New Zealand Last Days

Headstand on Sugarloaf Hill, "Steve's Hill"

No Kiwi birds this time it seems. Oh well I did get to see some wonderfully

spurting geysers.

In Napier I passed the time with fun interrupted

by moments of concern as to when my new credit card would turn up.

Thankfully I was hosted by some great friends who I've known

since the days I used to live in Bath in the early 1990s.

The wonder of having such friends is that we realise that

most of the cases in life we are faced with conditions in order to

get on with people and it is always a welcome change when friends

like these show their unconditional love.

On my arrival in Napier with the intercity bus from Wellington,

I was grandiously welcomed by Steve and his son, Christopher John,

who I hadnt seen since he was a little three year old toddler.

Now, at the age of 9, CJ, demonstrated amazing talents for sports,

music, dancing, designing games and, above all, playing the XBox!

Steve had some nice little activities lined up for me while I was staying

in Napier, starting with a wonderful visit to the pub to see some local

rock bands playing. Our first little expedition was for a short walk up the local

hill viewable from the house, Sugarloaf Hill, now proudly defined by

Steve as "his hill".

The next day, we headed out for a more challengeable trek up the so called

"sunrise hut" a 1350 meter climb to a summit in the hills to the west of Napier.

This was something requiring a satisfactory fitness level and good preparation.

So, we took emergency rations, waterproofs and other necessities in case,

as so often can happen in New Zealand, the weather takes a sudden turn.

1350m up at Sunrise Hut

Awaiting us on our return from the trek was a delightful meal at the famous

Mission restaurant and winery (converted from an old monastary).

Dinner at the Mission

Two more glorious days were spent in Napier before heading out towards Rotorua and the

magnifican springs and geysers.

Large Geysers in Rotorua

Unfortunately, time did not allow a further visit to neither Auckland Aikikai nor the

dojo of Alan Wade sensei in Gisborne which I sadly regret though I think there is

a very good chance I'll be seeing these Aikido friends in the very near future.

The flight to LA was smooth and trouble free. Now there is a very great need for

sleep in recovering from the flight. Marina from Tel Aviv called me on Skype this

morning just as I had arrived and she looked stunning. I showed her the bags under

my eyes from the jetlag on the video cam much to her amusement.

California news coming soon!