who have worked here over the years - with names going back prior to the 1950s