Off we go again

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Happy New Year dear reader, and may your 2017 be as glorious and exciting as possible, which I am sure it will be if you keep on reading this blog every week!!

I am going to do this post a little differently from usual, as Nicky has been on holiday all week. This is not due to some benevolence by her management, but because the library has been closed all week. In addition, I haven’t had any requests for my presence.

The weather hasn’t been fantastic, but it has been dry most of the time, thought not ALL of the time, and we have managed lunches, dinners and even a breakfast out on the Rattigan. We have had time at home, and some time out. We have done our London Underground map jigsaw again (lost a piece in the wind outside), played Trivial Pursuit and had a walk down to the BHB beach with Stella and Katie, and popped round to see Tanya (who Nicky works with with) and her husband Steve and had some gorgeous smoked salmon.

We have been reading, the newest Jack Reacher, Billy Bird by Emma Neale and She’s Not There by Joy Fielding. All very good. Nicky has popped into the library a couple of times to stack the returned books, done gardening and house washing, Spotlight shopping and bought us some new outdoor fairy lights, which are so far working well. I have squeezed in some washing, ironing and food shopping, along with a little cooking and window cleaning and a very good walk and swim at Karekare on Friday morning.

On Tuesday evening we went out to meet Rachel en route to the UK via various places in the world and Auckland airport. We met her at Domestic Arrivals then walked over to the International terminal so she could enjoy a bite from Pitta Pit and we had pots of tea. It was good to catch up with her and hope to do the same on her return journey.

During 2016 Auckland Transport added double decker buses to their fleet, initially on the Northern Expressway (NEX) route which goes over the harbour bridge and along dedicated roading. I had seen the bus stations being built while driving past on the motorway and was interested to see where the roads went. With the introduction of the double deckers I suggested to Nicky that we take a trip and enjoy the view from the bridge from the top of a bus. So on Wednesday we used the excuse of meeting a friend for lunch in a café in Orewa to take the trip. We got the bus into town, then NEX to the Hibiscus Coast Park and Ride where Kelly picked us up. We had a very nice lunch and a good chat before Kelly went off to play squash and Nicky and I had a walk along the beach. We didn’t swim but did get a little wet in the rain, which had eased off by the time we caught a bus back to the Park and Ride and then a quick dash for the NEX south back over the bridge. Another bus home and a pot of tea rounded off a very good day. I was impressed with the new buses and stations and the bus roading. Auckland’s public transport has really improved in the years we have been here, and the new fare structure meant our journey home from the CBD was only $1.80 each and not $3.10 with us starting the last leg within 30 minutes of getting off the NEX.

We have had a quiet day today as we went into town last night to watch the New Year fireworks on Sky Tower, so did not have as much sleep as we needed. We have been to the Pah Homestead and had a very pleasant walk round the grounds as the gallery and café was closed, and then a lobs tea in the warm sunshine outside. A lovely way to start the year.


Take care, Rick

Santa doing his thing in Orewa

Nicky gets in touch with her inner garden gnome

Karekare is packed again

Comments

Jon Cox said…
Happy New Year to you all from the Old Country. Just to reassure you: 2017 in the UK has started with continual rain. And it's still falling. Was ever thus!
January 1, 2017 at 9:47 AM
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