Sunday, 20 March: We took one last quick morning trip to the Sanson Sunday Market specifically to buy some NZ native wooden crafts from a vendor we met there before...and to get some of the Anzac biscuits we love from Beth the Baker. Around noon, we went to Lloyd and Krista Evans' home for lunch. The Rangoonis were there as well as the Blacks...a delightful afternoon. Lloyd and Krista have done yeoman's work building walls and fencing by themselves and adding native plants to create a beautiful garden that draws one in. I often say I would love to have a beautiful garden...but that would require hiring a gardener!

Monday, 21 March: A day for taking time for special memories of my mom on what would have been her 101st birthday, packing, and organizing. We have only acquired enough stuff to fill one additional checked bag for the trip home. In the late afternoon we went to Himitangi Beach with Cathy and Max for a walk on the beach, a picnic supper and the sunset. We spent a great deal of time on this beach when we lived here. We have fond memories of catching flounder in nets, flying kites, and just being two young families together at the beach. This evening we were content to wade along the sea edge, watch Max have his swim, eat our picnic supper, and take home a piece of driftwood Cathy found for her garden. More good memories.

Tuesday, 22 March: We did a few errands this morning and packed most of our stuff into the car. I spent the rest of the day quietly after learning that a dear friend has died after a bout with an unanticipated, sudden onset illness. Times like this make it difficult to be so far from home and friends and family. We took Cathy and Max out to dinner at Essence, an excellent restaurant in Feilding. It was a good way to end a difficult day.

Wednesday, 23 March: By 8:30 we had finished packing the car, checked to be sure we hadn't left anything behind, returned the house keys and said "see you next time" to Cathy and Max. We treasure this friendship and so appreciate their hospitality letting us make their home ours. Our first stop was to see Howard and Jackie Williamson. They asked us to call in because Jackie wanted to give us a memento to take home. She gave us a lovely signed oil sketch she had done as well as a photo of another painting. Her paintings of horses are so beautiful. We have admired them for years and are so proud to have one to call our own. We stayed for a cup of tea and had the pleasure of meeting their granddaughter Sarah and her two little boys, William and Angus. Once on the road heading north, the weather "packed up" as they say in NZ. By the time we got to Waiouru, we were in wind, rain, and fog. As we drove past Mt. Ruapehu, it was impossible to see that there was a mountain there at all. At Turangi we stopped for a pie and coffee for lunch. Meat pies are a very traditional Kiwi lunch, and this was our first pie lunch of this trip. If you happen to be in Turangi, stop into the Bakehouse Cafe for an excellent pie. We arrived in Tauranga about five in the afternoon. In the evening, we took Audrey to a new Thai restaurant for dinner, delicious.

Thursday, 24 March: The rain continued all night and throughout the day today accompanied by high winds. In some parts of NZ there is serious flooding. Buzz went to the library in the morning to do some research while Audrey and I did some shopping. We met Molly for a cafe lunch and then home to read and relax...nothing better to do on a dreary day.

Friday, 25 March: More rain overnight, but by morning it had cleared. We slept late, did some things around the house for Audrey, and I baked some scones. The Tauranga Jazz Festival is on this Easter Weekend...it is a four day holiday here. We'll partake tomorrow.

Saturday, 26 March: We were out of the house and on our way to the Farmers Market just after 8 this morning. It is a large, excellent market, and we got bread, fresh veggies, cheese, smoked fish, venison, and some flowers and were treated to music by a group of high school age jazz students. A very satisfactory way to start the day. Later in the morning, Buzz went to visit the people at the Tauranga Rock and Mineral Club and came home with more NZ Greenstone to take home. He will be busy turning it into wearable jewelry for me and the girls. In the afternoon, we went down to the Tauranga waterfront to the Jazz Festival. NZ one and two dollar coins are gold color, and the admission to the street festival was "a gold coin" which was a donation. There were four stages set up and music filling the air from one end of the Strand to the other. In addition to this essentially free music, there are several musicians at restaurants in the downtown area, and evening concert venues around the city today and tomorrow where tickets are required.
Audrey made smoked fish pie for dinner...an excellent end to a lovely day.

Sunday, 27 March: Happy Easter to all who celebrate. We took a drive today with Audrey and her neighbor, Ed. Ed shares his internet connection with us which is such a help. Otherwise I would have to go to the library to find a connection. Our first stop was at the Te Puna Quarry Park. A friend of Audrey's had a vision to turn this unused quarry into a park. With the formation of a trust, and the ongoing assistance of many volunteers, the area has been planted in native and exotic trees and plants, filled with sculpture, and carved with trails and tracks leading to surprisingly beautiful views. It is an amazing place to spend a day with family and friends. Buzz and I had a walk around the park for a while and will go back on our next visit to explore more fully. From Te Puna, we drove on to Okamaroa for lunch at the Yacht Club. This town, on a peninsula about 20Km north of Tauranga, is a lovely seaside area. Our lunch was delicious and plentiful, and we enjoyed the view of sailboats, seabirds, and the small car ferry coming and going to Matakana Island. We were told that you can walk to the island at low tide. All of that fresh air necessitated a nap when we got home! Tomorrow we head to Whangarei to begin our last full week of this idyll.