Okay, it’s me again…

Des and Kai will post again they assure me.  However, since I take endless photos of nearly everything we see and do, the need to share is overpowering.  But I don’t think you’ll mind  because, even taken on my older iPhone,  the scenes are beautiful. 

Big deal for me;  I climbed to the top of Paritutu Rock,  for the first time. The volcanic rock formation is an instantly-recognised feature in New Plymouth and visible for many miles along the coastline.  The views are breathtaking and it’s right in town, next to the port. The only issue is you have to get yourself up there.  For various reasons I had yet to ascend.  On a recent, perfect weather day I decided it was time.  The steep, well-traveled path of wooden and dirt steps becomes rocky and steeper as you go. These “steps” take you pretty much straight up; not much zip-zagging.  Just as the exposure became unnerving, a bolted chain railing appeared and I didn’t let go until the summit.

Des guided me up AND down.  He was my rock.  Thanks for helmet GoPro footage, too!

 

 

 

The weekends are opportunities for MORE family time.  Kai can be reluctant to engage in such “pedestrian” bike rides.  But the coast trail on a cool Sunday morning cures many ails and teenage angst.

 

Here’s a short clip from the bike trails at Lake Mangamahoe.  Now that it’s warming up and drying up, we all plan on biking more at the nearby park.

 

And lastly, a couple of photos that bring us back to reality- We’re never too far from Texas.   Rednecks (see  “R3DNEK” license plate ) , red trucks, and Donavon Frankenreiter  pass through here too!

 

And, I probably do take too many photos on my iPhone….

 

 

 

Kai and I ventured to Wellington for some mother-son time. It was an easy sell; he was allowed to check out of school for 2 days!   In addition to thoroughly enjoying the city, I learned a few things about my teenager.  He’s good at navigation when pressed, likes having a schedule, never tires of basketball shoe shopping, and doesn’t mind being the brunt of jokes by semi professional stand up comedians.   He’s not so good at standing for long periods and listening to lectures on information systems and web analytics.  We covered a lot of ground and I had a great time with my travel partner.

 

No trip to Wellington is complete without more time at the Weta Workshop.  It’s home to the prop and animatronic production division that has worked on hundreds of movies. The best known are The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, District 9, Iron Man, Mad Max,  and Avatar.  A talk on prosthetics and a private tour was a highlight.  Of course, we made fake blood and chain maille with our guides Matt, and Mark, who was an “extra” Hobbit in the movie.  Yes, they make lots of weapons.  We held all sorts of imitation rifles, axes, and silicon hands and arms.  Kai thinks designing  at Weta could be a future career.  Mark and Matt’s advice to my future special effects artist- learn 3D printing!  

Weta Workshop is across the harbour, but luckily the public transportation is robust and we mastered the MetLink bus system.   There are endless vintage shops and quirky stores along famous, Cuba Street, and we hit them all.

Friday happened to be “Open Uni Day”.  The university campuses are open for tours and talks with the students.  What luck!  It was pouring down rain and the hike was straight up hill.  But that wasn’t enough to turn our plans “to custard” .  The first campus was Victoria University.  The students were bright and bubbly and imparted some wisdom. Have a backup plan if you major in design/art!  Seriously, they were forward thinking and understood the need for many skill sets if you are going to be an innovator: marketing, business information system, communication, etc. 

Then it was on to Massey University’s  College of Creative Arts. The campus is very cool. We toured several art departments and favourites were the industrial design centre and the Fab Lab Wellington.  

 

Dinner at Nicolini’s and a night at a very intimate comedy club capped off our time in Wellington.  The Scruffy Bunny Theatre presented 5 person improv show and then a game of Simpson trivia between 2 rival comedy teams.  There were a few American jokes  as the Kiwis find us a bit nutty.

 

Happy Birthday Kai! 

No doubt it does rain a lot in winter.  On many sunny days the clear skies change abruptly and give way to thunderstorms as clouds quickly build up over Mt. Taranaki. This releases buckets of rain!  To quote Des, it sounds like your house is getting power washed!  A water spout became a tornado 3 nights ago and blasted 20 houses a couple of blocks away.  That is apparently very usual.  We are accustomed to the rain, wind, and lightning but not tornados. The newspaper reported that a local Kiwi spent 2 weeks in the U.S. chasing tornados this summer. He never saw one until Monday night when he was driving home from work here in New Plymouth! (no injuries reported by the way) Luckily the sun is out and the Tui birds are calling and making their strange noises again. 

Here are a few more photos of the Walkway.  The scenery is always changing with the tides, swell, and weather.  We’ve enjoyed some absolutely gorgeous days.

Below are notes and artsy photos from Kai:

“Last weekend My Dad, Sam and I hiked up Mt. Paritutu for a morning walk / photo op. Sam arrived at our house around 9:20 am and we headed out soon after.  After jamming to some Watsky on the drive over to the ‘base’ we hopped out and began our 10 minute ascent. We passed several families on the way up and eventually reached the vertical portion of the climb. With as much focus as an early risen kid could muster, I  pulled myself to the top of the ascent. Looking out at several adjacent sugarloaf mountains and Back Beach to the west the, view was incredible. Only in New Zealand can one hike for about 12 minutes and find such an incredible view. At the top we admired the view, contemplated NBA trade rumors, took a quick photo, and headed down. After we climbed down carefully and got into our car, Des suggested we take a look at a couple surf spots. We didn’t refuse. After obsessing over the wave and tide structure for the upcoming hour, we called it a morning. I  had finally worked up an appetite.” -Kai

We can always go to the gym, ride bikes, or surf but Des adds novelty to our outdoor exercise.  Why not run the terraced “bleachers” at the PukeKura Park sports field? As a warm up?  All of them? Sure. Let’s do that.  Kai and I are good solders and besides, inside the park there’s a cafe with ice cream!

Captured below are photos of a  recent stroll along Back Beach and another day of awesome surf conditions.  There are no beginner surf spots here so you have to pay attention and be agile.  

 

Des promises to write a post soon!