- Visiting the West Coast of Scotland
- This is it!!!
- On the road again
- Back Country – NZ
- NZ update – east coast
- Back Country – very different this time!
- Lake Taupo
- The Coromandel
- Mini-break
- More little adventures – NZ
- Getting out and about again!
- More holidays!!
- A new year of adventures
- The mountain cottage
- Ginny’s visit
- Another visit – Marni and Jodi
- More changes!
- First stop in Canada – Niagara Falls
- Quick visit – Toulouse and Venet les Bains
- Ffald-y-Brenen
- The Cotswolds
- Back in France again!!
- Barcelona
- A much more interesting path – crossing the Irish Sea!
- London to Loxton
- Enniscorthy – a quick visit
- County Donegal
- South Gippsland, Victoria
- Next port of call
- Victorian High Country
- Snowy River Country
- Reindeer Lodge – Tanjil Bren
- Hiccup to Blessing
- Have tent will travel!!
- Family and friends – hugs and kisses
- Road Trip to the West
- Very snail like!
Well once again it has been awhile! Hi to everyone. Things at Manna have been busy – as per usual!! We did manage to catch the plane to Wellington in April for an AFL (Australian Rules Football) game. We went with fellow Aussie and trust member Paul, who is also a red wine enthusiast! We took some red wine with us but unfortunately Reg dropped our backpack on the tarmac. Instead of being enjoyed with a meal the wine ended up all through our clothes and dripping onto the ground as we walked towards the terminal!
Our hotel was lovely – easy walking distance to the game and close to the city centre. We did get a chance to look around Wellington; walking along the wharf area, having a ride on the cable car to Kelburn lookout, and visiting the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum – very impressive. We have visited Wellington a few times now and always enjoy it.
The AFL game was a lot of fun – we spent lots of time explaining the rules to people around us. Though, I must admit, some were already very knowledgeable – AFL seems quite popular in different regions of NZ. One young guy we talked to is very serious about it – it’s his favourite sport and he would love to play it at a top level. But then why not!! Its a fantastic game!! We had a great day – Sydney beat St Kilda by 16 points. The crowd was vocal and everyone enjoyed themselves. Headed back to the Taranaki happy with our little taste of Oz.
In early July we visited Titoki Healing Centre near Whakatane. It was through friends at Titoki that we originally heard about Manna – so we blame them!!!!! We decided to come back to the Taranaki via Mt Ruapehu – any chance to visit a mountain and maybe see some snow! We ended up staying at Chateau Tongariro – an old hotel near the mountain. What an amazing place to stay. Felt like we went back a century in time. It is a huge building; large open lounge area with open fireplace, wonderful restaurant, small cinema, workout room and sauna. Beautiful views through large windows in the lounge. Drove up to the ski fields though not a lot of snow to be seen. Lovely walking tracks everywhere – enjoyed heading off into the bush, following our noses, taking in the views. Had a great meal in the restaurant that evening – with some very yummy wine. Drove back to Manna via the Forgotten World Highway, past the Whangamomona Pub and through Stratford. Old territory we have traveled before while visiting the back country.
That’s it for now. Catch up again soon
Love Di and Reg
This entry was posted in New Zealand