Line By Line

When asked what he wanted for his birthday, Robert replied, “An experience.” Then qualified it by stating that a bungy jump or being thrown out of a plane was not what he was aiming for. Being a Capricorn and being brought up surrounded by mountains, kinda adds up to him being a mountain person rather than a beach person. I arranged for two nights in Queenstown and a day trip to Aoraki as his birthday present from me this year. (With me as a tag along!)

Here I’ll give Cheeky Kiwi Travel a plug (I couldn’t fault them – highly recommend.) We went on their Queenstown to Mt Cook (and back) day tour. Sean and Kreig were our guides (we were lucky enough to have two – usually it’s just the one guide.) Among many other benefits, it was good to have someone to take photos of us. No ghastly selfies required.

I enjoyed the experience of making some kind of acquaintance with this ancestral guardian – Aoraki, the heart of Te Waka o Aoraki / the South Island.

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the two of us at Lake Pukaki with Aoraki (Mount Cook) in the background

looking towards the Tasman glacier (that dark line at edge of the lake, is the glacier – a few k’s away, it’s deceiving.)

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roses – Cromwell – taken on a stop at Mrs Jones’ Fruit Stall and Gardens on the way back

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Tour and short stay in Queenstown over, it was time to head to Gore to visit Robert’s mother in a rest home there. With a couple of stops for coffee and lunch on the way.

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I enjoy the short Sunday drives around Gore to places I remember looking at from the windows of the high school bus. Knapdale Hall for example.

Then back to Dunedin … where I have picked up from where I left off last. M.S. going well. I’m at the plod, plod, plod stage. Digging over the ground. A lot of resting on the handle of the spade. So to speak. In other words – thinking, researching, writing, thinking, researching.

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My sister’s puppy. When I need some warm fuzzies – I just take a peek at that face.