Aotearoa One

Just come back from a FAB trip on Aotearoa One. Aotearoa (is the Maori name for New Zealand - land of the long white cloud) and they used the English word for one so it was the coming together of the two worlds.
I went on it as part of my course at Te Wananga O Aotearoa. It was for us to learn in a different environment and pushing past our boundaries. We were really lucky to have on board Manulani Meyer who is an awesome lady, she is a Doctor from Hawaiian. I heard her talk at the two day symposium I went to and had the honour of her sitting in on my talk and saying lovely things at the end.
We left Whangaparaora after 9.00 at night on a drizzle evening with poor visibility. We left under motor at first. Later as we went North we put up the sails and went mostly under sail. We all had to put the sails up as a group. Our group wasn't on watch till 3.00 am (I know!!) so we cat napped on the seats around the deck. I support one of my friends who was feeling really sea sick, she wasn't the only one several were. I was the only pakeha (white person)on board and wasn't in the slightest bit sick YAY!!
At one stage while I was napping I heard a shout and woke. K said it's ok they just saw a dolphin but it's gone now. Now it one of my dreams is to see dolphins in the wild not Seaworld. SO was gutted that I missed it and went back asleep, only to be woken to be told there was dolphins along side us. It was pitch black and hard to see them but it made them more mystical as they shimmered in the water. They are so fast and we mostly had 2 or 3 swimming in between hulls but at one stage there was 6 in total. So although I didn't take any piccies or see them properly as I said it was more magical to see them like that. Awesome was over the moon.
We went to bed around 3 and although we were meant to be woken up at 4 I woke to the sound of fish flapping on the deck at 6.00am. The fish was caught filtered and put on the barbie and eaten for brekkie. It was later followed by some of the fellows diving for Kaimoana (seafood) so I tried fresh scallops - didn't fancy the kina.
I was asked to record the ships log as we sailed home. When it was time to put up the sail Manulani was also doing the task with me, I was put on the sheets and had to use the ropes, she was behind me helping. As I was waiting I looked up and shouted "Granddad/Pop I hope you can see me and feel proud" especially as Granddad had 5 mok puna (grandchildren) and I was the only girl. Both my grandfathers were sailors and I know they sailed to NZ and they were on my mind for most of the journey. SO as I was pulling on the ropes Manulani was saying "Come on Jan you are from a line of sailors, you are from Liverpool your home city is a port - call on them for your strength" and I did it was very moving and great that I did it I over come a barrier.
I was put on watch as we entered the port and filled in the log for the last time as docked.
It was such a great (which is an under statement) honour to have to share with some fantastic people - whanau (family) in the true sense of the word.
I am truly lucky.

Labour day!

Monday was Labour day - what would be a bank holiday in the UK, in other words a day off YAY!!
Stevie was messing around with the radio (ham type) and once again to get the family moving and out of here meant words had to be said!! (MOAN ALERT - It peeves me putting it politely, that the kids I work with go nowhere and yet my own moan because we take them out, moan over and out).
So we went to Rotorua, roto-a-vegas or land of the smelly eggs as we love to call it. It's about an hour away, so down the road really ;-)We went the blue lakes to have a picnic lunch and took Paddy with us. Normally when we go it's quiet but everyone must have had the same idea.
The lake is always cold even on a hot day and today was no exception. But the kids went in for a paddle (I did get my feet wet guys) but poor Paddy was taken in for a swim, he was so funny doing the doggy paddle before he was even in the water. There was a group of people near by laughing and doing the actions of him!!
We had a quick look at Lake Tarawera, which was the site of a huge volcanic explosion in the 1886 which killed over a hundred people, buried lots of the area including the famous pink and white terraces, which were said to be the eighth wonder of the world! The mount still looks menacing, although sleeping.
Talking of explosion, as we were trying to take photos for here, Key would start poking Lou behind my back and Lou poking him back and then it would build. Stevie would be saying "smile you guys, come on why aren't you smiling!!" WHY!!! I wonder.
The end of the evening was a sit on the deck with the fire on (it is spring you know!) and a dip in the spa pool. Ready for work erm?!?!?

Look at the bank holiday traffic!!!

The blue Lake (wonder why it gets it's name!) honest it is busy! normally much quieter then that but it is a holiday.

Lake Tarawera - the peaks in the distance are the volcano (Mount Tarawera)



Going.......

....for a swim

Some piccies that didn't quite turn out. But I love them better

See I told you about the Dr Evil piccies - another one!

Yeah that's more like it.

Waka (war canoe pronounced wok-a) buried as a tribute to the villages that got buried.

Hee hee!! Gotto love that dog.

Evening time

(the opening piccy is a Koru which represents new life or the family, which I thought was appropriate with the extended family I have here and in the UK)

The week in brief, Long weekend and Saturday spent at Raglan Beach.

Well it's been a roller coaster of a week. Firstly we went to Ngaruawahia centre for a sports day with the 3 centres. I got dragged in to play catch the flag (or ball in this case), I ended up running to free one of our teamies. Now I haven't run for years!! As I was running back to my base, I could hear girls (the other centres don't have girls) screaming "Go Jan"!!
Then we had a game of tug of war - staff verses trainees. The first try we lost, then second well...... the terrors waited till we were really pulling and then let go! So the lot of us ended up on our besides! I believe a piccy was taken I need that piccy to scrap. The last round well I know I was determine to win, we won. Good day, the trainees and us had a good day. The next day my arms were so sore and I was telling the trainees and one one of them piped up "if your arms are sore because of tug of war - what about your butt".
"No that's not sore, there's plenty of padding on that!"
Also this week we were to find out if we kept our jobs. TEC (who fund us) announced cuts because of our 'lovely' new government. We didn't have a good year last year so we knew our centre would be hit. We knew one course at least would be going maybe the two of them (with the workbase training left). So when the area manager arrange appointments to see me and my colleague later in the day, we knew and what a horrid day it was, bearing in mind that you can't let on to the trainees. Anyway I am safe but my colleague wasn't, so very bittersweet I can tell you.
So with that behind me and the long weekend I want to go somewhere (camping was out as the weather wasn't upto scratch). Key had arranged to go to a 'sci fi' thing with a friend in Auckland, so his mum asked us to go the beach with her. Her daughter has become a friend of Lou.
So Saturday we went to Raglan beach.


Now I have been told that Raglan is one of the world's best surf beach. Because it has a left hand break (whatever that means). We normally body board there - good fun. But it was too cold for me and Stevie, but Lou and her friend did.




The sand is black sand on Raglan beach as it's on the west coast (it's the Tasman Sea, not the Ocean) and the black isn't oil (unlike West Kirkby were we used to go in UK) but volcanic sand and it can get very hot because of it. We walked along the beach (I picked up shells), which is a really long walk and me and Stevie haven't done it before. It was quite windy but good. We had 'fush and chups' (as the kiwis say) for tea at the estuary and the girls climbed the pohutukawa trees (these are known as kiwi Christmas trees as they blossom red flowers at Christmas time, so they weren't in bloom today). Then dropped Lou at their house for a sleep over. A quick catch up with Key, who had a good day, then back house just me and Stevie.
Another good day.

QUESTION - When the weather is bad where do you go?

Is it
a) stay indoor and read a book or hire a video
or
b) go the beach and paddle in the South Pacific.

Yes the correct answer is b!!!
No I was fed up with the weather and being at home then work then home again. So I said on Saturday (and it was lovely on Sat) "s*d it I am going the beach tomorrow, I don't care what the weather is doing". I really miss being quite close to the water and love to go the beach and summer seems to be taking its time coming.

Well woke up to grey clouds and rain (more blinkin rain! What the f....) Key and Lou thought I was mad and didn't want to go (think Kevin the teenager here) and as the norm a fight was to be won before we ventured out.

The rain wasn't so bad on the Bay of Plenty, and we went to the Mount. Paddy just loved running around with the kids well Key as Lou got a migraine (her first one poor thing). When we got there we saw the saddest thing - a tiny penguin (well smaller then the ones at Chester Zoo) dead in the surf!!! Our first penguin in NZ and it was dead. So sad.

Anyway I rolled up my jeans (POM alert and northern POM at that! were is the knotted hanky the kiwi's were crying) and paddled in the water, sorry Ocean (still love saying that). I have had a rash (long story - don't ask) hence why I was also fed up, and I wanted to bathe in the water to see if that helped any. The water was so blinkin freezin (like being back at Southport!) but it felt good. Key had a good time paddling in the Ocean.

We then headed into the town and had a hot chocolate/coffee at Starbucks. Although now Starbucks coffee/chocolate doesn't taste as nice as other local coffee shops. Starbucks is sentimental for us, as it was Starbucks (within Borders) in Speke where me and Stevie talked about our move to New Zealand and filled in some of the paperwork. So Starbucks has a special meaning for us and that's why we go there especially when at the Mount.

The weather still looked amazing when the cloud was over the Kaimai range (we had to go over those)

These photos were taking on my phone.


We have been watching Austin Powers so that's our 'theme' photo taking now. We have to do Dr Evil photos were ever we go!!!

The big day out!

Well we (the staff and me) fought a battle and won and took the trainees down to the snow, bare in mind that a lot of these guys have never seen snow. My own kids wanted to come too (I know, they wagged school for the day oops!)and CA brought her eldest too (who has adopted Lou as a younger sis!!). So we headed down to the Tongariro National Park with a visit to Taupo first to see Hukka falls which was sooo full, more then any of the other times we'd seen it. For the folks in the UK Mount Ruapehu the mountain we were going on is a live volcano!! It was an (here's that word I don't like but....) awesome day out. The weather was glorious, with some of us going down to vest and tees!! Thank goodness I don't think I could of put up with the moaning from the trainees about the cold! The kids (me included!) had a great time, the trainees were laughing that I was going down the slopes on the boogie boards when I got the chance and I was a pretty mean snow baller thrower (hey I grown up throwing snowballs). Stevie was throwing snowballs at them as they went down the slopes and they all ganged up on him and got him back. CA had arranged a treasure hunt with prizes buried in the snow and a 'coconut shy' thing were they had to throw snowball at the chocolate lollies to win them. But as soon as their snowballs had knocked the choc off, they had to run to get their prize, I made the others turn the snowballs on to the person getting the prize instead!! Good fun.
Then it was a trip back, after a stop for hot chips in Te Kuiti, then home late. A trip of 600K in total!
But worth it.

Hukka falls - the start of the Waikato river, it's not that blue when it gets to us!!(although we did kid a few of the trainees on that they put food colouring in the water!) look at how full it is.


Here is the Motley crew!!


"oh no they didn't" I am shocked by a photo shown by CA.


On our way in our van



Here we all are with Mount Ruapehu in the background


Key trying a bit of 'snowboarding' and not doing too bad!


Me and Lou going down the slopes, YAY!



Key taking the high ground to throw snowballs at those below him (look some of them our in vests it was that warm).


The trainees getting Stevie back - she's behind you!

Too late - bang on target - Ka Pai


Stevie getting Key back


Stunning Mount Ngauruhoe, I just love that! (or otherwise know as Mount Doom on LOTR)


Waiting to start the treasure hunting.


Key and Lou picking on one of my girls when she went to get her choc bars!!