The Tenth Day

Can’t quite believe it’s been nearly two weeks since day zero. We have been having a long slow wind down. You always forget how much fun it is being in a new place. The mundane day to day stuff like going to the supermarket or filling up with fuel is shiny and new and full of wonder. And much of our time has been spent on dull stuff like the Library and our IRD (tax) numbers. The locals have been so friendly and none of our stupid questions have been too dumb.

The weather has been just glorious. Day times have been up to the 20’s. So maybe we haven’t been cheated of our summer after all. We have been making the most of it – some great short walks in the foothills.


Stand out walk so far has been the Rakia Walk way, following the Rakai Gorge up past an old mining site.



Sean didn’t get to go on that one as he was out to work for a couple of days with Steve (the brother in law).

Obtaining wheels is becoming a priority. We have been using up the families bank of goodwill because we haven’t got wheels yet. And this is a country in which wheels are essential – no public transport to speak of where we are. Though rumour has it that there is a bus service of some sorts that connects the towns together with Christchurch. Sean and Jenn commissioned the families old bikes and cycled in to town to see what the journey was like. 32 kms. On Raleigh ish mountain bikes. In under two hours return. Head wind out, wind with us home. Jenns bum is still feeling the burn. She refuses to do it again until our own bikes arrive.

We were in the post office waiting to sort out the documentation when a guy behind us says “you guys from Norwich then?”. We turned around to see this chap stood there in his Swaffham rugby shirt resplendent in its Waitrose sponsorship logos. And as Jenn writes this Mike Burrows from Norwich is on the BBC world service – hello Norwich! Not such a long way away after all.