Hello, New Zealand

First thing I noticed as we made the descent towards Auckland was the GREEN grass! I had forgotten how green grass can look. met at the airport by Jane, wearing as promised a hat with flowers in it for easy recognition! Jane is the cousin of a friend from church. Again, a very warm welcome. Jane is a stoma nurse (as is Jan in Brisbane), and she had organised most of the week off to show me around. The 2 afternoons when she was required to take her clinics, her friends took on the role! Jane and I got on like a house on fire, and shared lots of laughs. We visited the Gannet Colony, and spring was definitely in the air; One Tree Hill, which has no tree now as a Maori activist chopped it down- made me think of our own Law Hill, only this one has lots of sheep on it. We visited black sand beaches; walked through Duder National Park with fantastic views from the top of the hill (although Jane dive-bombed by a magpie here); saw at least 3 kingfisher while we ate our picnic lunch; visited couple of waterfalls, one of which required a hike of 2 hours all told; drove to lovely villages; took a ferry to Devenport, a very nice suburb, and went up Mt. Victoria, again a bit like the Law(volcanic area as you will have gathered); Kelly Tarlton's Underground Adventure, where we saw penguins and a variety of underwater creatures, including stingrays being fed by one of the keepers. Too many things seen and done to tell you, though I went up the Sky Tower and before I left Auckland, I was taken to a Samoan couple's engagement party; Jane's friend's birthday party; visited two kindergartens gleaning some ideas; managed to get to church twice and attended a women's study evening.