Sunday, 17 January:  When we lived in NZ in the early 1970s, only the corner dairy was open on Sunday. Now, it is, as they say, all go. We drove over to Whakatane to a shopping center called The Hub. I got a few things I needed, we picked up some groceries and went back to Ohope for lunch. In the afternoon, we drove with Cathy and Max to see the land Anna and Mark have bought to build a home. It is a beautiful spot of about 15 acres overlooking the harbor. We finished the day with a wonderful dinner at the Fisherman's Wharf Cafe. The restaurant is on the opposite side of the harbor from Anna and Mark's property. The backdrop of sailboats in the fading sun was perfect for our last evening here.

Monday, 18 January:  We packed up and left Ohope in the late morning and headed for home...Feilding, that is. We drove in and out of rain all day. Mt. Ruapehu, aka "The Mountain", was completely shrouded in cloud and fog. I hope it will be a clear day when we drive this way with Joe and Mary in a couple of weeks. We stopped a few times along the way and were back in Feilding around 6PM. Once in Feilding, we had dinner out, did some grocery shopping, and settled in at the Black's. Incy, the cat, seemed thrilled to see us. In fact, she just wanted his evening meal.  

Tuesday, 19 January: After a lazy start, Buzz set off on what he calls his "walk around the block". It is actually an 8Km walk around the perimeter of Feilding. He did it in one hour and forty-two minutes...walking only. His days of jogging part way are over. I drove to the town center, and chose to do my walking doing some errands and window shopping. In the late afternoon we drove to Bulls, about 15 minutes away, and called in on our long time friends Jo and Rauf Rangooni. I had tried to reach them by phone but kept getting someone named Jeff (probable Geoff in NZ)...turns out there is something wrong with their phone . We had a cup of tea, good conversation, and an invitation to return for dinner on Monday evening.

Wednesday, 20 January: Today we had lunch at the home of our good friends, Roger and Doris Berry. Roger was one of the senior veterinarians at the Feilding Vet Club when Buzz worked there. We were joined by Jackie and Howard Williamson. These four friends, all just a bit older than we are full of energy and lead busy lives. Excellent conversation founds us still there in the late afternoon. Then it was home for a nap and a quiet evening.

Thursday, 21 January: I got a haircut today...a little pampering never hurt anyone. We packed a picnic lunch and went for a ride to the Totara Reserve in Pohangina. We got a bit turned around, and Buzz was concerned we didn't have enough petrol to really go exploring; so we headed back toward town and had our picnic at Menzie's Ford. It is one of our favorite spots with tables just at the top of the riverbank. We walked down to the river after lunch. Someone had made a little kiddie pool by building a low stone wall in a semi circle. There were kids swimming with grandparents looking on.

Friday, 22 January:  Happy Birthday to Kate and Laura from your first hometown! I always think I should rest on the girls' birthdays since giving birth was so exhausting, but I got up and did the laundry and got it out on the line before we went to the Feilding Friday Market in the Square this morning. There are vendors with everything from apricots to soap. We bought a few things including a packet of Anzac biscuits from a lady who was at the market two years ago...I assume these are new biscuits! Buzz went to visit the Veterinary practice that has replaced the Vet Club in town. Cathy and Max's cat is old and not eating well, and Buzz is having a chat to the vet about it. There is something very satisfying about being away and having a place that feels very much our home.

Saturday, 23 January: We drove south to Levin to go to the A&P (agricultural and pastoral) show. We took time to watch the dairy cattle judging and the pony jumping, looked at the winning baked goods, knitted items, and quilts, and watched the wood chopping events. Later in the day we stopped at the Waitarere Beach Domain for a picnic. One of the many things we love about NZ is that every small town has a domain with a small playground, picnic tables and clean public toilets. Now it's a quiet evening at home. I'll make crumbed fish and new potatoes for dinner, and we'll pretend we're real Kiwis!