Beach Adventure

April 19th, 2007 - 4:20 pm - Baie des Citrons, Nouméa, New Caledonia

Before the lovely day got totally away from us we headed to the beach. Anse Vata was too windy and didn't look appealing so we went to Baie des Citrons instead - the next beach over (there is literally a new beach ever half a mile here in Nouméa, each with its own magnificent view!). This beach was already populated with sunbathers and swimmers so we knew it had some redeeming qualities.


Pablo happily dug into the sand in his bucket, getting messy, as you do. Then he toddled off up the beach, intrigued by the water at the rinse-off spigot. He just LOVES the water! =) So next was clearly the bay itself. He happily headed into the lapping waves and promptly dove front first into the water with his chest, like a little fish! (This fish-like tendency is why Mama hangs on to him tight near the water!)


He was delighted with his new move and was grinning ear to ear, even after he was all dry and in a new outfit.

Another beautiful day in paradise!

April 19th, 2007 - 12:30pm - Nouméa, New Caledonia

I just posted my Nouméa qrrivqml (that's "arrival" in French keyboard language) blog entry and I'm working on others. All this work to do! =) It turns out that blogging on vacation in the less technological worlds is a bit of work... (And getting around a French keyboard, where the A, W, Q and Z keys have all switched places, as have the M and the question mark, and all the numbers have to be activated with the shift key, is an extra challenge too!)

I'm having a lovely time, sleeping in till 8am =), reading and still taking a zillion pictues (all my chips and the hard drive are, of course, full, so I guess I have to come home soon!).

Sophie just came home from school for lunch (from 11:30am - 12:15pm, and yesterday it was 12:30 to 1:15 - they don't seem to be big fans of rhythm at her school!) and was playing on the floor with Pablo while Julie fixed some food. Then I took noisy Pablo out for a walk in the garden so Sophie and Julie could have some peace in the kitchen. Now Pablo's eating lunch (it's just non-stop action at this house) while I'm playing on the computer. The breeze is blowing the palm fronds around and the boats are bobbing in the bay. It is indeed another beautiful day in paradise! =)

P.S. This picture above is really and truly is the view from the home of Julie, Laurent, Sophie and Pablo! Seen from the living room and all the bedrooms. Aren't they just blessed with a little piece of heaven on earth? =)

Hangin' out with Pablo

April 19th, 2007 - 10:45am - At home, Nouméa, New Caledonia


How could anyone resist this cute little face?! Pablo's getting very good at flashing his cheesy grin at the camera! =) (He just LOVES my camera!)


And, isn't that just the cutest little Pablo-sized banana?

Nous sommes arrivé a Nouvelle-Calédonie!

April 15th, 2007 - 3:30pm - Nouméa, New Caledonia

From my window seat on the plane flying into Nouméa, I saw the most spectacular coral reefs in the sea around the islands. Electric turquoise blue with a white lace of waves breaking along the edge. Nothing like anything I've ever seen before!

(Note: I realize this would be a prime place to insert a photograph to demonstrate my point, but that will take longer, so I shall insert it (and others) as soon as I can and in the meantime get the words up for reading!)
(Update: It's now here!)


Walking down the stairway off the plane, the tropical breeze flowed around us and let us know we were somewhere else entirely. And for most of us, it was home! =) Everyone was happy!

Pablo was so happy to be in a warm climate where he could be out of those cumbersome clothes and free to kick his naked legs in glee.

Laurent was so happy to be in a place where everyone speaks French! He was actually beaming as he exchanged pleasantries with the immigration official. =)

Sophie was so happy to be home to her own room and to see her boyfriend Max, who was over to visit within minutes of our arrival.


(She wasn't quite as excited about school starting at 7:10am the next morning!=))

Julie was so happy to be home where she no longer had to serve as tour director (at which, of course, she did a masterful job!)

And I was happy to see another beautiful country and to be able to stay in one place and have time to read! =)

And we were all so happy that we didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn the next morning and pack our lives into our suitcases! It's nice to be home. =)

The Last Day in New Zealand...

April 14th, 2007 - 10:52pm - Dunedin, The South Island, New Zealand

Don't think that I haven't been noting all of our exciting activities, and you KNOW I've been photographing like mad, but I only JUST got to a computer that works fast with unlimited internet access and I tell you it feels like the most luxurious thing ever!! =)

Unfortunately, I have to get up tomorrow morning at 5:30am to leave for the airport for an outrageously early flight (one of three in the same day) so now is not the time to catch up on all of the doings since day two. That being said, we are heading for New Caledonia tomorrow, where the only agenda is to relax and hang out (at least for me, while Sophie goes back to school and Laurent and Julie go back to work) - and all while staying at the same place for a week! Now THAT'S luxury! =) So, in my holiday-after-the-holiday, my vacation to recover from my vacation, I'll have plenty of time and internet access to fill in all the details of this whirlwind week! =)

The Latest and Greatest

April 12th, 2007 - 10:34pm
Kaikoura Top 10 Holiday Park, Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand

I'm not sure how to make sure they show up in the right order, but I'm adding a bunch of posts tonight. It's been difficult finding wireless internet services in all the small villages we're visiting, but even more than that, it's been a challenge finding a moment to write anything as we proceed on our whirlwind tour of New Zealand, with wee morning hour wake ups and moving to a new location each day (you'd think we were on the run from the authorities! =)). Indeed, last night, I was asleep by 10:15pm! And up by 6:45am this morning! What is the world coming to?! =)

So, I've caught up to day two but now so I'm only four days behind! =) I've taken about 3000 pictures (natch) so there's plenty more to see and hear about on the horizon. More news as soon as I can find another connection! =)

[updated by Tiff 4/13/07 2am: I've got the posts listed in the right date/time order (bottom to top)]

Scalding or Freezing? What will it be?.....

April 10th, 2007 - 11:45 pm - Nelson (The South Island), New Zealand

Here's one thing that the Kiwis inherited from the colonizing British that I think is not so great: the separate sink faucets. While it looks charming and everything, there really is no way to get comfortable useful water temperature, unless you are trying to make hot chocolate or ice cold lemonade! =) The little dance of splashing alternatively from each faucet to the middle is not really satisfactory and it truly makes me wonder how we can have gotten to an age with wireless internet (sometimes!) and mobile phones (even on planes!) but not mixed water pipes! The mind boggles...

Crossing the North/South Divide

April 10th, 2007 - 8:00am - Wellington to Picton - New Zealand

The North Island and the South Island are two different parts of New Zealand, divided by yet more beautiful watery bits in between. We took the ferry across from Wellington to Picton. And when I say "ferry", don't be mistaken, thinking this is some barge with two open sides for a few cars. No sir, this is a small floating city! Six or seven stories high, it carries not just hundreds of passengers, many cars, a few 18-wheeler trucks and, I hear, the occasional train, but it also includes three cafés, a food court, a sports bar (with the rugby match on, of course), a windowed viewing deck, four recliner seat rooms (with and without TVs), computer desks, two movie theatres, a children's playground, a child-friendly room with destructo-proof play area (and Dora the Explorer on TV), and a reception desk. It is HUGE!


The views from the top sun deck were fabulous and ever-changing throughout the course of the journey.






































Laurent and Pablo came up for a look too, but stayed inside and just looked through the window.



















It was incredibly windy up there, but very invigorating, and definitely worth it for those great views!





























And these girls had some fun up on the top deck!

Did I mention that it was REALLY WINDY?!! So much so that they had to close the deck to passengers for a while in the middle of the trip!

But that was okay since we had other things to entertain us, like those two movies and, in the kids area, a magic show!! Nigel Kennedy set up shop with a sign saying the Magic show started at 9:30 and the children, from 2 to 12 years old, started grabbing foam bits as seats and gathering in a circle around him. Nigel continued to captivate them once he started his show, and was very good with the children. They laughed and squealed with delight at his antics and his well-practiced pretended surprise and since every volunteer helper magician's assistant received a personally-crafted wearable balloon sculpture, he was ensured an abundance of eager volunteers every time he asked for one from his rapt audience! The show lasted an hour and kept us all thoroughly entertained. I think is was a stroke of genius for the ferry company to have this included in their amenities. Bravo!


Pablo made the most of the play area, determined to tackle the mountain of vinyl and foam.















And, happy to show off, Pablo was not just walking around, but simultaneously carrying things as big as he was!















We finally arrived in Picton, and it was still only 11:30am! Look at all we had accomplished already! The day had just begun!

Reach for Bunny Street...

April 9th, 2007 - 6:30pm - Wellington, New Zealand

As we walked around town throughout the day, we followed the map given to us by the hotel. I noticed on it at the north part of town, a street with a cool name, shared by my Aunt Bunny! So, after I closed down the Te Papa National Museum (last one out, as usual) I of course made my way northward in search of this fun street, and found it! =)

There was a bus stop there with the street names etched on the window as well...

How grand! Definitely worth the trek to the non-active business district in the evening hours, and I got my one-hour walk in for the day as well.

On the way back to the hotel I passed through the more active parts of town, with the restaurants, bars and internet cafes all abuzz. I returned to the area after dinner with Sophie to visit Starbucks and get in some internet wifi time (and a steamed vanilla milk, of course!). One of the baristos there told Sophie he was from Nelson, and she had to visit his home town. Fortunately, it was already on our itinerary!

Maori Village

April 8th, 2007 - 7:40pm - Rotorua, New Zealand

In the evening, while Laurent and Pablo had a boy's night in with hot tub soaking and pizza (from Hell's Pizza, phone number 800-666-1111, and tag line "Where the hell are you eating?!"), the girls went out for an evening at the Maori Village. The event included explanations of the history and culture of the Maori people, who arrived in New Zealand from Tahiti over a thousand years ago. They are a native culture that is very predominant in New Zealand - their language is everywhere in the names of towns and there are Maori references in language and customs. At the village, we all gathered in five tribes (each a different bus-load) for the Haka greeting challenge dance from the Maori people.

Once it had been established that we came in peace (by the action of our chiefs - adult males only need apply - accepting the nature offering), we toured the village, talked with the people about their crafts of wood carving and weaving, and then watched a dancing and singing performance in The Big House. Some of the songs sounded rhythmically tribal and some sounded very lilting, like 1950's croons. The dances also included motions of dexterity with sticks and balls, which represented training for battle. Much applause and many calls of "Kia Ora" later (Kia Ora is the greeting that means hello, be well, go in health, take care, thanks, cheers, farewell - pretty much everything) the five tribes went into the dining hall for a New Zealand feast (cooked in the ground with hot rocks) of lamb, chicken, fish, potatoes, carrots and salad, with stewed pudding and custard (like English school lunches!), Pavlova (a meringue cake) and fruit for dessert. Some time in the gift shop or warming hands by the fire and we were sent with a song back to our canoes (wokka) (disguised as big coach buses) for our journey back to the hotel. Along the way we sang songs to pass the time, led by our driver Merv - from "Waltzing Matilda" to "Row Row Row Your Boat" to "She?ll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain", the refrain of which he kept us singing as he went around the final roundabout SIX times (to progressively more laughter) to, as he put it, "round out our evening's experience". =)

Unleaded or Unleaded?

April 8th, 2007 - 3:15pm - Rotorua, New Zealand

Hey, they pump your gas for you here, no extra charge! =)


And, while THIS is clearly a good idea, did anyone else ever think to write it down?...

And inside the food mart?YUM!!

And talk about driving on the wrong side of the road? =)

(IMG_2935.JPG to be posted)

Rotorua

April 8th, 2007 - 2:30pm - Rotorua, New Zealand

We arrived at the Regal Palms Motor Lodge in Rotorua (which has a pungent sulphur smell from the local boiling mud springs and geysers), which felt like a palace to us weary travelers (after just one night and 4.5 hours on the road!) since it had Mini Golf, a gym, a heated swimming pool and in-room spa baths!


Sophie felt like a Princess in her royal digs!

And she even got to use the spa bath later in the evening! (We'll have to come back for the mini golf since we were too busy all afternoon taking naps and buying gas and souvenirs!)

And at the souvenir shop, Pablo met his first Kiwi!

Lunch American Style

April 8th, 2007 - 11:45am - Small Town, New Zealand

Yep, all the way in New Zealand, they have Subway! (And KFC and McDonalds on the same block!) We could just as easily be in Tennessee!

Pablo liked his lunch!


Or not?

Road Trip

April 8th, 2007 - 10am - Auckland to Rotorua, New Zealand

It turns out that driving around New Zealand feels a lot like driving around England. Left side of the road!

And roundabouts! =) (I do so miss roundabouts!)

We also got our first view of the famous ubiquitous New Zealand Sheep!


I heard from the friendly New Zealand couple I met in the shuttle from the airport yesterday (Pam and Steve Taylor), that there are indeed more sheep than people in New Zealand, and as I got to my 28th hour in New Zealand I wondered why I hadn't seen one sheep yet! Then suddenly, there they were, zooming by at 100km/hour.

The New Zealand countryside is pretty idyllic....

Easter Morning

April 8th, 2007 - 8:30am - Parnell Village Motor Lodge, Auckland, New Zealand

The Easter Bunny arrived on his morning rounds today and left us some goodies: Marshmallow decorated eggs, yellow chicks and pink bunnies, cookies and colored eggs full of jelly beans. Pablo especially liked the egg full of jelly beans because of the noise it made when he shook it! =) He also enjoyed munching on his Peeps Bunny!

Pablo also got some cute t-shirts from Tiff and Alex with Tweety on them (his favorite character)!

We had a golden Easter feast of food cooked in our in-room fully equipped kitchen!

and then packed up our rental car and took off (on the left side of the road).

Happy Birthday Pablo!

April 7th, 2007 - 6pm - Parnell Village Motor Lodge, Auckland, New Zealand

Pablo turned one this weekend and we celebrated with muffins from Starbucks (we knew we could count on them to have them and to be good). He LOVED eating the muffins!



I'd write more but the Starbucks we're at (I guess Starbucks is turning into the home away from home!) is closing early for the holiday so more next visit... =)

Happy Birthday Pablo!!

Personalized to a "C"

April 7th, 2007 - 6:00pm - Parnell Village, Auckland, New Zealand

One of the first things I noticed about the New Zealand license plates was how undistinguished they are - with NO indication of country at all! And all in black and white. And then I saw some personalized plates that are REALLY personalized! I guess you can write whatever you want to on your plates!

Parnell Village

April 7th, 2007 - 5:15pm - Parnell Village, Auckland, New Zealand

We walked into town to buy groceries and see the town.

Pablo's a big walker! He's been walking with hand-holding help for three months and by himself for a week. He looks pretty confident here!

And the Kiwi Experience is all about getting out and doing things, apparently: