Sunday, 14 February: The drive from Jack's Point to Lake Tekapo yesterday was uneventful except for the few drivers who were navigating on the wrong side of the road. Fortunately there were no accidents. We drove through LIndis Pass, stopped at Lake Pukaki where the water was a beautiful shade of blue, and we took the scenic drive up the Tekapo Canal Road only to find it was closed about 5km from the main road, and we had to turn back and take the main road the rest of the way to Lake Tekapo. All along this trip we have noticed the huge increase in the number of tourists in NZ compared to our previous visits. When we got to the Lake Tekapo Motels and Holiday Park, we encountered something we had never seen before. There was a line of people waiting to check in. We were about 6th or 7th in line Our accommodation was clean and basic. We had a meal in the village center and drove down to see the Church of the Good Shepherd and the statue of the sheep dog. Both were surrounded by throngs of tourists. In all the years we have been coming to NZ, we have never seen such crowds

Sunday, continued: This morning we drove from Lake Tekapo to Prebbleton just south of Christchurch to have lunch at the home of Pete and Joan Sommerville. Pete's father, Geoff, was Buzz's boss in Feilding, and both Geoff and his wife Ngaire were wonderful friends to us. Pete and Joan welcomed us and we had a lovely lunch. Before having a cup of tea, Pete took Joe, Mary and Buzz for a walk around their lovely property while I went inside with Joan so I could use the toilet facilities. As I sat down, the tremors from a magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the house.
It was mild but enough to get my attention. When I came out into the kitchen, Joan asked, "Did you feel that?" Those who were outside didn't even feel it. Mary was quite disappointed. It was a bit eerie since we had just been talking about the big earthquake of 2011 and the aftermath of that. Pete reminded us of a beautiful spot along the road north to Kaikoura, and we took the detour from Domett to Gore Bay and back to the main road at Cheviot. It is a road with stunning views and many twists and turns. We walked on the beach for a while before moving on to Kaikoura. Our stop for the night is the Blue Seas Motel on the Esplanade in Kaikoura. It is just across the road from the sea, and we can hear the waves coming ashore from our room. Tomorrow we take the ferry back to the North Island.

Monday, 15 February: We fell asleep to the sound of the waves and woke refreshed for our drive to Picton and the ferry ride back to Wellington. We stopped to see the seal colony along the rocky coast, and generally admired the scenery. Once again the ferry crossing was smooth. We left Wellington in the evening rush of traffic and got to our lodging in Greytown around 7:30. I asked if the restaurants in town would be open, and the recetionist assured us they would, but not too late. Well, there was one restaurant open. We had a good meal and settled in for the night.

Tuesday, 16 February: Continuing north, we stopped at the Mt. Bruce Wildlife Center just north of Masterton. We have been here many times and never tire of the beautiful native bush or the wildlife. The DOC (Dept of Conservation) Rangers and the volunteer docents are very knowledgable, and there are short films to see as well. The walk through the center's trails takes from 45 minutes to about 2 hours depending on how far you want to walk. Next, we stopped in Pahiatua to show Joe and Mary the first home we had when we came to live in NZ in July, 1971. The town is greatly changed in these 45 years. Our home is much the same. Back on the road we drove through Woodville and onto the Saddle Road to take us closer to Feilding. Along this road we drove among the turbines of the Te Apiti Wind Farm and stopped at the viewing area to see them up close and personal and to learn about the installation. We got back to Feilding, unpacked the car and relaxed for the afternoon. Cathy had a delicious dinner for us in the evening.

Wednesday, 17 February: Laundry and R&R. Sometimes you just need a day to recharge.

Thursday, 18 February: Buzz and I have tickets to the Royal Edinburghh Military Tatoo in Welington tonight. By the time we got the tickets, there were no rooms available in Wellington or the surrounding area. Cathy and Max's daughter, Maria and her husband, Frank, are motel keepers at the Claremont Motel in Martinborough. They had a cancellation; so we drove to Martinborough, checked in, left Joe and Mary with Maria and Frank, and we drove on to Upper Hutt to leave the car at the commuter rail carpark and take the train into the city. Those of you who know Buzz will realize the stress all of this had for him. We got to Wellington in the late afternoon and walked to TePapa, the National Museum, and spent our time in the Maori Culture section until it was time to head to the stadium. Wellington is always a windy city, but it was particularly so today. We were walking into the wind, and it was hard going. The Westpac Stadium seats 34,500 people. About a third of the seats were blocked off for the staging, and the rest were filled. This exhibition of marching bands, Bagpipers, Maori singers and dnacers, highland dancers, and Pacific Islanders among others was a night to remember. The precision of the performances and the seamless nature of the transition from one performing group to another made the two hour and fifteen minute event fly by. We were blown away: figuratively by the performance, and almost literally by the gusting winds that prevailed throughout. We got the 11:05pm train back to Upper Hutt, drove the hour to Martinborough, and were snug in the Claremont just after 1am...quite late for the two of us. While we were in Wellington, Maria and Frank took Joe and Mary to the Tirohana Estate Winery for dinner.

Friday, 19 February: We slept in this morning after our late night. As we were packing up to leave the motel, Maria came by to say she had booked us a tour and tasting at the Brodie Estate Winery. We drove into the center of Martinborough and walked around the Square. Martinborough, where Cathy grew up, has become a very popular destination for people interested in wine tours and boutique shopping. We met Maria at the winery around 11:30. James Brodie gave us a very personalized tour and told us a great deal about the growing of olives and grapes and the wine making process. Our tasting included C******nay, Rose, and three different years of Pinot Noir served with platters of bread and cheese and olives and oil. Good thing Buzz doesn't like wine; someone had to be sober to drive! Straight on to Feilding and a quiet late afternoon. .

Saturday, 20 February: Mary was in charge of the kitchen today and made delicious lasagne and meatballs for dinner. I contributed by buying the ingredients and "making" dessert which consisted of filling readymade tart shells with lemon curd and making a merengue topping! Buzz and Joe went to the Feilding Coach Museum and had the good fortune of finding a Pipe Band competition in the park nearby. Tomorrow we leave for a couple of days at Whangomomona along the Forgotten World Highway....stay tuned.