Fush 'n' Chups: October 2004

Surf!

View from Cape Palliser Road - white surf on a black beach - be-oo-tiful!

Surf!

Nige on top of the world!

Nige at Cape Palliser...

...at the top of the 257 steps, enjoying a well earned rest on the edge of a cliff!!

Nige at Cape Palliser

View from Cape Palliser

Cape Palliser Lighthouse

The road out to Cape Palliser was mainly unsealed which was a bit scary in our posh hire car, but we made it unscathed. At the point is a lovely traditional lighthouse which has 257 very steep steps up to it!

Cape Palliser Lighthouse

Palliser Bay

The views across Palliser Bay were fabulous and the water was wonderful shades of turquoise and deep blue. Here, you can see across to Lake Ferry where we had lunch, which is just at the end of the headland.

Palliser Bay

Sheep!!!

After lunch we drove through the fields to the Cape Palliser Road. We saw loads of really really fluffy sheep - they looked so cuddly!!! But we tried in vain to get a close up as they were very shy!

Sheep!

View from Lake Ferry - what a beauty!

View from Lake Ferry

Fush&Chups at Lake Ferry

We went to the Tourist Info in Martinborough and the wee man there told us that we should deff the wine and drive out to Lake Ferry and Cape Palliser on the coast. So we did!

We had lunch (fush and chups of course!) in the gorgeous beer garden at Lake Ferry Hotel and soaked up the rays!

Fush&Chups at Lake Ferry

Trip over the Rimutakas

Saturday 30th Oct - We went on a big day out to explore Martinborough which is a town in the heart of the Martinborough wine district, over the Rimutaka mountains. The road there was very long and twisty with really steep drops, but Nige negotiated it very well.

Road over the Rimutakas

Jen starts work!

Jen started work on Tues 26th Oct at IAG which is the largest insurance company in New Zealand and has brands such as State Insurance and NZI. Jen says 'I am a 'Customer Care Analyst' in the IT department, which basically means I am the next level up from the Helpdesk and look at improving the performance and reputation of the Helpdesk and making sure our customers are happy. I am working in a team of 3, with Fiona and Dan, who are both lovely. The whole team is really friendly and sociable and always up for a beer or two!!' Good on ya Jen!

Driftwood Dragon

Kapiti Island is just off the coast at Paraparaumu. It's a nature reserve and you have to book well in advance to go walking there. As we hadn't booked, we spent the day looking for amusing pieces of driftwood on the beach!

Driftwood Dragon & Kapiti Island

Paraparaumu Beach

On Sunday 24th we cruised up to the Kapiti Coast, north west of Wellington. Paraparaumu Beach was supposed to be gorgeous but we found it a bit grey and covered in seaweed and driftwood! Maybe they clean it for summer?! Along this coast is where a lot of Wellingtonians have their beach-houses.

Paraparaumu Beach

Darren & Emete

On 23rd Oct, fellow refugees from London, Darren and Emete arrived in Wellington. Darren worked with Nige at EDS in Hounslow and has also got a transfer over to New Zealand with his girlfriend, Emete.

We picked them up from the airport at the crack of dawn on the Saturday and took them back to Atrium Towers. It was really lovely to see someone from home, and to share our experiences of starting a new life in Wellington.

We took them to the Chocolate Fish Cafe which is famous for being where the Lord of the Rings stars hung out between filming. The food is out of this world and we all stuffed our faces!!

The Southern Walkway

Jenny's last day of freedom was spent doing one of Wellington's walks - The Southern Walkway. This starts in Oriental Bay and follows the 'Town Belt' (a belt of protected forest circling the city) along the top of Mount Vic ridge, past the zoo, over Mount Albert and out to Island Bay on the Cook Strait. It was great to get out in my hiking boots for the first time - can't wait to explore the rest of the country's tramping trails!!

Island Bay

First Fush and Chups!

One evening whilst cruising the suburbs, we found an amazing Fush and Chup shop in Hataitai, and an equally perfect place to eat them whilst watching the sunset, in Oriental Bay.

Oriental Bay has a man-made golden sandy beach which is a few minutes walk from town, and the prom is always full of runners, walkers, roller-bladers and cyclists - Running down there feels a bit like being in a fun run!

First Fush and Chups - at sunset on Oriental Parade

High above Wellington harbour

Wellington is a really hilly city - just a few twists and turns and you can be up high above the harbour. Absolutely stunning!

View high above Wellington harbour

The Cake Tin!

Wellington's Stadium is affectionately known as the Cake Tin - can you see why?!

The Cake Tin!

View of Wellington Airport from Mount Vic

View north towards the Rimutaka's - last of the winter snow

Exploring Wellington...

Nige started work at EDS on Monday 18th Oct, whilst Jen had another week to play before starting at IAG. We had great weather all week, so we made the most of the long sunny evenings to explore Wellington suburbs and decide where we wanted to live.

Views from Mount Victoria in the sunshine were stunning - you can see right over the city with the harbour sparkling below, north to the Rimutaka ranges, which still had snow on, and down onto Wellington Airport runway.

Sun over Wellington Harbour at last!