3rd Post of Tour

Arthur's Pass is the highest pass over the Southern Alps.

Long before surveyor Arthur Dudley Dobson found his way over the pass in 1864, it was known to Maori hunting parties as a route between east and west.

The eastern side of Arthur's Pass National Park is characterised by wide, shingle-filled riverbeds and vast beech forests. The western side of the park, where wet weather is more common than dry, has deeply gorged rivers flowing through dense rain forest. Down the middle of 'the great divide' is an alpine dreamland of snow-covered peaks, glaciers,lakes and scree slopes.

The day I crossed from Hokitika to Christchurch was a most glorious day,.. 236 km and took me approx. 4 hours  this is  the longest pass across the Alps from one side of the South Island to the other,   I must have booked the roads that day for myself as there was almost no one else in sight all the way, so going slow and taking in the views was causing no one any  problems.
I have crossed this pass before but in the other direction, but I felt that this times from West to East was far more scenic,

Road protection

This picture looking back at the shelter protection across the road ....   to protect from rock falls and water that pours off the mountain.

Part of the new road way crossing one of the many river beds ... I would hate to see these river beds in the depth of winter they would be a raging torrent, notice also there is still snow on the mountains although it is mid summer.

One of the many lakes high in the Alps

Another wide river bed, it is difficult to judge just how wide it is ....  may be 1 or 2 kms

The other amazing thing I noticed was how many times the sky changed as you went in and out of the gorges and between the mountains

The trip across the pass was one of the highlights of my tour.

I am Home

Here I am back on Home Ground ... this was the view from the ferry of Wellington.
 I know that South Island is only another part of NZ but it is amazing how you become attached to where you live, you seem to have an affinity with the  piece of earth that is familiar to you.

Now the holiday is over and it is back to normality, if there is such a thing, firstly the unpacking and putting away all the debris from the Campervan, getting back to normal meal times and normal food ... then the start of the diet to help remove some of the weight gained from all that good food, and icecream, plus all the home baked stuff every cafe everywhere offered.
Have to get back into my swimming almost every day ...  I have missed it .. may be that will help.

The cat is not talking to me I guess he has moved his affections to the house sitter ... but he will soon come around when he is hungry I am sure. The house sitter left the house beautifully clean and tidy  so a great big thank you to her.

So routine here I come ...  Posts on my trip will start as soon as my life is back to normal which may take a day or two I guess as I am still on holiday mode.

I am still here ...it is just that using the internet is SO so so so...... slow for some reason adding pictures seems to take for ever all of a sudden... and at $6 an hour rather expensive I believe !!
But this is a picture of the trusty van and bike taken in Arthurs Pass ...yes that is bright sunshine reflecting off of the Countdown plastic bag protecting my saddle from dead bugs and any rain ( just in case).
Am on my way back up country now ... promise to blog as soon as I return with news of my travels I have met some interesting people and seen some amazing sights,  and throughly enjoyed the whole experience of being on my own.... and fitted in a bit of stitching as well....

2nd post of Tour

I just can not believe that I have been out on the road and sea for a week now, the time has shot by all to quickly... so far no problems to report at all.


I was greeted in Nelson by the most beautiful weather, I managed to find Donna with out to much trouble well !! after I called her and she directed me. I parked up on the drive of her house for 2 nights ... there was lots to talk about, she took me for a tour the next day along to Mapua a lovely little inlet further along the coast. I toured around nelson on foot and saw the cathedral and the museum I left Donna's on Saturday but not until I had attended an Extensions Group ( Embroidery Guild)  with her for an hour where I took part in the project for the day.... another post at later date...                        I then carried on around the coast  to Motueka looking at all the lovely bays  and beaches with Golden sands.

Donna's House.

I then continued down the West Coast ... what some amazing scenery so rugged  yet beautiful.



After a stop over night in West Port .... I continued on Sunday to Hokitika I saw the Pancke Rocks and the Blowholes but it was so calm not a lot of blowing going on ...shame.
I arrived at Miche'le and Jon's around 6.30pm ... Finally Jon took himself of to bed as Miche'le and I nattered into the night I think it may have been midnight when we went to bed ... a lovely real bed .... although I sleep very well in the campervan as well.  So up this morning a bit more nattering and a look around  Miche'le's shop By Hoki Quilts check her blog out here

Not the best of pictures as not a close up but you get the idea... a real country Quilt Shop 6 km outside of the main town.

Then it was all go to go across Arthurs Pass to Christchurch  what some amazing  views .... that is for another time .. I am safely in Christchurch, and have seen the first black clouds and some wind hopefully the weathermen have gotten the forecast all wrong fingers crossed..  I have also seen some of the terrible devastation from the earth quake here at the campsite there is piles of mud and big potholes all over the place and a few buildings not being used ..... but I am given to understand nothing like the centre of the city.

1st post on Tour

The drive down south was uneventful  driving past Lake Taupo

 it was beautiful the sun was shinning and all was well with my world.

I found Jean and Hugh in Marton with no problems ...photo's of their wonderful house and it's setting  later as I seem to have lost them.... Thanks a million for the stop over Jean I really enjoyed it... especially the dinner all those fresh veggies grown by Hugh.

Next morning was on my way to Wellington... got to the ferry early so they were able to get me across on the 1pm ferry instead of 2 am one.....

The crossing was like a mill pond just a rather gusty breeze on deck

So had a great stay in Picton at a lovely Top 10 campsite would really recommend it.

The Drive to Nelson was over mountains mainly though forests but some farmlands on the way you pass through Havelock the Green Mussel capital of the world, such a quaint place and quite historic...here is the local mussel  place ... did not have any as it was not the right time of day really for mussels.

Will talk again soon.

Just one more....

Just one more sleep to go, I really can not explain how excited I am   ... you would think after living in 12 different countries over 30 years and seeing the wonders of the world so many times ... a small trip to South Island would be insignificant so to speak   .... but all those other places were not home and this is after all .....

Gods Own Country,

and just another lovely day in my large slice of paradise

where I am free to roam and travel with no passport or visa worries no waiting for planes and taxis, no reasons to give to immigration for being where ever I am  or where I want to go, don't have to say how long I am staying...

There really is no place      LIKE YOUR HOME LAND.

Busy getting things together

South Island Trip

I spent the morning collecting the sewing things together, made up the fabric and thread kits plus collecting other UFO's....... some how  I think I have big ideas as far as the stitching is going to go ... may be I will  not get quite so much done as I am  dreaming about.

 On top of this I had various threads used for different projects in a container and I thought while I have the 8 boxes of threads out ... why not file them away .. good idea while it went well,  filed all away,  then while collecting the open boxes to close them ( while sat on the floor)  one slid out of my hands knocked into another and then low and behold .... 150 wound cards of thread were all across the floor.
This not the end of story the cat decided this was a game so while I tried to stand up ( you know how it is knees not as sprightly as they used to be)  to put the cat outside.
 I stepped into another box... so after choice words etc etc !!! ... cat went out the door and I started to collect, sort and refile the threads ... an hour later all was put back together ... and I was thinking why did I decided to file those threads they were quite happy in that container.

So just 2 sleeps to go...

Todays smile .....

I just have to share my Daughters post with you all ... I know you are going to crease up at this one  ..... she will not mind as we are always borrowing snippets from each others blog



 Kathryn wrote on her blog ....

When school finished at the end of last year, all the artwork for the year came home.
We usually go through it all and decide on the good pieces and this then gets pride of place on the notice board in the dining room for all to see.

However this year I didn't manage to get through the bag of art until we came back from holiday.
Alex had created a star in the classroom which was obviously the childrens way of saying that they are awesome little stars in their own right and these are some of the wonderful things I can do.

Alex's was very well done and looks so cute.
I read all the sayings on the back with eager enthusiasm.

• I am good at playing soccer
• I like reading
• I am good at Judo
• I like playing on my playstation....... excuse me...!

Back the bus up a little.....I enjoy playing on my playstation....
Playstation, what playstation? We don't own a playstation!!

Is this his way of informing us that he would like one? Or did he just follow what others were writing in the class?
The powerful mind of a 6 yr old. I will never try to understand

Way to Go Alex ... you will go far... hugs Grandma xxx

Oh so true

This was on a friends facebook today .....

An old Cherokee told his grandson, " My son there is a battle between two wolves inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peach, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth "

The boy thought about it, and asked, "Grandfather, which wolf wins?"
The old man quietly replied, " The one you feed."

Christmas Ornament Challenge

I have been working on my

Christmas Ornament Challenge 2012

I have finished 3 stitcheries ready to be finished ... but not 100% sure how I will do this yet.
But it means I am ahead of myself .. well sort of !  I am supposed to have one finished for January but at this rate I think I will have 3 done for February .. so really I am ahead ...Yes ?

I am not at all happy with the colour reproduction  from the camera it makes the red look orange.

This one is the latest ... just a sneak peek  ... no it is not the moon behind bars !!!

Six more sleeps

Just 6 more sleeps then off to the South Island in the campervan  ... I am so excited I bet I am worse than any child, this picture is giving almost the route that I am taking ...plus some of course.
I have a list of people to pop in on and I just hope I can reach you all if I am in your area, if there are anymore bloggers who fall into the basic route leave me an email and I will try to say hello as well.

My neighbour who used to work  in Otago area as a midwife in a past life is coming for supper tonight to give me a few pointers on places I should see  not on the tourist routes, that is going to be interesting as well.

I have organised kits of Christmas Ornaments to take along so all those beautiful balmy evenings I can sit and stitch and watch the sunsets, don't want to take anything to heavy going or intricate. ... or I can imagine getting back and having to reverse stitch a months worth of work.

I have the proverbial list ( my children will cringe at this bit ) and then a list of things not on the first list  ... my family used to laugh at my lists when Dad used to say " look out here comes mother with her lists"    but it was those lists that got them back to boarding school each term from where ever we were living in the world , they took us on holidays and everything managed to go with out to many hitches all because of "My Lists " So excuse me now while I recheck the list .....He He!!