Motueka road trip

For no reason at all we decided to go on a nice road trip to Motueka some 3 hours drive away from Picton. People said why, and I just said because its there and we are not; seemed as good a reason as any.
 However we really enjoy Motueka a,medium size town  in the centre of the fruit growing area, plenty of apples pears kiwi fruit and hops and vegetables too

There is a old school building right in the main street which is now an interesting museum, with a nice cafe next door.

   We stayed very uncharacteristically in a Back Packers Lodge the  'Hat Trick ' .http://www.hattricklodge.co.nz/  We booked a double room with en suite for only $70 a night,
we can recommend it to anyone. Like a motel but so much better. The big bonus as far as we are concerned is the huge communal kitchen, dining room and TV lounge where everyone gathers together for the evening. So nice to meet up with about a dozen or more young people from all over the world. We chat all evening with them and share free fruit and coffee and when one of the boys baked cookies he shared them with us too. We all sat around doing jig saw puzzles not even watching TV.
I spent some time playing the poker machines and doing some winning which pleased me.


We drove out to Kaiteriteri Beach a real tourist haven but it was nearly deserted today we had the beach of golden sands to ourselves.

The tide was right out in the estuary and the mudflats exposed, there were masses of seabirds feeding in the shallow waters I watched them fighting over the best positions. Sadly I was too far away to see them in the photos.

The weather was so nice while we were there but in the morning as we were about to leave it started raining. the main street still looked nice with the Autumn tints in the big street trees and flowers all in hanging baskets along the footpath.

We found this strange statue as we drove through Nelson

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The Matriarch

This is my tribute to my dear Mother that I read out in Church.

6-3-1921  -  22-4-2015

The Matriarch has gone.

The head Lady of our family has left us. 

She has left a dynasty stretching 5 generations. Yes, she has five Great, Great, Grandchildren, Katie-May, Maximus, Charlotte and sweet little Archer all of whom are growing up in Australia. So Mum has done her bit for trans Tasman  relationships.
Mum has done her job well. The scripture, 'My yolk is easy and my burden is light' comes to mind, that is how it was for Mum, she held us all lovingly in  the palm of her hand,  watching over us, holding us together and taking an active interest in all we did, and was, right to the very last closely involved in all in the happenings in our lives. Nothing was too much trouble.
Now I find myself the oldest member of the family, but the yolk that fitted Mum so well does not fit me. I know that I shall never be the Matriarch; - but I will always be her eldest.
Mum was 'Old School' A Lady with all the solid Christian values of a previous generation, that we can only strive for, she was such a caring person and tried hard to instill these values into us all.
She spent her last four years in Springland's Lifestyle village  in Blenheim, where she was very happy, active and well cared for. Thank you to the staff whom I know will miss her too
Mum was, among a LOT of other things an accomplished Pianist and a great singer with a  powerful deep melodic voice. Almost all my best memories are surrounded by music; of us all  singing or of Mum playing piano, watching her hands dance across the keys  making beautiful music so effortlessly; or so I thought til I had a go at learning to play the piano! Her signature tune was the fast and furious very difficult to play "Black and White Rag" She played it frequently for me, I was always asking her to play it because she used to cross her hands over to reach some of the notes. I loved it.
Finally, the other great memory is of the wonderful privileged idyllic childhood we had, going away with Mum and Dad in the caravan. Every holiday and most weekends we went caravaning to Goose Bay or to Pelorus Bridge, where we three kids would have the freedom to run wild and free; safely and just be happy children having fun, as all children should be.
This has left us all with a deep love of the sea and nature generally. So much so that all three of us and most  of the grandchildren all live beside the ocean.
Thankyou Mum.
Thanks for the love.

Pelorus Bridge

 Goose Bay Kaikoura