February 13 to 17
Paraparaumu and Wellington
February 13
Paraparaumu and Wellington
A disturbed night's sleep but a reasonable amount of it so I was in reasonable form by the time we departed for the station. It was warm and sunny. Potentially a nice day. The train took us into Wellington and then a couple of buses took us to the south coast suburb of Miramar. We had coffees and a light lunch in a very nice café and then walked a couple of hundred metres down a residential street to the offices of Weta Workshop, one of the world's best special effects companies.
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We spent an hour learning about the numerous movies on which they have worked and the specialist skills that their staff possess. None of it could be photographed as so much of what they do is copyrighted by the big Hollywood corporations.
Our guide was excellent. She had always wanted to work there, had a theatre degree, and had bombarded them with emails, which achieved nothing. She got a job on the coffee cart outside and, eventually, someone asked her if she would like a job.
We were allowed to photograph one of the model makers who was doing amazing things with tin foil. I think he normally worked with hi tech plasticine.
From there we had a short bus ride up the road to their special Thunderbirds exhibition. I remember the original from 50 years ago, particularly as a family friend worked on it, and they had taken steps to incorporate some aspects of the original into the modern, hi tec, version.
Suitably impressed with the day's entertainment, we caught a couple of buses and a train back home.
We did a little shopping, failed to buy coffee in two closed cafes and settled for mediocre ones at the supermarket.
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Valerie went out to play bowls while I stayed at home for tea. I then walked briskly on a glorious evening for a couple of kilometres to the Bowling Club, arrived just as they finished playing, and headed to the bar. I had a quick beer and was driven home.
February 14
Paraparaumu and Wellington
Up early after another disturbed night. I caught a train just after 09.00 and was in Wellington by 10.00. It was cloudier, windier and cooler than it had been up the coast.
I rushed along Lambton Quay, visiting the bank, the post office and then the travel agency. There, I collected the paperwork for my trip to Guangzhou, all of which seemed to be in order. I completed a few more chores and settled into the Astoria, one of my favourite cafes, for a long black.
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I walked to the harbour, watched the ferry come in, chatted to a couple of friends and finished my journey to the station.
The train took me back to Paraparaumu, where I made contact with Valerie, we did a little shopping at the supermarket and drove home for lunch.
The afternoon vanished in a blur and I eventually passed out on the sofa for quite a while. The family gradually returned home from work, we had dinner and I managed to stay awake for long enough to write my diary and organise my photos.
February 15
Paraparaumu
It rained quite a lot overnight but there was only a touch of drizzle left by getting up time. After breakfast, we took Eli to his child minder and then drove to Raumati, a couple of miles away. Valerie went to the Arts & Crafts building for a morning's painting and I went down the road towards the beach.
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The hills were still shrouded in mist but blue sky was appearing over the beach. It looked as if the waterproof I was carrying would be a dead weight for the day.
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I walked along the beach and soon joined a couple with a small, scruffy dog. We chatted for a while before they branched off.
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I continued along the footpath, then went too far and past the village centre before returning along the road and finding a very good coffee in the café. It had changed ownership since I came here with Gary & Judi last year but the coffee was still excellent.
After a suitable rest, I retraced my steps to the beach, walked back the way I had come and met several more dogs. The sun, by this time, was becoming quite strong.
I returned to the Arts & Crafts building and we drove back to Paraparaumu for lunch at a café near the beach. We then collapsed at home for a quiet afternoon. The quiet afternoon morphed into a quiet evening and I sent lots of emails trying to organise the next week.
February 16
Paraparaumu, Otaki and
Hutt City
It was bright and sunny when I first looked through the window but clouded over rapidly as I had breakfast.
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Valerie was working at the gallery all morning so she drove me to Raumati, from where I walked the two and a half kilometres along the path which runs beside the new expressway. I had not gone far when it started to drizzle. Luckily, I had packed my waterproof. The path isn't exciting but there was plenty of greenery and a few streams to look at.
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Once I reached the mall, not a pretty place, the rain stopped and I was able remove the waterproof, do some shopping and have a coffee.
I bought some of the notebooks I use for my diary at 5c each - they cost near £1 in the UK! I jokingly told the young lady behind the counter that I was the last of the big spenders but was there a discount. She said that I could have them all for 20c for cash!
I recovered myself in the Mediterranean supermarket with a coffee and a post card writing session.
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I walked back along the path to the gallery, having to avoid hordes of cyclists in the process. The path is proving to be really popular.
I met Valerie and we drove home, collected some things and drove 25k north to Otaki and Barbara's 65th Birthday party. We sat in the garden, eating and drinking (in moderation) and chatting. All very sociable and I was able to meet lots of old friends.
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After a couple of hours we set off again, this time to the south, reaching the Hutt Valley, to the North of Wellington, after an hour and a quarter. We spent the evening at Sue & Steve's, eating and drinking to excess and having a good time.
Feb 17
Paraparaumu
We managed to find room for a large cooked breakfast before returning home again on a lovely sunny morning. The traffic was reasonably heavy - lots of people having a drive in the sun - but we were home again in around an hour.
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We did a few chores and a little shopping before driving to the beach and disembarking. We did a three k walk in bright sunshine along the beach, meeting remarkably few people on such a fine day. I took some photos of the view, the sand, and the waves and enjoyed the summer weather. We returned home via the ice cream parlour.Right: Beautiful on the beach |
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The rest of the day was spent on domestic duties, including re-packing, eating fish & chips, etc etc.