Roadtrip Part 2...

We woke up at Matthews Batch and had breakfast then carried on the roadtrip... :)

Things we did between Taupo and Thames:

Went to a really random bee hive place that sold honey and mead and was kinda cool.

Then we visited a really beautiful Maori church on the shore with very intricate carvings and a glass painting of the Maori Jesus walking on the water.

It rained the whole day we were travelling but it didn't stop us having fun. We played car games and chatted, it was really fun just spending times with friends. Taking lots of photos and just getting to know each other better.

We stopped off in Roterua for lunch, we all went to different places; some had roast, some had sandwiches, I had pizza. The whole time we were there it rained and the smell in Roterua is disgusting, its the sulphur from the ground or something but it smells like a mix of burning and rotten eggs. It's said after a while you get used to it... we didn't :[

While we were there we went to a hot pool and sat for a while dangling our feet in the hot water while the lake in front bubbled away with the heat. It was really fun because since it was pouring with rain and we had hot feet it was cool.

After that we just drove on till we arrived in Thames where we would be meeting Frith and staying at her house and also Jonathan would be meeting us there.

After we arrived in Thames it finally stopped raining. We hung out at Friths that night, we went for a walk as well, I discovered that somewhere along the way Id lost a jandel?? So we had to make an emergency stop at the Warehouse and get a new pair. I got a very pretty pink pair.

We bought stuff for dinner and then had a BBQ. It was fun when Jonathan arrived, nice to see him and catch up.

Friths family are so lovely, we camped in her living room that night and had fun chatting and hanging with her many brothers and sisters. We had a good old sing song with the guitars.

The next morning it was hogmany <3

Roadtrip part 1....

So way back at SLC a group of us decided to do a road trip at New Years up to Stony Bay in the Corimandel Peninsula and usually these plans don't actually come to happen however this one did :D

So on the 28th I left Napier and went on a bus to Danneverk and met my friend Kerry.
Kerry and I then drove down from Danneverk to Wellington.

Palmerston North: We stopped in Palmerston North for lunch, we went touristy shopping and had a look around the Uni area and a general wander. I really do love exploring new places, it's really fun just looking around cities seeing the hustle and bustle; especially when exploring with a friend because you get to see someones home city through their eyes which often tends to be more colourful...

We left Palmy and drove South towards Wellington and then onto Lower Hutt, my home.
I had one night in my house then I was off again. I did however sit for 3 hours and downsize my case... I did still take my big case it just had slightly less stuff in it and more camp stuff such as jackets and sleeping bag. There is an interesting story behind my sleeping bag; I don't have my sleeping bag with me in NZ because simply I didn't have enough space so for the road trip I asked the family that I live with if I could borrow theirs. The problem was however that they were going off on a family camping trip before I returned so they only sleeping bag they had was a kids one....
A Thomas the tank engine sleeping bag.

The next morning I was picked up at 9.30am well actually I wasn't that was the plan but Val took it as we had to get up at half 9 so I got picked up 10.30am. I didn't complain though, the longer I had to sleep the better.

So when I had negotiated my big case into the minivan the road trip began.....

Then came the great coke incident of 2011..

As Val passed me my can of coke and I went to receive it, it was that moment of in the relay race where somewhere in transaction it falls, well the coke fell and went wooooosh and flew all over the car in my automatic saving reactions I closed the laptop bag [genius] however everything got covered so we had to stop and dry everything. This was the reason for our first stop on the road :]

We stopped at an American style diner for lunch somewhere along the road and picked up Matthew...

After that we drove onto Wanganui and picked up Meredith, her house is so cool they had two lizards which we got to hold :D I love reptiles, they are my favourite animals...
We had cake and coffee there and then drove on stopping to admire views on the way.

We were staying that first night in Taupo so on the way up we stopped at the Lake. On the shore was a bench called "the seat of Knowledge" perfect photo opportunity :P

That night the 5 of us stayed in Matthews family batch. So on our first night of camping we stayed in warm beds and sat at a dining room table and were very civilised. In the evening we played card games until we went to bed...

Was a fun day... :)

Christmas Day...

Well Christmas Day was rather different...
It was hot...

So I woke up on Christmas Day to a stocking full of goodies :]
Then we had scrambled eggs on ciabatta bread, sooo tasty
Then we went to church, was the first time I hadn't been at home for Christmas.
Then we went to church which incidentally had the same colour scheme as Hilton church
[well done Dot, NZ's copying your ideas ;]

Then we went home and opened presents, btw still hot...

After we went to the beach, on Christmas day, I went body boarding and swimming in the sea on Christmas day...

It was amazing and the best way to spend Christmas day. After we got back we spent the afternoon getting ready for dinner, preparing it etc and laughing about the pigs and chatting.

For dinner we had prawns for starters, I had two portions it was sooo good, then we had steaks and dophinouis potatoes mmmm and for pudding chocolate eclairs and strawberries in an ice bowl. We sat outside in the surroundings of the beautiful gardens.

Was such an amazing Christmas day....

Boxing day was spent watching Top gear, we had a top gear marathon day, was fun.

Over the next few days we went to Napier, which is a lovely wee town and all the buildings are in fifties style, art deco, beautiful and also I went for a swim at the local spa.
It was a lovely few days in Napier.

x

Secret presents...

Merry Christmas!!!

I spent Christmas in Hastings and had an amazing time :D
I stayed with the Mcrory family who moved out here from Pitlochry around 18 months ago.
It was so much fun and I felt right at home...

In the lead up to Chritsmas there was many secret presents hiding around the house.
From Tuesday till Christmas day we kept 6 chickens hidden in the vegetable patch and Graham didnt notice at all! All week we kept collecting the eggs so we had to eat eggs all the timein order to hide the fact that more kept appearing even though we wernt going shopping....
There was many an occasionn where we almost let it slip or he was walking towards them and we had to put him in the other direction :P

Like in the case of the pigs...
For the grandparents, Christine and Fergus the family had decided to get them piglets. So on Christmas eve Karys, Lisbeth and I drove for an hour to collect these pigs. On the way there it was great bacuse it was sunny I was got to drive in automatic (YAY go me)
But the minute these four piglets got in the car everything changed... I have never smelt anything as bad as these pigs, it was worse than the worst smell you have ever smelt.
We hid the pigs in a little makeshift pen in the barn down the garden and then went out in the afternoon...
Later on on our way home from Napier we got a slightly worried phonecall...
Christine had been sitting in her living room and had looked up and seen four pigs run past :P
So the rest of the afternoon was spent searching for these pigs...
One was chased all the way across the road and through a few vineyards and gardens untill we caught it, that was the wee red one that we called Katie Morag- cute, small and red head, likes to travel... :P
After that polava Graham took Karys, Duncan and I to the warehouse to buy secret santa presents only to get a call on the way home to say the pigs had escaped again.......
So we spent another half an hour chasing the pigs around the garden but we couldnt find one so after another ages of looking we went back to the house.

We started making dinner and hanging out and then forty-five minutes later the wee pig comes trotting back to the garden and over to pen. :] we named that pig Homer because it came home.

The chickens stayed hidden untill after midnight on Christmas eve when we put Nigel into a box and gave it to him, he was so surprised :]

Quadbikes...

This week I'm staying in Hastings for Christmas with a family from Scotland who moved out here eighteen months ago...
They are lovely and they have this amazing garden with an apricot orchard, they have have orange trees, lemon trees and two horses.

Its amazing :]

Spent ages quad biking around the gardens, met the animals, played harry potter games, played other games, hung out with dogs, got a Chinese...

Such a fun day :]

So far loving Hastings...

Things...

Some of the things I have learnt in New Zealand:

You cannot call jandels flipflop, they are jandels

The weather is just like Inverness

I can navigate myself around a new city without getting too lost

Its easy to make friends when you have a Scottish accent

All New Zealands love the Scottish

Sport is very important and is better organised than in the UK

It snowed in July and everyone was very excited

Most public secondary schools are single sex

The rats tail hairstyle and the mullet is very much in with boys here

Everyone has a Scottish relation

I have made lots of friends that I know I will keep even when I leave NZ

New Zealand like Scotland is a very Patriotic country

I love New Zealand

x

All change...

Right, The last time I posted was a couple of weeks ago...
Sorry, once again things have been pretty crazy...

Staying at the Pollocks was just a temporary thing untill I found my feet so Ive now moved house. Im staying on the flat and its a minute walk to the bus stop and a 5 minute walk to the train so Im good for transport.
The family Im now with have young children so its lovely to be living with kids and be the big sister person again. Theyre a great family and Im really enjoying living with them.

Ive joined a homegroup from church with other people my age, mainly uni students and its really cool. awesome people, great chats and ledgend of a leader.

I go to youth group, tonight we played soccer and then did a yankee swap american style secret santa so it was brilliant :]

Im also now a part of the Vic Uni CU group so right now its the summer holidays so were doing cool things each week like photo scavenger hunts and games. Its awesome fun.

Thats some of the cool things Im doing plus loads more.

Oh and today at the supermarket I found Irn Bru, made my day :]
drinking irn bru and eating a dairy milk, taste of home...