BTDU

Today was all about our 2nd transition day that would take us south to Maraekakaho – close to Napier.

One of Julie’s “besties”, June, whom she met at their Dundee school 50 years  ago, emigrated here 14 years ago; with her partner Bill they’ve built 2 homes here, so we were delighted at the prospect of staying with them for a few days in their latest project☺️

But first we had to say goodbye to our wee bach in Tauranga and, with the prospect of a sunny day ahead, take a closer look at Mount Maunganui, which sits prominently at the edge of one of the 2 entrances to the massive Tauranga harbour – and definitely falls into the “Ya cannae miss it!” category – plus the wide surf beaches 🏔️🏄🏽‍♂️😎

Our bach was surprisingly comfortable so, after breakfast on the deck, we thanked our hosts then headed for the Mount…

Since it was the weekend – and very sunny – suffice to say the place was, understandably, pretty busy; nevertheless, we got a good look at both major attractions…

The road beside the beach, Marine Parade, is lined with very exclusive houses that would look quite at home in California…

…and with prices to match as well…

That’s c.4.5 million pounds…

Our route took us due South towards Rotorua with the State Highway passing through some magnificent scenery… again 😎

We stopped for a break at a quirky watering hole where our Ute looked quite at home…

With rain clouds gathering and the Glengarry road changing to become edged by steep-sided rainforest along it’s tightly twisted route the driving became more challenging…

…and some of the local shelters needed more than a lick of paint…

Once that section was over it became abundantly clear that we had entered the famous wine growing district of Hastings in Hawke’s Bay, where the serried ranks of groomed grapevines dominate the vista across the flat plain…

Almost exactly a year ago this area was ravaged by Cyclone Gabrielle…

And the devastating impact of that event is still being felt; in our case we met a road closed due to ongoing bridge repairs, but we finally arrived at June and Bill’s home, built on a 3.5 acre “lifestyle block” 7 years ago…

While June immediately started to show Julie the extent of their 1.5 hectare block, I soon realised why Bill wanted to show me his latest acquisition…

“Utes” are the most popular form of transport for the Kiwis and Bill added that our V6 Ford Ranger has consistently outsold all other brands ☺️

Meantime, Julie was being introduced to their 3 miniature highland cattle, Nessie, McDuff and Hettie…

Whilst I said a belated Hello to Angus and Donald…in the snug…

Bill served up a very welcome Thai curry with J & J already having started their 3 Day CatchUp-a-thon😉

… including why, 14 years after emigrating, they have now decided to sell up and return to Scotland,🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🤔