Tour du Pryde

Helloooo! I must apologise for my lack of blogging over the past month, but I have been mucho busy o' lovely ones, and I don't have an internet access priviledge at work (sniff!).

Now....where to start?? Ah, with the arrival of Bob and Ann (a.k.a. mum and dad). On the 25th Oct, after our much awaited "hello's" and hugs, I crammed them into the rental and we took off for the Coromandel Peninsula without a hint of a problem.........ok......so we got a little bit lost coming out of the city centre, but at least they got to see the real Auckland (i.e. industrial estates and ghetto's). The drive to Whitianga was really pretty, as was the weather, so it was a really nice start to mum and dad's holiday.




























After 2 days in Whitianga we headed Southwards for Rotorua. Oh, I think I should mention here that I was awesome at driving! (don't worry, i'm patting myself on the back). Rotorua was action packed with visits to see Kiwi birds, Polynesian spa's, geothermal parks, and Mitai hangi's - yum yum! Thoroughly enjoyed by all three of us!

Then we had the long drive back to Wellington, with a stop-off in Taupo for good measure. The weather was turning sour (as was mum's ability to stay awake - bless!) so dad and I shared the driving. Once in Wellington, we all flaked out and watched some good Kiwi films. We spent 4 days in Welli so I could show mum and dad what the Capital was all about (and of course do a few Lord of the Rings things). They loved it, and they loved our flat. Dad was especially funny giving us all running commentaries about the aeroplanes taking off and landing on the air strip, which can be clearly seen from our front window and decking. "Yes Dad....I can hear the engines roaring"...."oh really....is that another one taking off" Bless him he was loving it!

We then crossed the Cook Straight, headed for the South Island. This was pretty special as I'd not been to the South either, so smiles all round.

In the South we went to Kaikoura (above - stunning!), Christchurch (tram rides and punting on rivers), and Dunedin (climbed the steepest street in the world!). We spent 2 days in each place and got up to all sorts of shinanigans. The weather was a mix of scorching and cloudy, but mum and dad still got nicely bronzed for going home.

Before they flew back to Auckland (which can be seen in the picture to the right, taken from our decking) we all had a scrumptious meal at 'Mac's Brewery', a perfect way to end their travels as all who have eaten there will agree! It was very sad to see them go but I was really happy knowing they'd had an amazing time, and that they now know what it is like for me living here. It was so great to have them out here, it was like having a little piece of home in NZ for a while - fantastic!