Another Aussie import ... a NOISY one!

“Legend says, when you can’t sleep at night, it’s because you’re awake in someone else’s dreams.” 

~ Anon

I like that!

I am invincible  

... MOST of the time. 

 My weekend has rocked!  It was busy, busy, and even MORE busy!  I had a VERY successful day at Browns Bay Market and a great night away at Waitomo

.... where the glow-worms live!  

In addition, my Sharks ran in a humungous number of tries to win their match against the Rebels.  I DIDN’T get to see the match but received reliable updates from fellow rugby fanatics.

My market in Browns Bay

My ever-fanatical rugby-loving friend Carol is once again participating in the Virtual Super Rugby Competition and will be more than delighted that they won.  She, for some unfathomable reason, picked the Brumbies to win against them last week ... and was RIGHT!  How does she do it.

Our night away took us from the Waitomo Glow worm Caves to the Roselands Angora Rabbit farm and finally to the Kiwi House in Otorohanga.

The Visitors Centre that arose from the ashes after a fire burnt down the previous one in 2005.
It's an amazing structure and won one ofNZ's top architectural awards in 2011

Waitomo is the gateway to a world of limestone formations and living lights in a series of magical underground caves.  Waitomo is a Maori word which roughly translated means ‘the stream that flows into the hole in the ground’.  The thousands of living lights in the caves are caused by a species of glow worm that’s unique to New Zealand.  

I had wanted to abseil into the Black Abyss, an extreme adventure into Ruakuri Cave, but the escapade with the Submarine Simulator in Wellington made me think twice about pre-booking it.  

First I needed to know that I could face the caves without fear.

I couldn’t. 

The tour takes you into an underground network of caves and passages before ending in a boat trip through Glow-worm Grotto.  We joined the tour and had the usual pep talk before entering the tunnels .... no photos, no video, no smoking, no touching the limestone formations. The tunnels were narrow and low and the minute I couldn’t see the sky I felt the panic well up inside me .... and had to get out.

The tour continued without me.

The entrance way to the restaurant at Roselands

Thank goodness I didn’t book to do the abseil.  This fear floors me.  I’ve never been a fearful person so to be incapacitated by something so irrational baffles me.  I’ve jumped out of an aeroplane at 12000 feet for goodness sake, but I’m unable to go a few feet underground without panic overwhelming me. Elevators don’t bother me .... it just doesn’t make any sense.

I like these sheep ... they're not noisy!

Lunch and the venue it was at made up for the glow worm disappointment. The food was yum and the venue beautiful.  We were joined by a tour group of Asian tourists, few of whom could speak English.  It was entertaining watching the tour guide interpret the wishes of the tourists to management. 

Lunch AND a show!

  

We met a rather raucous Spur Winged Plover at the Kiwi House.  He frittled along in front of us, pausing occasionally to fluff up his wings and display his spurs whilst making a whirring sound.  I’ve no idea if he was threatening us or if it was a courtship display.  

Look at those spurs .... he must be quite lethal in combat!

He wasn’t at all fearful and seemed to enjoy his photo shoot!  

As with the Kiwi and a lot of other NZ birds, he’s an Aussie import ... albeit a recent one.  

His nickname, because of his raucous behaviour is “Noisy Australian”.

It suits him!

It's not often I get up CLOSE and PERSONAL with a Kingfisher

I don’t think the hound and the fur-ball missed us too much though I’m NOT sure what mischief the hound’s been up to.   I WAS a little taken aback this morning when a complete stranger walked up to the hound at the viewsite and said 

“Ah ... it’s Chocolat

 ... and she’s got a new friend!”

Love the movement of his wings!

Callum's favourite .... Tuatura 

Red-headed Parakeet

Beware Crocodiles! NO swimming.

Loved this sign on a pole across the creek!

The youngest lemming is tired.  For the first time in I don’t know how many years he was in bed asleep before we were on Saturday night.  His lights WEREN’T still on at 1, going on 2 in the morning!

He has a job!

He’s working at the same Pub as his sister, but as a kitchen-hand over the week-ends.

The chocolate brown hound is becoming a sandy brown hound ... 

When asked by the manager during his interview if he minds washing dishes, his reply was 

“No, I have to do that all the time at home ... at least here I get paid for it.”

The end result ... before the shake!

Cheeky lemming!

She looks like something out of an alien movie!

He IS paid at home .... but in the currency of life - LOVE - and he’s loved abundantly, as are his siblings.  I look at them sometimes ... each a unique individual in their own right and wonder what on earth we’ve done to produce such wonderful caring young people.  They make my world and each day, infinitely more special.

... a Zombie maybe?

This weekend has been a busy one and the hound lost out on her ramble yesterday morning.  We participated in the inaugural Browns Bay Market and it was vibrant and humming!  When a new market opens up, there’s always the fear that it won’t live up to the hype.  There are SO many “Art and Craft” markets springing up and knowing which ones will draw in the crowds is a hit and miss affair.

This one was a hit.  It was in the Plaza of a busy village and we had an awesome position with street and plaza frontage.  They had live music ... a duo called Stray Dogs ... who played a great selection of music and created an awesome vibe. This is a market we’ll definitely be going back to!

So much happens in my part of the world some week-ends ... it gets difficult keeping up with it all!  Our roads and beach were inundated with visitors this morning as the Weetbix Kids Tryathlon took place in our bay.  It’s in its 21st year of running and St. Heliers is one of the 13 locations throughout NZ that it takes place in. 

We had to queue out the door for our caffeine fix at 8 in the morning!!

The hound couldn’t understand WHY she couldn’t go play in the waves with all these little people.  The race started at 9 and hounds have to be off the beach by 9 so we were leaning on the railing on the boardwalk watching the start.  Pete came along and joined us.  The hound was lying in the sand beneath us .... yes, illegally .... burying her ball ... until she saw all these bobbing heads in the water.

The wavery warbling started .... and it didn’t stop.  She was letting all around us know in a highly vocal way that she wanted to go join those bobbing heads in the water.  From her perspective it was a zillion different coloured balls, each of which needed to be retrieved.

We’d been discussing the cricket with Pete .... he’s a closet Protea fan I reckon.  He told us about the Heroic Garden Festival which takes place each year and raises funds for Hospice. 

This particular festival was started 17 years ago and was designed to showcase gay and lesbian owned gardens, and garden creators.  It’s become so popular and widespread that it now includes the gardens of other Hospice supporters too.

We only went to two of the gardens ... the ones Pete told us about .... which border on Churchill Park and have the creek running through them.  They were amazing and well worth the visit. 

Unbeknown to me, my friends the Lahoods sponsor this Festival through their business!  

Well done Pete and Carol!

An eel in the creek ... there were several .... but couldn't find any crocs!

How original is this!  An old car tyre turned into a Horse swing!

The mural painted on one of the walls at the back of the Phoenix Plaza in Browns Bay