Thursday 16 October Spring sunshine was peeping through the clouds as the birdsong woke us up and continued to break through as the morning progressed. We walked up to the DOC I-site to get information about local walks and decided on a few that fit our profile (oldish, unfit, one dodgy back and two dodgy knees!) We went back to Banjo, packed a picnic and assorted layers and set off to the carpark halfway up Mt Robert where we picked up Paddy’s Track which apparently mainly f

Wednesday 15 October Started the day with a singalong boogie online with my sister video calling me from the Bjorn Again gig in London - you can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life! 🎶. Half of the Cafe de Paris ladies seemed to be there as we screeched along to Voulez vous, Lay all your love on me and Dancing Queen - it was so much fun! Got up & dressed and put on our Red Band gumboots to squelch our way across to check out the earthquake wall. Built in 1964, i

Tuesday 14 September It was a wet and chilly night - as indicated by the puddles around Banjo as we packed up and left the NZMCA Hanmer Bridge mid-morning (accidentally forgetting to pay as we both thought the other had done that! Chased up and paid a week later- oops!). Per the forecast, the winds had dropped, making for a much safer journey through the Lewis Pass to the Marble Hill DOC camp near Springs Junction. The road was pretty stunning and as we headed westward the d

Monday 13 October It’s not easy getting my step count on a travel day - so set off at about 7.45am to wander through Sovereign Palms down to the lake. Lovely mild morning under light cloud - lots of birds and flora around, so a great start to the day. Packed up Banjo and had a catch up with John, our lovely POP host at Treehouse Retreat. Hit the road at 10.30 and went north towards the Waipara wine district before turning inland towards the Lewis Pass. The plan was to get to

Sunday 12 October Back to life, back to reality - big trip to the Liquid Laundromat for me (our linen change weekend and helping out E&J as their bore water colours all their light washing a grubby rusty shade). I had a wander round Kaiapoi while the washing machines were churning and was shocked at the amount of water in the Waimakariri River which had burst its banks. The rain upstream in the mountains had clearly been pretty intense. Louis went on a bit of a wild goose

Saturday 11 October Happy Birthday Party Day to Josh on the hottest day of the year so far! We were up and over to help out early (a little later than planned after a fruitless search for red fondant icing) then everyone started arriving around 10ish for a fun day of board games and BBQ. I was on kitchen duty and Louis took charge of the BBQ - where he was talked at by Arthur for an hour or two... that kid sure can talk!!! Flip7 was my favourite game and I came a close secon

Friday 10 October Chores day today in CHC - began with trading in the trusty Pajero for a scallywag electric blue Subaru while we got the 6 monthly service sorted. Louis went and swam 2km at the Graham Condon Pool in Papanui while I got my blood test done (eventually) at Awanui Labs (all good, my white cell count is back where it should be) then went to Kmart & discovered The Outlet where I upgraded my Converse for the summer for a mere $69! The Outlet is a new store which i

Thursday 9 October After watching the super moon rise, I set my alarm for 6.30am so we could check out the morning’s sunrise. The moon was still visible in a perfect pastel sky, over the far side of the bay. The pinks and peaches and lilac undertones of the sky at this hour were absolutely stunning. Louis and I walked over to the wee bay just round the corner and watched as the sea, sky & clouds oscillated through a kaleidoscope of rainbow colours. Back in July, this beach

Wednesday 8 October Our onward destination was not bookable so we got our arses in gear and packed up Banjo in good time, said farewell to Yamille (Luke was already at work) then hit the highway out to the coast and down to Kaikoura. Obligatory stop at Kekerengu (where we plan to stay one day) then on along the stunning coastline to Waipapa Point for the seals then onwards to Kaikōura and the Pier Hotel. Kekerengu Store is always a perfect pit stop - the cabinet is laden with

Tuesday 7 October So peaceful on the vineyard, the silence wakened me just after 7am, and I peeped out the window to see a glorious golden landscape surrounding us. The wind was forecast to increase again through the day so we set up the bikes and took off in a big loop round the vineyards - out to Nautilus, up to Renwick then back along Jacksons & Rapaura, passing many old favourites from our January sojourn along the way - Cloudy Bay, Allan Scott, Moa Brewery & Roots Gin Sh

Monday 6 October Wellington continued to be a tad grey & windy and we had time to kill as our ferry got pushed back from lunchtime to mid afternoon so we drove down to check out Plimmerton - had a walk along Sunset Parade beside the sea and popped into a Sallies Op Shop. Louis grabbed a coffee and ferry supplies at the Urban Bakehouse next to the NZMCA and we caught up on some travel admin before hitching up & heading into town to the Bluebridge Ferry Terminal. Queued up for

Sunday 5 October Gosh - what a busy Sunday in Welly! We hit SH1 down to the kiwi capital in typically wet & windy weather… bringing the 12*C high down to a “feels like 6*C” which was a shock to the system! First stop was at the water's edge for the Harbourside Market and a wander along the waterfront, meeting heaps of dogs along the way. Some fun food stalls, but the highlight for me was the fruit & veggie section which rivalled the markets of the Perigeux region we visited i

Saturday 4 October The rain had been dialled back a bit overnight and there was even a golden glow across the landscape as we got up & moving. I took a morning stroll around the property to get my Fitbit steps & Louis got the bikes down and we set off to cycle into Whanganui to visit the weekend market. Kelly ran a dog training school, kennels and doggy daycare until recently and her three special pups were immortalised on the big shed in the yard. Sadly we had gone about 8

Friday 3 October Despite a grey and drizzly start to the day, we had a lovely time exploring Bradley’s Garden - so many careful curated garden spaces, scattered with quirky little buildings & statues, and full of glorious planting and some beautiful birdlife. Perfect spot for a wedding, which is exactly what these guys offer. The dainty pink blossoms along the driveway enticed an array of birdlife and heaps of bees. One had strayed into the gents toilets so Louis tried to r

Thursday 2 October Day Two of the big trek South for chapter 2 of Banjo’s Odyssey - and we woke in a bedroom inside a house, made use of...

Wednesday 1 October We said our final farewells to our wonderful hosts, the Orrs, and of course to Summer and Dilligas. Summer came over...

Tuesday 30 September With impeccable timing - our lovely friends from Natural Birth Classes in London in 1998 landed back from their big...

Monday 29 September Busy day - we were on the Harbour Bridge by 8.30am, heading for my specialist appointment for my chronky knees. Done...

Sunday 28 September A gorgeous morning as we packed up Banjo and I had a walk around the POP, meeting the cows at morning golden hour and...

Saturday 27 September Only one thing to be done on a Saturday in Matakana… visit the legendary Village Farmers Market! So Louis got down...