Goodbye to North Island

So it's goodbye to Wellington and goodbye to North Island for the time being. Our last week or so has been delightful, especially as we've had a few beautifully warm sunny days, blossom is now noticeable on the trees and the birds are singing. Yes we know that there will still be some bad weather to come, there is snow on the Tararua Ranges in Wellington and on a clear day you can see the snow glistening on the tips of the Marlborough Sounds on South Island, but spring is finally on its way!

For our last day in Wellington Su and I took the Dominion Post Ferry to Matiu-Somes Island which is in the middle of Wellington Harbour. The island has a bit of a dark history, having been used as a place of quarantine for both animals and people in the past, but today it is a wildlife reserve, lived on and managed by Matt, a dreadlocked surfie who is passionate about conservation. We had such a chilled-out relaxed day, strolling around the various paths looking for tuatara (no joy) and skinks, of which we saw quite a few. We were followed for a bit by a friendly North Island Robin, we saw and heard the very distinctive call of the Red-Crowned Parakeets all over the island and we kept our eyes peeled for Little Blue Penguins who nest on the island in their hundreds by nightfall. Again no joy, although we found out when leaving the island that one had probably growled at us - we asked Matt what was likely to be rustling in bushes and growling and he replied that penguins do growl when sitting on eggs - if we'd known that we may have stayed at that place for a little while! But the day was mostly about clear blue sky, warm sunshine, sparkling blue sea, luscious green bush, peace, tranquillity and calm - a million miles from the black suits of the city, and yet so close.....

We then returned to Ross & Helen's for a few days, to finish off the painting and say our goodbyes. We were very satisfied with our painting efforts and Ross & Helen were delighted with the transformation to the rooms, giving us a box of their own wines to take with us down south, which is both incredibly generous seeing as that was part of the deal for our free accommodation, and much, much appreciated as we're saving every penny at the moment and our budget isn't stretching to wine! And the generosity didn't stop there either as they've lent us an old laptop so that we can prepare our blog and review pictures, and also prepare emails in advance, which will save us an enormous amount of time and money in Internet cafes. Thank you both so much - both gifts mean a huge amount to us.

As well as the painting, we had a few lovely trips out with Helen and Stevie, while poor Ross was stuck at work! The gorgeous weather gave Helen a perfect opportunity to show us some of her favourite bits of Wellington and we were driven first to Days Bay and Eastbourne on the opposite side of the harbour, where her Dad had grown up, a lovely laidback suburb where penguins nest under the houses. Then we had a drive around the south coast of Wellington, from Oriental Parade, past lots of wonderful little coves and beaches where we stopped to feed Stevie and have a paddle, through Seatoun where Helen treated us to one of the best fish & chip meals we have eaten so far in NZ, then past the airport to the start of the Red Rocks coastal walk. Another wonderful day out where both Stevie & I fell asleep in the car on the way home! Perhaps the highlight of our trips out, aside from the numerous stops for hot chocolates with marshmallows, was the Nga Manu Sanctuary, at Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast, which works towards the conservation of some of the endangered wildlife here in NZ. Stevie was entranced by us feeding the ducks who were quite used to this and hoovered up the offerings from our hands, but the star of the show was a kaka, my favourite bird from Karori, who was used to people and very tame, hopping around our heads and shoulders, rubbing Su's hair and using the oils to preen its feathers, before it caught sight of Stevie's biscuit and flew down, playing a tug-of-war with a highly amused Stevie who was giggling with delight, until it won and flew away to enjoy its prize. Bruce, the manager of the sanctuary loved the photos and asked for some copies so Su's picture of Stevie & the kaka is now on the home page of their website!

And finally Su and I have been back to Otaki for a few days, finished the cleaning, and more importantly stopped and relaxed. This place really is magical. We've explored a little more, enjoying a couple of walks along the gorgeous windswept beach, looking at the shells and jellyfish thrown up by the sea, and been back to Waikanae to wander along the beach and estuary, joining the beachcombers and watching people fishing for whitebait. But for us the best memories of Otaki are the wonderful house and garden where we were staying. The garden, so vividly green, blossom everywhere you look, tui flying and singing in all directions - it's even magical in the rain with the sun shining golden through the clouds, making everything sparkle. And inside, a picture of lovely food, delicious Malbec, roaring hot fire and sitting reading a book. How simple, yet how wonderful.

And now it's time to move on, recharged and revitalised. Tonight we're staying for one final night with Helen & Ross, and have just eaten a wonderful meal, finally meeting her Dad to say a big thank you for his generosity in letting us use his houses. And tomorrow we're booked on the Bluebridge ferry to South Island - a new beginning, how exciting!

Lots of love, Jo & Su, xxxxxxx