Sunday

Another weekend draws to a close only now there is just one more to go. Time to leave is racing closer. I have spent today trying to sort things out so that I can pack within my 25kg baggage allowance. I think the charity shops here are going to do alright out of me! I have also been transferring all my photos and video from the pc to cd so that I can take them home, although a lot of them are already on Flickr anyway. I did realise today that I hadn't uploaded any from my short sojourn into Napier so I have remedied that too. It is all surprisingly time consuming. I have been using my right hand as much as possible and the more I use it the easier it gets - I just wish the swelling would go down!

Happy birthday to me

Today is my birthday. I had a few cards from home and one from the staff at my apartment block - along with a bottle of fizz. I also had one yesterday from the people at work and a few birthday wishes by email and on facebook. I have spent the day doing not very much at all. This afternoon I had a pamper session at the beauty salon which I have been using here. They were all very nice and friendly, as they have been all the time. They even sang happy birthday to me! I will celebrate properly in a couple of weeks when Jerry comes to join me to tour the South Island.

Plastered no more!

At last the plaster has been removed! I thought that once it was off it would be fine but actually it still hurt like it was still broken. Apparently that is quite normal and that will ease off over the next few days. Trouble is they now tell me that it hasn't healed completely straight - 10 degree displacement still - which is at the limit of acceptability beyond which they have to break it and start again. I have also lost a millimetre of length, both of which can cause long term problems! So I have been given a wrist support which I have to wear during normal activity (take off in bed and in the shower) and some exercises to do to help regain movement. I will need to see my own GP when I get back for physio - these exercises are just to start it off as I will soon be leaving the country. Have to exercise to the point of moderate pain to have any real benefit though. Guess I still need shares in Nurofen!

Other than that this week has been pretty uneventful but fortunately short. I have put in some very long hours this week as we were pushing the limits of a deadline. At least now I should be able to have a more relaxed week next week as that will be mostly tidy up stuff which got pushed to one side while we dealt with the important stuff. Expect to have a pretty relaxed weekend too although I will have to make a start with preparations for leaving - only 12 days to go now.

Easter weekend

Friday morning I was up bright and early to catch the Overlander train to Auckland. It was scheduled to leave at 9:45am but you have to be there at least 20 minutes early to check in. Once at the station it was obvious that there was nowhere to check in but there were baggage labels with various destination stations on them so I selected the Auckland one and waited with quite a few other passengers for the train to arrive. Ten minutes before it was due they announced that it was 15 minutes late! Just like British Rail! However, once the train arrived the similarity ended. We checked in with train staff, had our luggage put in the baggage car and were allocated our seat. I was disappointed to find that I had an aisle seat - fortunately there was no passenger in the window seat so I moved over. The journey goes right up the North Island through the mountains of the National Park. We stopped at Okahune for a lunch stop of half an hour then a bit further up the line we met the southbound train, the crews swapped over and we continued on up to Auckland. By the time we got there it was 8pm and we were over half an hour late. It had been a very long day and I was tired and hungry. Fortunately it was only a 5 minute walk from the station to the hotel and I was soon ensconced in my 17th floor room.

On Saturday morning I walked down to the harbour looking for the information office and ended up taking a boat trip out into the harbour and to Waiheke Island. I had a coach tour round the island and walked some of it before returning to downtown Auckland. The island was very nice - part of the city but a whole world away. I also walked round some of downtown Auckland before returning to my room for tea etc.

Sunday morning I decided to do the Coast to Coast walk - 17kms walking from Waitemata Harbour on one side of the peninsula to Manukau Harbour on the other side. A lot of the walk was through city streets but there was also some very nice parks too and some very steep climbs - not least of which was up Mount Eden, the highest of 5 volcanic peaks which make up the city. Unfortunately the end point was in a less than pleasant area and was a disappointment after I had walked so far. Still, I found the bus station and made my way back downtown. Once there I did a quick visit to the Sky Tower - just in time to see someone do a jump from it - insane! and to another city park before it was time for tea again. This time I had to pack up my belongings again for the train journey home again today. I had to be up at 6am for the train back at 7:25am. Journey back was very pleasant though and we arrived on time too! So this evening I was back at 5:30pm and now it is time to prepare for work again!

Easter weekend

Here we are at the Easter weekend already. Where has the time gone? This week has been busy as usual - pressure is on as the councils have to get their LTCCPs out for consultation by the end of this month to be able to meet statutory adoption deadlines.

Tomorrow morning I will be taking the Overlander train to Auckland. The journey takes all day but goes through some beautiful parts of the country. I will then spend Saturday and Sunday in Auckland before taking the train back on Monday. This will be my last trip before I finish work here at the end of the month. The weather here is getting cold now and the South Island had the first serious snow of the season. I guess actually it will be much like Easter at home!

Hotel from the 1960's

Arrived in New Plymouth about 11pm on Friday and, after a half hour walk (because I started off in the wrong direction courtesy of the bus driver) arrived at my hotel. Unfortunately this time I had made a bad choice and this one looked as if it had come straight out of the 1960's. It had a very busy pattern carpet, a faded rose pattern bedspread and lots of hardboard panels hiding strip lights. It also had the scuzziest bathroom I have seen in a hotel for quite a long while! Cooking facilities left a lot to be desired too - not what I expected. I had paid a little less than usual but not much so I was very disappointed.

After all that though I did have a good weekend. The weather was good and, as usual, I walked my legs off. New Plymouth is only about 25km from Mount Taranaki and the Egmont National Park but without my own transport I couldn't get there in the time I had available. This was a bit of a disappointment as I believe there are a couple of nice waterfalls there - apart from very good walking. I did do the coastal walk, Pukakura Park and lots of other walking though. I also got my first New Zealand sunsets - New Plymouth is on the west coast.

I got back home at tea time last night but by the time I had done shopping and washing there wasn't a lot of time for anything else. Hope to post some photos to Flickr later though.

successful sale

Tonight I handed my car over to its new owner. After only 3 hours on Trademe I had my buyer and he confirmed on Monday so today, when I got back from Hawera, we completed the paperwork and he drove it away. Didn't quite get the asking price but near enough for me to be happy. Now I have cash for the holiday when I finish work.