Riwaka

The drive north was through some beautiful terrain and late in the afternoon we finally arrived at our destination, a predominantly pear orchard, owned by a very friendly and welcoming gentleman of Scottish descent. There was a clearing with 4 bedroom cabins and a central kitchen/living cabin which, with the help of a couple of tents, suited the purposes of a nomadic tribal group of 16 - 17 admirably. In no time the tents were pitched, the volleyball/badminton net was up and we settled in for the week, enjoying our first dinner of spag bol cooked by Eleanor.

Early the next morning some of the kids were keen to check out our private Riwaka River access across the road and along a short drive. The water was inviting but cold. Looking back up the hill we saw the "castleated" house on the summit which was later to be the venue for a very memorable New Year's Eve.

After lunch we visited Kaiteriteri Beach at the estuary end where the boat was launched and kids and Kirsty went swimming but the day was quite cold and windy so we didn't last long.

After-dinner events often included a vigorously contested game of soccer, hanging out more peacefully, and playing cards.

One glorious day Kirsty, Dave, Jenny, Peter and Grant decided to head out from Kaiteriteri by boat to be dropped off to do a day trip on part of the Abel Tasman walk. The pictures speak for themselves. On their return they surprised the rest of us having a much less energetic afternoon on the island in the middle of Kaiteriteri estuary.

Our enterprising landlord popped in regularly with goodies from his garden such as a bucket of freshly-dug new potatoes or on this occasion, an invitation to watch him feed the eels just a short walk up-river from our stretch. It was quite spectacular if somewhat creepy to watch them leap out of the water for his roll of dog food.

A 10-minute walk down through bush rewarded us with a beautiful afternoon at Split Apple Rock beach, named for the split rock just offshore. That evening we were celebrating Eleanor's 21st birthday again for all the NZ rellies who hadn't been to the real thing in Melbourne. The kids had spent a lot of time decorating, especially hanging streamers at just the right height for the youngest.

Eleanor was leaving us to spend New Year's Eve in Christchurch then catch an early flight back to Melbourne so we decided to spend the day in Nelson at the fun park just out of town before depositing her at Nelson airport. This was the last photo opportunity of all the grandchildren (except 24-yr-old Will who had pressing social engagements in and around Melbourne) that Grant had been hoping for so they obligingly lined up before Eleanor left.

I mentioned earlier the house on top of the hill with castle-like features around the roof. It turns out this is the house of our landlord's brother who I suspect is the most Scottish of the clan. We were very generously invited to spend New Year's Eve with them and lots of locals (probably all of Scottish extraction). Chris was sick so she and Grant stayed behind as did Jenny to look after Coco but the rest of us drove up the hill to a most stunning view of the surrounding area all the way across to Nelson. The house was saturated with Scottish artifacts and memorabilia and on the front lawn facing the view were several pipers and drummers from various pipe bands in the area. They sounded particularly magnificent in that setting and I spent most of the night outside listening to them. Our host and his brother were both playing bagpipes. This was a night to remember.

January 1st 2008 was not only the beginning of another year but more importantly, Chris's birthday which we were to celebrate in the evening. But in the morning the ladies and most kids drove a few minutes up the road to the track leading to the Riwaka Resurgence, the beginning of the Riwaka River where the water appears to come out of a cave in the ground. We walked in along a track of great beauty. I don't think I've ever seen such stunningly clear, green pools. Most of the kids and Kirsty were determined to get into the water even though it was only just off freezing temperatu. We stopped at a lovely pool and they plotted their entry. Kirsty showed the way then Jessye and Sophie followed with increasingly flamboyant leaps into the crystal clear water. Rosie's entrance was more understated but she was very pleased with herself nevertheless.

Back at the ranch Chris opened her presents, we sat down to another wonderful meal, several of which seemed to have been masterminded and prepared by Alex and then Jenny whipped up a gorgeous cake.

After just one more day of fun in the sun and uncharacteristic (for some of us) attendance at a Black Seeds concert at the Riwaka pub the crowd was dispersing. The Christchurch contingent was driving back home, Jenny and kids were heading back to Wellington on the ferry, we were flying to Wellington from Nelson before heading further north and Alex and Jane were carrying on in true Kiwi fashion with a mattress set up in the back of the station wagon. Watch for the next chapter in a week or so when I get back from a chamber music camp at Mt Buller.