Mama Mia

I've just come back from an overnight stay in the capitol city, Wellington.   As I was away a little less than 24 hours, Gemma stayed home alone.  She was left with dry food, wet food, fresh water, and a nice clean litter box.  As she tends to snooze most of the day, I was sure she would be fine.  Although maybe her pussy cat brain would wonder where I was at bedtime?  My blue overnight case was packed, and I was ready to go.

All packed for an overnight trip

The coach collected me outside the village, with the next stop being Coastlands Mall for lunch.  Previously, I would have gone to my favourite Butlers Chocolate Cafe, but this chain of shops has now been closed, so I made do with an ordinary cafe instead.  I felt a bit rushed in making my choice as there was a long queue behind me, so missed the fact that there was nice hot soup on offer.  Never mind, I made do with a coffee and cake.  Next time I'll take my time to read the board properly.  After lunch I was taking a photo of the coach, and the driver offered to take one for me.

On the way to a big night out

Our hotel overlooked Oriental Bay, which is named after the ship "Oriental" which arrived in Wellington in 1840.  It was a cool day, with a light breeze, and there was an hour or so to settle down and relax.  The sun was streaming in the windows.

My room for the night

The view out the window

Dinner for the evening was at the very busy Dragons Restaurant.  Our coach group was seated at tables for 10, and the food just kept coming, it really was delicious.  Then it was just a short walk to St James Theatre in Courtney Place.

We walked to St James Theatre

St James Theatre was built in 1912, and is full of wonderful decorations.  However, it fell into decline and was very nearly demolished when the owners placed a destruction order on the site.  In 1993 Wellington Council purchased the property and handed it over to St James Theatre Charitable Trust, and restorations began.  

Inside St James Theatre

The show started with a hiss and a roar and continued non stop throughout the evening.  Song after well known song was belted out and had the audience clapping along.  It was very enjoyable and at the end of the show, the whole cast came back on stage and performed an extra rendition of several of the favourite songs.  It was a great evening, full of energy and feel good entertainment.  But I must admit I was feeling a little upset during the show.  Even though I enjoyed the music, I thought to myself, what am I doing here, surrounded by all these strangers, when I really want nothing more than to have Robin by my side, sharing this experience with me.  Alas, it is not to be.   We boarded the coach for the short drive back to the hotel. and I'm sure we all retired with the words of Abba running around our   heads. 

View from my hotel window at night.

After a reasonable night's sleep, I woke early, made a cuppa to take back to bed, then caught up with the news of the day.  Then it was time to shower, dress, and head down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.  Mmm, I decided on pancakes, yoghurt and fruit, washed down with orange juice and coffee.

Sunday breakfast

With the bags loaded in the coach, and all the passengers on board, we headed north.  The coach dropped me back at the village, turned around, then continued on the journey.  It certainly was a great experience.  Gemma barely stirred when I opened the door.  She was tucked up in her tower and went back to sleep, finally getting up, stretching, and coming to greet me after an hour.  Perhaps she didn't miss me at all!

Oh, you've come back, have you.

End of Summer Time

 I've just had a weekend away with a difference, and it was such fun.  I joined a bus tour (door to door pick up) for a night out for dinner, on to Circa Theatre and staying in a rather posh hotel.  The hotel put the very tatty Hasting motel from my last trip to shame, but then as I said before, you get what you pay for.  As I would only be away for a little less than 24 hours, I was happy to leave Gemma at home.  Loaded up with plenty of food and water and a freshly cleaned litter box, I reasoned she would be fine.  After all, she does sleep most of the day away.

Before the trip I had to get the overnight travel bag down from the loft.  You may remember that our loft, with the pull down ladder, is always rather scarey for me.  I asked my friend Dot to come down while I climbed up the ladder, just to be there in case I slipped.  Dot insisted that she climb the ladder instead, and handed down two suitcases to me.  Thanks Dot, you were a god send.  My blue cases hadn't been used since our last rail trip through Australia, some years back now, and I found photocopies of our passports safely tucked away, just in case of loss.  

Packed and ready to go

The bus tour started from Hastings, and collected me outside the village.  I was soon onboard, and settled down.  We stopped at Coastlands Mall, Paraparaumu, for lunch, this was at our own cost.  People did their own thing, there were several cafe options at the mall, and I wandered through to Butlers Chocolate Cafe, always a favourite, and lunched with one of the passengers.

I love it here

I enjoyed a delicious hot chocolate and a ham and cheese toastie and chattered away to my table mate. Full disclosure, I may have purchased a few chocolates to take home.  My travel companion went off checking out some shops, and I decided to make my way back to the entrance where the bus was parked.  That didn't go well.  I walked this way and back, just couldn't find the correct exit.  Finally I spotted a lady in a Fire Service uniform and asked for help.  She walked me around yet another corner, and yes, that's where I needed to be!  Goodness knows what she thought of me, I've mentioned before that I'm often navigationally challenged.  

The rain was coming down again as we drove towards Wellington, finally arriving at the Copthorne Hotel, on Oriental Parade.  A helpful staff member came out to greet us, but the umbrellas she was carrying were soon blown inside out, we were in windy Wellington, after all.  We were given our door cards and went upstairs to find our rooms.  And what a lovely room it was, very nice and comfortable indeed.   After all those years of caravanning, it is always a treat to stay in a hotel room.  All to myself - it's just a shame Robin was not here to share it with me

My room

View from my tiny balcony, wet and misty

Later we were collected and drove to Dragons Restaurant for an early dinner.  Our party was split into two groups, and the tasty food kept arriving.  Mmm, it was certainly delicious, but I did pass up the wiggly squid.  There were dishes of  chicken, pork, fish,  dumplings and spring rolls, plenty for everyone.  Dessert was ice-cream with chocolate sauce.

Dinner at the Dragons Restaurant

Then it was a very short drive to Circa Theatre, on the waterfront.  Robin and I had been here many times in the past when we lived in Upper Hutt, and always enjoyed plays and live shows.  The building has been expanded since the last visit, and now consists of two studios, a bar and plenty of lounge seating.

Circa Theatre

The play was "End of Summertime" written by Roger Hall, always a favourite New Zealand playwright.  It continues the story of Dickie Hart, played by Gavin Rutherford, the sole performer, relating his thoughts in a stream of consciousness.  Previously a farmer, Dickie and his wife moved to a retirement village in the big smoke of Auckland, that was certainly a  big change in his life.  And then Covid hit, and Auckland went into Lockdown.  It certainly was a great night out.

The following morning the rain had stopped, and it looked like being a nice day.  It was  a leisurely morning, with our departure  time being 10.00am.  Plenty of time for a cuppa in bed while I caught up with the news, have a shower, pack my overnight case, then amble down to the restaurant for a buffet breakfast.  We then boarded the coach for our homeward journey.

Our coach and hotel

First stop was at Kapiti Chocolates in Paraparaumu.  I was on the lookout for peppermint marshmallow Easter eggs, impossible to find in the supermarkets this year.  Yes, I did find some, so that was lucky.  By all the bags coming onboard, it seems that most of the others made purchases too.

Kapiti Chocolates

Heading north, we soon arrived at Levin.  The driver drove through the village and parked right outside my home, that would have given the neighbours something to talk about.  Then the coach was off, heading back to Hastings.  It was a great trip and I would certainly consider another one in the future.  Gemma still had food in her bowl, so she wasn't starving.  She jumped up on my lap for a pat and a cuddle, we had a little talk together, then she decided enough is enough.  I think she was happy to see me.

Kangaroos, Koalas and a Wombat

You know you are in Australia when you can get up close and personal to these iconic animals.  We’ve spent a busy day on board a big blue Adams Coach, doing a full day trip.  First stop was to the Caversham Wildlife Park where the tour guide took us around to check out the animals.  The morning was a bit drizzly so we were pleased we had taken our rain jackets.  Some of the kangaroos had Joey's in the pouches so we could see legs or heads sticking out as Mum hopped around. 

 

Kangaroos galore

Next stop was the wombat enclosure where one of the keepers was sitting with a male wombat on his lap, and we were invited up to have our photo taken.  The wombat was perfectly content and didn’t move at all, as one after another, the bus passengers filed up for their photo opportunity.

Time with the wombat

Then it was on to the koala enclosure, where, sure enough, a young koala was waiting with the keeper. As we were allowed to gently touch these animals, we  had to use hand sanitiser as we entered each enclosure, to protect the animals.  

With a young koala

Our whizz bang tour concluded, we boarded the bus again and went on our way.  Our lunch stop was at the Lobster Shack, on the coast at Cervantes,  where we had a tour through the processing factory, then on to the dining area for lunch.  The price for our coach tour included fish and chips for lunch, with the option to upgrade to a lobster meal for an extra cost.  And why not, I thought, it isn’t often that I get an opportunity like this! Robin was happy with his fish and chips, as long as I gave him a little taste of my lobster.   The rock lobsters are fished off the coast, and we would call them crayfish back home in NZ.

Yummy lunch

Next was a visit to the amazing Pinnacles at Nambung National Park.  It seems that the experts cannot agree how these formations came to be, and there are several theories trotted out.  Whatever the real answer is, the Pinnacles were certainly amazing to see, stretching out into the desert as far as the eye could see.  We read: “Rising mysteriously from the sand dunes are thousands of limestone pillars up to 4m tall, a landscape in eerie contrast to the surrounding heath.  Some are jagged, sharp edged columns rising to a point, others resemble tombstones”. 

Just some of the Pinnacles

Our last stop was to the gorgeous snow white sand dunes at Lancelin.  We changed vehicles to a 4WD bus and were invited to have a go at sand boarding down the dunes.  Not for me, at my age, with middle aged bones I’d be worried about falling off and breaking a hip!  But some of the younger people had a go, and seemed to enjoy themselves.  It was fun enough just to stand by and watch then as they trudged up to the top of the dunes, and whizzed down on there dune boards. 

Sand duning

It was a long day, with the trip covering 500kms, but fun, and I’m sure that most of us nodded off in the coach on the return journey.  Certainly the easiest way to see these amazing sights, it was a most enjoyable day.