Rotorua

Just before Christmas some friends of ours from Canberra, Susie and Patrick, got in touch with us and told us they were going to Rotorua to go mountain biking on holiday. So we used this as a great excuse to make the annual biking pilgrimage to Rotovegas, as well as catch up with friends. We spent 4 days riding over 30 km a day of the different tracks at Rotorua with Susie and Patrick and their friends Sam and Ben. The tracks even held up pretty well after a 24 hours of torrential rain. The kids - Max (11), Nikita (9), Josh (8), Mia (6) and Thea (6) all did really well. They improved a lot and rode as long as 20 km on some days.... I don't think I will be able to keep up with them all in a few years.  

We also made sure we dragged them to our favourite hot pools at Kerosene Creek.  

Relaxing in the warm waters of Kerosene Creek

We also couldn't go past checking out the mud pools....and the Aratiatia dam release... 

Ohakune Old Coach Road

Last year Aaron rode the Old Coach Road with his friend Craig as part of a bike tour. But he loved it so much he took me back again. It is a nice ride on the edge of the Tongariro National Park between the farmland and the native forest, with a couple of old railway viaducts across some valleys to check out along the way. One way the track is 14 km, but we rode to the end and back - mostly down hill on the way back to Ohakune. 

We camped the night at the DOC campsite just inside Tongariro National Park at Mangawhero Stream, with amazing views of a pink Mt Ruapehu as the sun set.

New wardrobe

After many, many months we finally installed the wardrobe in our bedroom that Aaron has been building in his wood working class and the garage over Christmas. They say if you want perfection you have to be patient.... I have been very patient... and it has turned out great.

It was a bit of a brain tease to get the sections in to the house, down the corridor and around all the the corner in to the bedroom.

The cats also enjoyed helping out....checking out all the new draws and shelves.

Safi sitting in a drawer

Mifi sitting in the drawers

Mifi helping Aaron screw it all together

Another impressive piece of furniture built by Aaron.... now he needs to reclaim the garage from the sawdust and left over pieces of wood ;)

Pencarrow Lighthouse Ride

We have both been doing lots of chores the last few days as well as squeezing in a few bike rides. Today was the nicest day since Christmas so we decided to ditch the chores for a day and go have some fun. We decided to head out and revisit Pencarrow Heads, on the opposite side of the Wellington Harbour. We hadn't been out there for many years and several new tracks have been developed since then around the lakes and up the lighthouse.

Lake Kohangapiripiri and Pencarrow Lighthouse, with Wellington harbour and city in the background

View from the highpoint

View of one of the lakes from the lookout

Climbing up to the lighthouse, several short steep pinches... but mostly rideable.

Descending from the lighthouse, Helen with tongue out for added concentration.

Lots of people out cycling, walking, and collecting seafood along the coast. Temperature was very pleasant and not too windy, although the northerly picked up after lunch. A great summer day in Wellington. Hopefully we will get a few more this summer...

Shutters

We have the same problem in the bedroom as in the lounge - how to block out light and still let the breeze in. I found these kit-set shutters on line and thought we could give them a try.  I ordered them several months ago and they finally arrived on Friday.

Some of the pieces

First one assembled

All mounted up

And opened up

We are pretty happy with the shutters. We have to orde another set for the spare bedroom.

Projects progress

Today is the first day of my 'retirement'. I have a feeling I am going to be busier in my retirement than I was when employed. Sometimes I was happy to go back to work on Monday as it gave me chance to recover from the long weekends activities.

Here are a few pictures of where some of the projects I have been working on are up to.

Patchy grass growth

The last of the dirt has been removed and grass planted. Some of the starter soil was old and the cats liked it as well so the new growth is rather patchy. Hopefully it will fill in a bit more.

Cleared and ready for gravel

The north side of the house will get weed mat and gravel as well as few pavers so you can walk around the house in bare feet.

First look at the wardrobe doors

The wardrobe doors have made it to the painting stage. I don't like painting and tend to rush this part, but since I am going to have to look at these things every morning when I wake up, I figure I better take my time and do a good job. Here they have had a primer coat and I have filled in some of the holes from knots.

Drawers for the inside of the wardrobe

Here are all the drawers (minus one that will go in the middle). They are sitting on the plywood that will become the carcass. I still need to cut, paint and attach the drawer faces. So lots still to do...

Devastated Christchurch

It has been almost 3 years since the devastating earthquake in the centre of Christchurch. We have not been to visit, as it felt like being a disaster tourist! I finally had an excuse to check it out as the New Zealand Geoscience conference was held at Canterbury University this year. I went down a day early and was shown around by a guy, Sam Johnson, that I met last year on the HMSNZ Canterbury. Sam is an amazing guy who organised all the student volunteers that after the earthquake when and cleaned up the city of the liquefaction mess and delivered food and water and all kinds of other help to people. So it was a privilege to be shown around the city by him.

I have to say I was shocked.

The city centre doesn't exist. So many empty lots. Lots of buildings still boarded up and waiting to come down. And lots of shipping containers everywhere - holding up the facades of buildings where the rest of it has come down, protecting sites in case buildings collapse, and of course the amazing container mall - fitted out for the shops.

 Empty lots and boarded up and falling down buildings that still need to be removed.

A wall of containers holding up the facade of the theatre as the rest of it is rebuilt after it collapsed in the February 22nd 2011 earthquake

Some poor shop owner trying to keep his business alive without a building...

The "container mall" - very colourful and fun with lots of energy

Container cafes and bars for people to hang out

The old cathedral is severely damaged, but the new "cardboard cathedral" has just opened and looks pretty cool. It is made up of cardboard cylinders with a perspex cover - very clever.

The old, destroyed, cathedral in the centre of the city

The new "cardboard" cathedral a few blocks away

Inside the "cardboard" cathedral - held up by cardboard cylinders (just like the inside of your toilet roll)

While they are waiting for the re-build there are some fun projects that have been developed to "Fill the Gap", including a urban mini gold course around the city, a sound garden where you can pretent you are part of "Stomp", and an open air cinema where you have to power it by pedalling bikes, and lots of art work has popped up to fill the spaces.

The urban mini golf

Sam Johnson pretending he is part of the cast of "Stomp" and sounding pretty tuneful

There is definitely a positive vibe in the city as it starts to rebuild. I'm sure that Christchurch will once again be a great, modern, city - it just might take a decade or so to get there.

It certainly shows how a large earthquake can destroy a city. I just hope it doesn't happen to Wellington any time soon - I wouldn't want to live through what the Cantabrians have had to over the last few years and New Zealand just can't afford to rebuild 2 cities right now.